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Heralding for our King
Throughout Acts there is an emphasis on speech. Why? If you look up kerusso in a Greek dictionary, to get the fuller meaning you have to go to an English dictionary on history. Properly, the Greek word means,
2784 kērýssō – properly, to herald (proclaim); to preach (announce) a message publicly and with conviction (persuasion). (“to herald”) refers to preaching the Gospel as the authoritative (binding) word of God, bringing eternal accountability to all who hear it. (kērýssō) is “preaching by a herald sent from God” (BAGD, “declaration,” TDNT, 3:703). To “gospelize” (2097 /euaggelízō) stresses the victory of God’s Gospel-message in the totality of His “good news.”] (HELPS Word-Studies)
But what is a herald? That last expansion of the definition, “stresses the victory” heads us in the right direction:
1. (formerly) a royal or official messenger, especially one representing a monarch in an ambassadorial capacity during wartime. (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/herald)
Later a herald became somewhat less:
1. An official employed to oversee state ceremonial, precedence, and the use of armorial bearings, and (historically) to make proclamations, carry official messages, and oversee tournaments. (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/herald)
The first focuses on a king at war. The second is about ceremonies. Which is Acts about? Is it about the expansion of God’s kingdom with Jesus as king? Or is it about showmanship and ceremonies? I hope that is a challenging self-examination when we look at the history of our own churches, present work and state of mind.
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