From a prison cell into which he had been cast because of his preaching, the apostle Paul requested the brethren's prayers that he might "speak boldly, as I ought to speak." (Ephesians 6:20) The apostles, Peter and John, after being threatened, yet "spake the word of God with boldness." (Acts 4:13, 29, 31) Because of his hope of heaven, Paul said he was constrained thereby to "use great boldness of speech." (2 Corinthians 3:12) Further, he told the Corinthians, "Great is my boldness of speech toward you." (2 Corinthians 7:4) Though he suffered and was shamefully treated, Paul said he "waxed bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God in much conflict." (2 Thessalonians 2:2)
These statements indicate that New Testament preachers were bold preachers. A careful study of the content of their sermons also indicates that they were bold preachers. Peter, on Pentecost, boldly declared to those who murdered Christ, "ye, by the hand of lawless men did crucify and slay." (Acts 2:23) Those depraved enough to kill God's Son were not above trying to kill one who charged them with their crime. In Acts 5:33, we read of some who were so affected by a gospel sermon that they "were minded to slay them." But Peter boldly made his charge in spite of danger. The evangelist Stephen so preached that the multitude rushed on him, gnashed on him with their teeth, and then stoned him to death (Acts 7:57). Paul so preached against idolatry in Ephesus, a center of idolatry and idol making, that for two hours, the people loudly protested against his preaching. His preaching caused an uproar in the city.
The kinds of preaching about which we read in the New Testament resulted in preachers being beaten and killed, but it converted people. Much of the preaching heard today would not get anybody hurt or killed, nor would it convert anybody. Many sermons preached by those who profess to be the servants of Christ could be preached in any sectarian pulpit in their cities, and might be preached by the most orthodox denominational pastor in town. But when Peter or Paul or John came to a city to preach, the people knew they were there! They were doing a unique, world-shaking work.
The preachers during Bible days were not trying to create tumults. They were not mere rabble-rousers. Instead, Paul said he "shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable." (Acts 20:20) He learned what they needed to hear, and then he boldly told them what was profitable for them to hear. He was no time-server. He was there to serve God and God's people, and that took straightforward gospel preaching. Paul declared that his message was "sound doctrine" (2 Timothy 4:3), and sound doctrine is healthful doctrine. But not all healthy things are pleasant. Frequently, it is very unpleasant for people to listen to what they most need to hear.
A "good minister" is one who will "put the brethren in mind" of the "good doctrine." (1 Timothy 4:6) He boldly declares the "whole counsel of God." (Acts 20:27) His preaching is without fear or favor. He does not allow his preaching or his life to conform to the world. With great courage, and yet with humility, he announces the unsearchable riches of Christ, reproving and rebuking when necessary.
Not only does he have the courage to say what needs to be said, but he so "fears God" and reverences His will that he would be afraid to hold back anything the brethren or the world need to hear. The same reverential respect prevents him from going beyond the revealed word, or from countenancing any practice that is a departure from the gospel.
To so preach is to "speak boldly," but to speak boldly is to speak as one ought to speak. As Paul requested the prayers of his brethren, so does every faithful preacher today. This preacher, as every other servant of God, requests that you pray that I might "speak boldly, as I ought to speak." (Ephesians 6:20)
(written in 1971)
Yes, God's servants need to be bold, because the cowardly will be lost (Revelations 21:8). Think about it. If we are unwilling to stand for truth, we need not kid ourselves about being true servants of Jesus Christ. True servants will love Him and His word above all other things (John 14:15; Mark 8:38). We need to tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:1-5). "But," someone will object, "They need to hear about God's love and grace." We agree; men and women do need to know about God's love and grace. However, what that person is actually saying is, "They need to hear about God's love and grace, but not about being condemned for their sins."
About God's grace, the Holy Spirit spoke the following: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age." (Titus 2:11-12) God's love demands that we keep His commandments; this is not a burdensome thing (1 John 5:1-3). God commands men to repent of their sins (Luke 13:3; Acts 3:19; 17:30). So, God's love and grace includes rebuking men for their transgressions against His law and providing them with the remedy for these transgressions. That remedy requires complete submission to the Lord Jesus (1 John 3:4; Matthew 11:28-30).
Still, worldly minded brethren protest, "The lost need to hear about Jesus and His sacrifice." This is true. However, how many folks do you know who do not believe that Jesus is the Christ? How many members of denominations deny our Lord's deity? We doubt you would need more that one hand upon which to count them. Why spend a tremendous amount of time teaching them what they already believe? This is not the way to convert souls to the truth.
Rather, the New Testament reveals that the issues about which men disagreed were the ones addressed. Peter spoke to the unbelieving Jews about Christ (Acts 2,3). Paul preached to the pagans at Athens about the one true God, and then led them to Christ (Acts 17). When Paul wrote his first letter to Corinth, he mainly addressed the problems and questions at hand. We do not deny the wisdom and prudence of starting on common ground by building up men in what they believe, but simply teaching them the facts about which they are already convicted will not convert them to truth and righteousness.
Let us be, as the above Bible-based article declares, bold in our speech. Let us teach the truth, to the lost and the saved, without partiality. "For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10) If this Biblical approach does not "win friends and influence people," then so be it. "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets." (Luke 6:26) (Comments from Stephen Deaton)