Discriminatory Preaching in Family Bible Time
After telling Timothy to “preach the Word” in 2 Timothy 4:2, the Apostle Paul included instructions to “do the work of an evangelist.” So, what does an evangelist do? The other two New Testament uses of this word provide us with clarity. Acts 21:8 tells us that Philip was an evangelist, and we see him leading the church in the work of evangelism (cf. Acts 8:35). And the second instance, Ephesians 4:11-12, tells us that an evangelist’s job is to equip the rest of the church for the work of evangelism.
But why does the average Christian need to be equipped for this? Because evangelism is the duty of every believer (cf. Matt. 28:18-20, 1 Pet. 2:9). Nowhere in the Bible is there such a thing as the “spiritual gift of evangelism” (often attributed simply to those with outgoing personalities). Rather, evangelism is nothing more than the act of proclaiming the Gospel to unbelievers who desperately need to hear it. The office of evangelist (which is found in the Bible) is different from the act of evangelism. The former is a person who leads and prepares the church for the latter.
Thus, by commanding Timothy to do the work of an evangelist, Paul wanted to remind him that there would always need to be an evangelistic focus of his ministry that continued looking to reach unbelievers with the good news of the Gospel. Yes, as a pastor, Timothy’s primary focus needed to be on edifying believers within his local congregation. But it would have been shortsighted for him to neglect those outside the church who had yet to hear about Jesus. Just as much, it would have been naïve for Timothy to assume that everyone within his congregation was actually saved. So, in order to “fulfill his ministry” (2 Tim. 4:5), Timothy needed to make sure that there was a component of his preaching addressed to the lost. And that need continues today—not only in the church, but in the home.
Discriminatory Preaching Defined for the Church
As you do the verse-by-verse work of expository parenting in the home, there necessarily needs to be an evangelistic aspect to your ministry. This is particularly true because, like Timothy, it would be naïve to assume that your hearers are all saved. Just as a pastor cannot assume that his entire congregation is truly converted, neither can you afford to assume that your kids are all truly converted (in fact, it’s likely very evident to you which are and which aren’t). It could be that you have older children who have heard the Gospel, responded in godly sorrow over their sins, expressed faith in Christ, and been soundly baptized in church. At the same time, you may have other children who seem to persist in their usual sins, failing to demonstrate an understanding of their lost condition, with no evidence of true conversion.
The question then becomes, “How do I conduct our family Bible time knowing that some of my children are saved while others are not?” The answer is: discriminatory preaching.
Pastor Joel Beeke explains, as follows:
“[Reformed experiential preaching] must be discriminatory. I am not referring to discrimination on the basis of skin color or ethnicity. Neither am I speaking of any form of bigotry and hatred. Discriminatory preaching aims to distinguish the Christian from the non-Christian so that people can diagnose their own spiritual conditions and needs. The preacher applies biblical truth to help his hearers test whether they belong to Christ and have his Spirit (Rom. 8:9; 2 Cor. 13:5).”[1]
Beeke continues:
“Preaching must also target the spiritual maturity and condition of the preacher’s audience. This is no easy task, because many kinds of hearers are present. Archibald Alexander (1772-1851) writes: “The word of God should be so handled, that it may be adapted to Christians in different states and stages of the divine life; for while some Christians are like ‘strong men,’ others are but ‘babes in Christ, who must be fed with milk, and not with strong meat.’” Alexander goes on to explain how the Reformed preacher also should rightly divide the Word by making specific applications to the backsliding, the worldly minded, the afflicted, and the dying believer.”[2]
Furthermore, Beeke states,
“In short, discriminatory preaching must remain faithful to God’s Word. Grace is to be offered indiscriminately to all (Matt. 13:24-30); however, the divine acts, marks, and fruits of grace that God works in his people must be explained to encourage the elect to know themselves aright and to uncover the false hopes of the hypocrites. As Bishop Joseph Hall (1574-1656) says of the minister, ‘His wisdom must discern betwixt his sheep and wolves; in his sheep, betwixt the wholesome and unsound; in the unsound, betwixt the weak and the tainted; in the tainted, betwixt the natures, qualities, degrees of the disease, and infection; and to all these he must know to administer a word in season. He hath antidotes for all temptations, counsels for all doubts, evictions for all errors; for all languishings, encouragements.’”[3]
All this to say, preachers must make sure to keep an eye out for those in their congregation who either lack saving faith, possess immature faith, or have long been sanctified in a mature faith—and they should tailor the application of their message to those categories (cf. Jude 20-21, 1 Cor. 3:1). Bear in mind, this is not to say that the content or nature of the sermon should be man-centered (or “seeker-sensitive”). It most definitely should not! Rather, it is to say that the preacher should minister the Word with a recognition that various groups have various needs from the same text. 1 John 2:12-14, in which the Apostle John speaks directly to “little children,” “fathers,” and “young men,” serves as an excellent example of addressing various people at various stages in their spiritual walk, which is the essence of discriminatory preaching.
Thus, a pastor might give general counsel to the unsaved by saying something like, “To those of you here who have not repented of your sins and trusted in Christ…” or, “Be warned if you do not see this kind of evidence of saving faith in your life…” and then proceed by explaining the ways in which the text at hand may (or may not) apply to those non-Christians. To the newly-saved, he might offer words of encouragement, such as, “Perhaps this aspect of the faith is new to you…” or, “If you’ve never considered this doctrine…” and then provide insight into the text and its application that might not be readily apparent to them. To the mature believer, he might offer a reminder, like, “As you disciple others, recognize…” or, “Think about how many times since you were saved, the Lord has…” and then spur these believers on to greater service to Christ.
Discriminatory Preaching Applied in the Home
In the same way, as a parent you ought to apply discriminatory preaching in your home any time you are teaching multiple children at once. During family Bible time, your kids will need different exhortations from the text to suit their spiritual condition.
For example, suppose you have three children: a teenage daughter Susie who is a baptized believer, a twelve-year-old son Johnny who seems apathetic to the things of God, and an eight-year-old son Billy who is very excited and responsive to the Bible. You sit down one night to teach them Psalm 107, a psalm which depicts the nation of Israel praising God for His redeeming work in their lives, especially having returned to the Promised Land after the Babylonian exile. The passage speaks of redemption using four vivid illustrations: being weary and nourished (vv. 4-9), enslaved and freed (vv. 10-16), sick and cured (vv. 17-22), and imperiled and rescued (vv. 23-32). It begins with the central truth about God’s lovingkindness and the refrain, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,” indicating that it is to be triumphantly proclaimed by those who have been redeemed (which in context, would be the Jewish nation, but in application would be anyone who has been redeemed from sin). It ends with counsel for those who have yet to consider the lovingkindness of God, that they would embrace this truth as well (implying a call to repentance and genuine faith).
After teaching verse by verse through the text in its context, pointing out the textual nuances and details (such as the repeat of the phrase “…then they cried out to the Lord…”), and highlighting the redemptive themes (especially as they point to Christ as our redeemer), you need to drive home the point of the passage in a way that resonates with your children. But since your children are in different spiritual conditions, you need to do so in a way that doesn’t cast doubt on those that truly believe, nor give confidence to those who don’t. You want to equip as well as evangelize.
In applying discriminatory preaching, then, you might consider saying something like the following:
“Susie, aren’t you so thankful that God has saved you? You are among the redeemed! And just as these Israelites were encouraged to ‘say so’ throughout this psalm, you too ought to give praise to God for what He has done, not only with your words but also your actions. Think of how you were once enslaved, but have now been freed. Do you remember those sins you used to commit over and over, and how God released you from them? He did that in my life too! This is why evangelize, why we go to church, why we do everything we do—giving our whole lives to the One who redeemed us.”
“Johnny, do you see how kind God is to save sinners? Because of Christ’s perfect life, substitutionary death, and triumphant resurrection, you can have this hope. I know what it’s like to be caught in sin. I still remember the horrible things I’ve done. I was sick with sin, but now I’m cured. I was saved from eternity in the lake of fire that I deserve. Beyond that, our family is totally different now because of Jesus! But just because you’re my son, and in this family, doesn’t mean you automatically get to go to heaven too. You have to turn from your sins just like everyone else. You have to trust in Christ, and receive His righteousness. Notice at the end of the psalm it says, ‘Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things.’ That’s what I want for you—true wisdom—because of how much I care about where you will spend eternity. Think about these things, because we aren’t guaranteed another day. Look to Christ today!”
“Billy, isn’t this psalm wonderful? This is how true believers respond to God: praise! We don’t trust in Christ and then live the rest of our lives for ourselves. We don’t yawn our way to heaven. Nor do we serve Christ in order to earn God’s forgiveness—but because we already have it! What about you? Do you have God’s forgiveness? You were born weary—have you been nourished? Your life began shipwrecked in sin, just like mine. Have you been rescued? We all enter this world with sin-sick hearts—have you been cured? If you’re trusting in Jesus, keep it up! Never stop! Don’t let anyone trick you into thinking you have to work to earn salvation, or that you have to work to keep it. It’s given as a free gift.”
These very brief and basic examples illustrate the kind of discriminatory preaching that should characterize your ministry in the home.
With that said, it’s important to make sure that you don’t imply any kind of rivalry or competition between your children. Peer pressure never saved anyone. Since salvation is by grace alone, it’s not as if any of your children are saved because they are more spiritually attuned than the others. On that basis, neither your unsaved nor spiritually immature kids should be portrayed as the “black sheep” of the family, nor should they feel as if their life is being measured against anyone other than Christ. The goal is that your kids would feel bothered by their sin, not their siblings. So, the way you apply the passage to your children must be communicated in such a way that they see the love you have for each and every one of them, regardless of their condition. And you must make sure that those who are saved or more spiritually mature are ever-guarded from a self-righteous spirit, such as that of the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son (cf. Luke 15). As their parent, who knows their personalities and temperaments the best, I trust that you have a good understanding of the way in which these things can be communicated with wisdom to avoid such pitfalls.
No matter your approach, though, discriminatory preaching cannot be neglected, lest your kids assume that they’ve “been a Christian their whole life” (as far too many baptism testimonies often begin!). In fact, one of the most uncaring things you could ever do would be to gloss over your child’s lost condition in the name of so-called “love.” Similarly, you must not coddle those who are immature believers, who may be tempted to think they “got their ticket punched” and can tune out on all the rest that Scripture has to offer. Instead, you should kindly and graciously challenge them to pursue greater holiness and service (cf. Titus 2:6-8)—and with the Holy Spirit’s help, they will rise to the occasion.
Doing the work of an evangelist is necessary not only for pastors, but for parents as well. If you’re committed to expository parenting, you must discriminate in order to “fulfill your ministry.” Ask for the Lord’s help, and trust that He will bless your efforts as you love and encourage your children—right where they’re at.
References:
[1] Joel Beeke, Reformed Preaching (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 26.
[2] Ibid., 26.
[3] Ibid., 29.