Being a Herald
Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you 1 Thessalonians 2:9
The word almost always translated ‘preach(ed)’ literally meant a ‘to be a herald.’ Heralds were not philosophers who went around the countryside trying to interest listeners in their way of thinking. Heralds were in the service of kings.
They carried the king’s proclamation to all the lands ruled by the king. Their message was the king’s message. Refusing the herald brought the king’s considerable fury on any rebel’s head.
Paul chose this word to describe his preaching very intentionally (Galatians 2:2; 1 Corinthians 1:23; 15:12 …). No other word caught what he wanted to convey in how he saw his role.
Paul saw himself speaking the word of the ultimate King of the Universe, Jesus, who was declared to be Lord of all creation by God the Father when He raised Him from the dead (Romans 1:4).
So when any audience received the message Paul spoke, the gospel, they ‘accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God’ (1 Thessalonians 2:13). This was the King’s proclamation.
The sure sign that the message was believed was ‘an obedience that comes from faith’ (Romans 1:6). Believing and obeying always went hand in hand (Romans 16:26). True subjects of a king receive and believe his word.
Don’t ever share the gospel apologetically. You’re a herald of the King of all creation. This is God’s earth and the gospel is God’s call for rebels to surrender, change sides, give up their old ways and live for this Universe’s rightful ruler.
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