Keeping Preaching and the Ordinances Together, Part 2

In last week’s column, we noted that preaching and the ordinances (i.e., baptism and the Lord’s Supper) have historically been the two identifying marks of a true church. If you think about it, these two marks are very closely related. Here’s how I would say it: the ordinances make the results of preaching visible. How so?

God always creates and grows His people by His word, delivered primarily through preaching. He creates His people through conversion, calling the unsaved to Himself through the preaching of the word of God (cf. Rom 10:13-17). After conversion, He continues to grow His people through the proclamation of the word of God (cf. 1 Tim 3:16-17). So the question arises: how can we tell if God’s word is creating and growing spiritual life in our church? Through our repeated observance of the ordinances. Since baptism symbolizes the beginning of our new life in Christ, it helps us to see that God’s word is creating spiritual life. And since the Lord’s Supper symbolizes our ongoing growth in Christ, it helps us see that God’s word is continuing to grow us in our spiritual life.

Obviously then, it only makes sense to keep these two marks of a true church together. At Parker Hills, we want to preach the gospel and then reenact the gospel via baptism and the Lord’s Supper in every worship service. Or, to put it another way, we want to preach the word and then observe its tangible results. Has God’s word created new life? Has it sustained our fellowship with Jesus? When preaching leads to baptism and/or communion, we can be sure it has.