Wednesday, October 22, 2008

THE INSEPARABLES OF PREACHING

In his book entitled Doctrine that Dances, Robert Smith, Jr. discusses the Inseparables of preaching. These he says are Didache which is a new testament word used for teaching or instruction, and Kerygma which is a new testament word used for preaching. He says the two must always be integrated in preaching and teaching. I mention this because he states that the goal of proclamation is to instruct and invite hearers to salvation, while the purpose of teaching is to instruct believers toward experiencing maturity in discipleship.

This is a profound statement to me, because I think that it reinforces the reason that God called us to preach his gospel. While I understand that many proclaimers of the gospel are often motivated to preach the gospel for various reasons, such as money, notoriety, and status; this statement usurps those reasons, and points to the true fact of why we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. It also lays down the foundation of why we teach, and how preaching and teaching are intertwined with each other.

It always surprises me when I meet a pastor, and his business card says "Pastor/Teacher." To me this is unnecessary because the preacher as a proclaimer of the gospel is a teacher-Didache, as well as a preacher-Kerygma. There is no distinction between the two. While it is true that Ephesians 4:11 says "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers." The truth of the matter is preaching and teaching are the Inseparables of preaching.

6 comments:

Reginald C. Payne said...

Hey glad to see you blogging, in regards to this topic Pastor/Teacher and teacher soun almost identical, however despite there similarities these roles have some important differences. Pastor/Teachers Shepherd the flock of God, guarding, comforting, and instructing- long term, he is called eph 4:11 has strict standards 1 tim3:1-7, 2 tim 4:2-5. The Teacher on the other hand as refered by 1 Peter 4:10-11 the gift of teaching is speaking. Here are some differences of the two:
Pastor/Teacher 1 needs to have the gift of teaching 2. leadership skills essential to the Pastor 3. The church is the best setting for the Pastor's work.
The Teacher 1. does not need the gift of shepherding, 2. Managerial skills are optional, 3. The teacher can exercisethis gift in a variety of locations. something to think about only a few of us will have one of these two gifts but we all benefit from them.

Barry B. Severe said...

Reg, In response to your post regarding the pastor you are quite correct. However, under the auspices of preaching, and speaking strictly from a preacher's perspective, it's necessary that the preacher Didache, and Kerygma (preach and teach)in the context of proclaiming the word. If reference to the business cards, when I said that preachers are both preachers and teachers. this again is in the strict sense of Didache and Kerygma. Not the "office" of the pastor.

Reginald C. Payne said...

Yes but in the Ephesians passage the gift says Paul is pastor teacher there are two distinctions and I think if scripture emphasizes it in this light so should we

Barry B. Severe said...

RP, I agree with you from that aspect, but you keep looking at the post from a different context. Dr. Smith is speaking in reference to proclamation. During proclamation or the sermonic presentation, the preacher is to do Didache and Kerygma. You keep referencing the office of pastor. All pastors are preachers, but evry preacher is not a pastor. And so from this regard as a preacher ONLY, Didache and Kerygma must be employed during the sermon.

Now in reference to what you are saying regarding Paul, you must understand that it is a given the pastor is the first teacher of the church. Now there may be other people gifted with teaching, and who teach; the pastor is the first teacher of the church, because he is the shepherd of the flock, the overseer, the angel of the church.

Anonymous said...

Dear Pastor Severe,

I was so overjoyed to see your website that I felt like Elizabeth when the mother of her Lord sounded her salutation in her ears, MY SPIRIT LEAPED for JOY!

God truly is an Awesome God and is Worthy of all the Glory, Honor and Praise that we can extol to his HOLY name.

I pray that God continues to uphold you in righteousness and truth. Continue to preach the unadulterated Word of God with Power and clarity, and keep yourself unspotted from this world, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ!

I also am in ministry with the capacity to teach under the anointing of the Holy ghost. Please keep me in your prayers (earnestly) as we see the day approaching and we all want to be ready when Jesus comes.

Your sister is Christ, AGAPE

Evangelist Kim Anderson-Scott

Anonymous said...

Pastor Severe it is such a blessing to see how God uses a young man in Christ as yourself. Blessings to you and your family. Your sis in Christ Margaret Marsette