The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word, Week 7, Chapter 10, Thursday

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHURCH

AND THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

CHAPTER TEN: CHOOSING MATERIAL

FOR THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

WEEK 7 – THURSDAY

Bible Reading: Luke 24:45; Acts 17:11; 1 Corinthians 2:13

Read and pray: “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15)

AVOIDING EXPOSITION OF THE SCRIPTURES

When looking for material, we must avoid exposition of the Scriptures. The Bible is not a simple book. If we speak in accordance with it, we won’t have many problems, but if we expose it, we will face many problems, because speaking according to the Bible is different from exposing it.

We may preach a message based on a few verses. For example, quoting Hebrews 2:3: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” to stir up people’s appreciation for their salvation—this is speaking according to the Bible or from it. However, when we try to explain the meaning of the words "salvation" and "neglect", we are doing biblical exposition.

Those who speak from the pulpit should avoid exposing the Scriptures. They may speak in accordance with the Bible, but they should not expose it. Biblical exposition is a serious matter. Therefore, we should avoid materials that expose the Scriptures, since such material often lacks much life and is prone to errors. Strictly speaking, only those with the gift of teaching should expound the Scriptures, and not all have this gift. The words in the Bible can be used to convey a message, but biblical exposition may cause problems. For this reason, it’s best to avoid books containing biblical exposition.

Most books that present biblical exposition convey knowledge, but they do not supply much life. Moreover, there are many ways to interpret the Bible. The same passage often has multiple interpretations. When I was young, I read a good book on the seventy weeks of Daniel. After reading it, I began to share what I had learned with others. Later, I realized I had been foolish and even laughed at myself, because there are many interpretations about the seventy weeks, each with its own logic. Biblical exposition is a very serious matter. We should avoid expounding the Bible as much as possible.

Throughout the centuries, most sermons have been based on Bible verses. For example, Dr. John Sung used the "flow of blood" in Luke 8:43 to preach about the Lord’s precious blood, without expounding the verse. We should avoid biblical exposition unless we need to lay a scriptural foundation.

Biblical exposition should serve the specific need of establishing a biblical basis. We should expound the Bible only within the bounds of that concrete basis. We must remain within those limits; otherwise, our message will be dead. We must adhere to this basic principle: the message must be living. If we want our message to be living, we cannot speak empty doctrines or merely expound the Bible.

We should use biblical exposition only when we need a scriptural basis to convey a certain concept to people. Once that need is met, there’s no need for extensive explanations. Moreover, quoting others may cause confusion among the saints because of the different viewpoints in various expositions.

The first time I read the Bible, I spent much time reading reference books on biblical prophecies. In Matthew 24:41, the Lord Jesus said, “Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left.” A competent expositor among the Brethren once said the woman left behind was the better one, and he gave many reasons to support his statement. How could the better one be left behind? We believe the one taken is the better one. Therefore, if we lack discernment, we will be misled.

There are many books published in Christianity, so ministers of the word are often tempted to use them. Though there’s a need to consult several books, some do not have accurate content. For example, Andrew Murray truly knew the Lord intimately, but his expositions were not always accurate. We can trust his spiritual experiences, but not necessarily his biblical expositions.

When Brother T. Austin-Sparks visited Taiwan, he said the New Jerusalem does not exist. He went beyond his portion and made a biblical exposition. We cannot accept that exposition. Even though we highly regard the spiritual content he ministered to us, we cannot agree with that exposition. If the New Jerusalem does not exist, where will the believers be?

This is why we are so cautious about biblical exposition. Generally speaking, choosing material for the ministry of the word is not difficult. However, if we are not fully confident about some biblical exposition, we should not accept it. Nor should we try to expound the Scriptures unless it is absolutely necessary.

Throughout the centuries, many spiritual people have attempted biblical exposition, but it has been hard for them not to make mistakes. Andrew Murray, Brother Austin-Sparks, and even Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis made serious mistakes in their exposition. Those who took part in the inner life had good spiritual experiences, but they were lacking when it came to interpreting the Scriptures.

Sister Dora Yu was very spiritual, but she also was inaccurate in biblical exposition. She said that being saved is not the same as being regenerated and that those who are already saved still need to repent in order to be regenerated. For these reasons, we must avoid doing biblical exposition when choosing material. It is better not to select materials related to biblical exposition if there is no clear need or if we are not sure of their accuracy.

Enjoy more: Hymn 237