Topic: The Ministry of the Word

Instructor:  Hanli Liu & Stephen Turner
Hosted by:  West Church, Auckland

There is no question that the Word of God ought to occupy a central role in the church. For example, the apostolic leaders of the New Testament church stated that they would “devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). Paul’s last letter to Timothy charges him before the presence of God and of Jesus Christ to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2). Without the Word, we would not have come to a saving faith in Jesus, for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Passages like these all throughout Scripture highlight the central role of God’s Word in the church. In this class we will consider what the Scriptures teach about this ‘ministry of the word’ by considering questions such as: What does this term actually refer to? What are the theological convictions that must undergird it? How is it to be practised today? Who ought to carry out this ministry? And so on. May the Lord encourage us all as we consider this important topic, for even if every one of us should be bound in chains, “the word of God is not bound!” (2 Timothy 2:9).