Preaching is the act of proclaiming the good news in the word of God. It generally involves the delivery of some truth related to God to an audience for whom the message is prepared. To preach therefore, is to declare a word from or to publicly present the good news. Preaching is expressed through proclamation, prophecy, declaration or teaching. It includes the proclamation of the way of salvation to unbelievers, and the delivery of instructions on faith and spiritual worship to believers. In 2 Timothy 4:2, the Holy Spirit indicates that rebuke is an integral part of preaching the good news.

To rebuke or reprove is to make a verbal expression of blame that is usually not easy for an individual to accept or accommodate. However, it is an essential part of the gospel. For this reason, the Holy Spirit said in Proverbs 27:5;
”Open rebuke is better than secret love.”
The word of God gives examples of both divine and human rebuke. Sometimes, God issues rebukes directly, but more often than not, He does so through His servants. Jesus Christ taught His disciples the perfect way to issue rebukes, and He taught His audience how to handle people who commit errors, without condemning them. God has the absolute right to rebuke His children who stray from the path of righteousness. He does this sometimes by speaking directly to such people through dreams and revelations, but at other times, He chooses to speak through His ministers. For instance, God used Prophet Samuel to rebuke King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:1226, He used Prophet Nathan to rebuke King David in 2 Samuel 12:1-12, and Prophet Elijah rebuked Kin Ahab in 1 Kings 18:18. Furthermore, Jesus Christ rebuked Peter, one of His disciples, in Mark 8:33, and He also rebuked demons and their master the devil. Matthew 1 7:1 8 says:
”And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that every hour”
In Galatians 2:11-17, when Apostle Peter and some other Jewish brethren like Barnabas engaged in discrimination and pretence, Paul rebuked them sharply. We should not shy away from rebuke because when it comes from the Spirit, it convicts those who hear it. As children of God, we ought to sharply rebuke and correct visible faults on issues relating to discipline, dressing, punctuality and commitment to duties, interpersonal relationships, sanitation, and our general attitude to worship.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.