And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

The First Rule Of Preaching

Preaching the gospel of Christ comes with a heavy burden and eternal responsibility. All those who teach and preach the word of God will be held to a higher standard as they are handling the divine message of salvation. The apostle Paul was a fierce defender of truth, traveling throughout the Roman Empire to share the good news of Christ. He took his role in the kingdom very seriously as one who plants the seed so that others can water and pray for the increase from God. Paul loved to find open hearts that wanted to find the grace of a loving Father who could bring them out of the darkness of sin.

When Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, he reminded them of his preaching and the manner of his work as an evangelist. There were men in the church who prided themselves on their oratory craft, verbal skills, and persuasive words to impress others. For many, they came with excellence of speech or human wisdom to impress the listeners. Part of the problem at Corinth found its way into the hearts of brethren who elevated men above the word. The division in the church partly came from those who said they followed Apollos, a man who was eloquent and mighty in the scriptures; and others who said they were followers of Peter, and some followed Paul.

Corinth had become a divided fellowship of saints who elevated one man above another. It was not the intention of Paul, Apollos, and Peter to have brethren act in this fashion. Paul reminded the Corinthians that when he came to preach for them, he did not have a great presence, and his speech was less than eloquent. He did not try to impress the brethren with fancy language or impressive speech to sway their hearts with persuasive words of human wisdom. Paul preached the word. There was nothing else to preach. The power of the gospel is what saves men, not the persuasive speech of a great orator. Any pricking of the heart had to come from the message of the word, not the method of the preacher.

Dee Bowman said that preaching must storm the heart and that storm must come from the word of God, not the word of men. Paul did not want the Corinthian saints to be impressed with him but allowed the word of God to show the wisdom of God and the power of God. That is the first rule of preaching. The word must convict the heart without any assistance from the wisdom of men. If a man cannot open his heart to the grace of God, there is nothing left for a man to seek. Saving faith is not in men but in the word of God. Conversion happens when the heart is moved by the message of the divine word. Preach the word, but preach only the word.