15 Apr 2025, 15:29Pastor Pardon Chenjerai
Preach the Word in Love
Lord, save us from sermons that are mere clamour, jest, or blame. Spare us from echoes of a judgmental spirit that lack biblical truth and ignore the sacred call to reach the lost. Your desire is always to save rather than to destroy.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is called to proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages clearly, courageously, and without compromise. Yet as we do, we must never forget to share them in love. Truth without love becomes harsh and legalistic. Love without truth becomes empty and sentimental.
We are not called to preach with the spirit of the Pharisee—prideful, self-righteous, and looking down on those still caught in sin. The moment we place ourselves above others instead of standing beside them as fellow sinners saved by grace, we distort the heart of the Gospel. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Preachers have no pedestal. We have only the cross. And we all stand equal at its base.
Let the Word of God be spoken boldly and faithfully, without compromise, but also with humility and compassion. It is not our eloquence that changes hearts, nor our charisma that draws souls to Christ. It is the power of the Holy Spirit working through the living Word.
As 2 Timothy 4:2 instructs, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
We live in an age where many pulpits have traded biblical conviction for popular approval. Sermons often resemble entertainment, filled with stories, motivational slogans, and emotional highs. Yet many lack the urgent, blood-stained message of the Great Commission. People may leave feeling inspired, but not transformed. They may be moved, but not sanctified. The message of the cross has been softened, reshaped, or ignored in order to avoid offence. But we must remember: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). It is truth that brings freedom, not the comfort of half-truths.
We are not saved to judge, nor are we saved to entertain. We are saved to serve. Saved to go. Saved to proclaim Christ crucified. Saved to rescue others from the fire (Jude 1:23). Every believer is a messenger, an ambassador, a witness. Not because of moral superiority, but because of God’s endless mercy.
Christ is our example. He never compromised on truth. Yet He never used it as a weapon devoid of love. In Luke 19:41, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, His heart breaking for those who rejected Him. And in John 8:10–11, He speaks with gentleness to the woman caught in adultery: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more.” He shared truth, but with tears. He addressed sin, but with compassion.
To preach like Christ is to carry truth with trembling hands and a broken heart. It is to name sin not out of scorn, but out of a longing for liberation. It is about speaking life, not condemnation. It is about pointing others to the cross, not to our own righteousness.
So, preach the Word. Preach in truth and in Spirit. Preach in love.
Share it when it is welcomed and when it is rejected. Share it in season and out of season. Share it without watering it down to suit the world. And above all, share it with a love that understands what it means to be lost and what it means to be found.
Because our calling is not to entertain. It is to make disciples. We are not here to gain applause. We are here to win souls.
Let the fire return to the pulpit. Let tears flow once more in our preaching. Let the Gospel be heard again in its purity, its power, and its grace.
For the glory of God, and for the salvation of the lost.
Preach the Word in Love.
Lord, save us from sermons that are mere clamour, jest, or blame. Spare us from echoes of a judgmental spirit that lack biblical truth and ignore the sacred call to reach the lost. Your desire is always to save rather than to destroy.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is called to proclaim the Three Angels’ Messages clearly, courageously, and without compromise. Yet as we do, we must never forget to share them in love. Truth without love becomes harsh and legalistic. Love without truth becomes empty and sentimental.
We are not called to preach with the spirit of the Pharisee—prideful, self-righteous, and looking down on those still caught in sin. The moment we place ourselves above others instead of standing beside them as fellow sinners saved by grace, we distort the heart of the Gospel. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Preachers have no pedestal. We have only the cross. And we all stand equal at its base.
Let the Word of God be spoken boldly and faithfully, without compromise, but also with humility and compassion. It is not our eloquence that changes hearts, nor our charisma that draws souls to Christ. It is the power of the Holy Spirit working through the living Word.
As 2 Timothy 4:2 instructs, “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
We live in an age where many pulpits have traded biblical conviction for popular approval. Sermons often resemble entertainment, filled with stories, motivational slogans, and emotional highs. Yet many lack the urgent, blood-stained message of the Great Commission. People may leave feeling inspired, but not transformed. They may be moved, but not sanctified. The message of the cross has been softened, reshaped, or ignored in order to avoid offence. But we must remember: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). It is truth that brings freedom, not the comfort of half-truths.
We are not saved to judge, nor are we saved to entertain. We are saved to serve. Saved to go. Saved to proclaim Christ crucified. Saved to rescue others from the fire (Jude 1:23). Every believer is a messenger, an ambassador, a witness. Not because of moral superiority, but because of God’s endless mercy.
Christ is our example. He never compromised on truth. Yet He never used it as a weapon devoid of love. In Luke 19:41, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, His heart breaking for those who rejected Him. And in John 8:10–11, He speaks with gentleness to the woman caught in adultery: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more.” He shared truth, but with tears. He addressed sin, but with compassion.
To preach like Christ is to carry truth with trembling hands and a broken heart. It is to name sin not out of scorn, but out of a longing for liberation. It is about speaking life, not condemnation. It is about pointing others to the cross, not to our own righteousness.
So, preach the Word. Preach in truth and in Spirit. Preach in love.
Share it when it is welcomed and when it is rejected. Share it in season and out of season. Share it without watering it down to suit the world. And above all, share it with a love that understands what it means to be lost and what it means to be found.
Because our calling is not to entertain. It is to make disciples. We are not here to gain applause. We are here to win souls.
Let the fire return to the pulpit. Let tears flow once more in our preaching. Let the Gospel be heard again in its purity, its power, and its grace.
For the glory of God, and for the salvation of the lost.
Preach the Word in Love.
