Apostolic ministry of preaching
How can we model our life and ministry on the apostles? One way must be to notice what they did, not just what they taught. Peter Adam rightly points out that the day of Pentecost is centred around a sermon.
The occasion of sermon is the wind, fire and tongues given by the Holy Spirit; the preacher is Peter on behalf of the twelve apostles; the audience is the crowd; the content is the interpretation of Old Testament Scripture and the story of Jesus; the application is ‘Repent, and be baptized’; the sermon ends with exhortation, warning and pleading’ and its result is that about 3,000 welcomed Peter’s message and were baptized and added to the number of disciples. (Adam, Speaking God’s words, 49)
The priority is the ministry of the Word. The content is explaining how the Old Testament points to Jesus. Yet it doesn’t stop there. Peter’s sermon isn’t just conveying information about the Old Testament, but calling his hearers to respond-to repent and be baptized.