Gilcomston Church

Monthly Letter – January 2026

Expository Preaching

Dear brothers and sisters,

We must never abandon the centrality of expository preaching. It sounds easy, obvious even, and yet it is under threat in Scotland. We are at something of a crossroads; over the past 70 years men like William Still, Eric Alexander, James and George Philip reawakened the church to the vital need of expository preaching. If not a revolution it was a revelation. And yet, as Carson put it so well “”One generation believes something. The next assumes it. And the third will forget and deny it.” After the reawakening pioneered by those men in the latter half of the twentieth century, there has followed a generation keen to be obedient to the biblical command to “preach the word”, a generation I would include myself in. It was during this time that such institutions as the Proclamation Trust, Cornhill Scotland and Ministry Training Academy came into being.  But we now approach dangerous waters. There is something in the air; something hovering between assumption and denial, like a spiritual “eyeroll”. We know what has happened over the past 50-70 years, and much good has come from it. But what is going to happen in the next 50 years?

It’s for this reason we must clearly state why expository preaching is so vitally important to the health and vitality of the church, because if we don’t, the next generation will move from assumption to denial. This is one of the key motivations behind our Expository Preaching Conference which will take place on Monday 19 January 2026 – because every generation must continue to teach, state and defend what is of prime importance, and the preaching of the Word of God sits squarely in this category. So do pray for church leaders as we gather on that day to be refreshed in the Word and reminded of its potent power.

What is expository preaching? Stuart Olyott puts it succinctly: “preaching is the exposition and application of the Word of God. It’s power, under God, lies in the action of the preacher’s soul on his hearer, heart to heart, deep calling to deep. Its aim is to get everyone present to pray – to have immediate personal dealings with the Lord.” Expository preaching, then, is the opening up of the text of Holy Scripture to expose the author’s intended meaning, followed hand-in-hand with the sharp and powerful application of that truth to the heart, soul, mind and strength of the gathered church.

Here are 7 reasons why the church needs expository preaching:

It is commanded. In the power of the Holy Spirit the apostle Paul wrote to his protégé Timothy: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word.” – 2 Timothy 4:1-2a. It’s why overseers must “be able to teach” – 1 Timothy 3:2. And it’s why the apostles appointed deacons to serve the physical needs of the church, because: “we [the apostles] will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” – Acts 6:4. The ministry of the preaching of the Word is not a hobby. It’s not a preferred tradition. It is a command from the Lord to the overseers of the church of Christ. It must happen.

It is salvific. The LORD can do whatever he wants, and yet in his unfathomable wisdom he has ordained that the primary vehicle of the gospel is the preaching of the Word amidst the gathered church, and there is a biblical expectation that as the church gathers, unbelievers will be drawn to gather as well. After all, “1How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” – Romans 10:14.

It is diagnostic. The amazing thing about God’s Word is that it transcends the written page. We don’t worship a book, we worship the incarnate, crucified, risen and ascended Word – the Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us the Bible and left behind the Holy Spirit to bring about every single intended purpose of God in all humanity. And to that end the Word of God is a divine diagnostic tool, able by the Spirit to expose sin, draw out its poison and alter the affections of the human heart, because “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16.

It is protective. As the Word is preached in the presence of the church it protects the church from error and sin. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” Psalm 119:9-10. So one of the key tasks of the preacher is to be a shepherd, guarding the flock from itself and its predators.

It is authoritative. One of the great strengths of expository preaching is that, by its very design, it makes it easier for the Word to have the place of authority over the preacher. Although it has now become a sad and soulless tradition, the procession of the Word from vestry to the pulpit started out as visible sign that everyone, preacher included, sat under the authority of the Word of God. And so it should be. By going systematically through books of the Bible the church is being taught that every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God is important, worthy of note, authoritative and necessary. There isn’t a single verse in the entire Bible that cannot and should not be proclaimed. And expository preaching enables this, as well as dissuading preachers from only jumping on their favorite hobby horses. We preach the full counsel of the Word of God.

It is piercingly sharp. Like the finest of surgeon’s scalpels and the sharpest of battle swords, the Word of God dissects our hearts; the Lord uses His Word to identify sin, remove it, heal us and revive us, sometimes at different stages of our lives, often all at once. This is what separates expository preaching from a classroom lecture. Preaching is not the mere transferal of data but the wounding-to-heal sword of the Spirit, biting where bidden and binding where needed. “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:12-13. True preaching gets out of the way of the ministry of the Word so sorely needed; it acts as a vessel, not a dam.

It is pastoral. The heart of every genuine preacher is for the sheep of the Good Shepherd, for they are called to “…shepherd the flock of God that is among you…” – 1 Peter 5:2. And how are they to do that? By lovingly and patiently and repeatedly bringing the sheep to lie down in green pastures…to be led by still waters… to have their/our souls restored… and be led in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake and ours. The shepherd-elder who cares for the those in his flock will work tirelessly behind the scenes, in much prayer and preparation, to feed the sheep with the salvific, diagnostic, protective, authoritative, piercing Word of God. Besides the ministry of prayer and the modelling of holy living, the preaching of the Word is the highest calling of elders/overseers/bishops/ministers/pastors.

Join with me in praying that the Lord will raise up many men in Scotland to preach the Word.

Post Tenebras Lux.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Nathan

 

Expository Preaching

Dear brothers and sisters,

We must never abandon the centrality of expository preaching. It sounds easy, obvious even, and yet it is under threat in Scotland. We are at something of a crossroads; over the past 70 years men like William Still, Eric Alexander, James and George Philip reawakened the church to the vital need of expository preaching. If not a revolution it was a revelation. And yet, as Carson put it so well “”One generation believes something. The next assumes it. And the third will forget and deny it.” After the reawakening pioneered by those men in the latter half of the twentieth century, there has followed a generation keen to be obedient to the biblical command to “preach the word”, a generation I would include myself in. It was during this time that such institutions as the Proclamation Trust, Cornhill Scotland and Ministry Training Academy came into being.  But we now approach dangerous waters. There is something in the air; something hovering between assumption and denial, like a spiritual “eyeroll”. We know what has happened over the past 50-70 years, and much good has come from it. But what is going to happen in the next 50 years?

It’s for this reason we must clearly state why expository preaching is so vitally important to the health and vitality of the church, because if we don’t, the next generation will move from assumption to denial. This is one of the key motivations behind our Expository Preaching Conference which will take place on Monday 19 January 2026 – because every generation must continue to teach, state and defend what is of prime importance, and the preaching of the Word of God sits squarely in this category. So do pray for church leaders as we gather on that day to be refreshed in the Word and reminded of its potent power.

What is expository preaching? Stuart Olyott puts it succinctly: “preaching is the exposition and application of the Word of God. It’s power, under God, lies in the action of the preacher’s soul on his hearer, heart to heart, deep calling to deep. Its aim is to get everyone present to pray – to have immediate personal dealings with the Lord.” Expository preaching, then, is the opening up of the text of Holy Scripture to expose the author’s intended meaning, followed hand-in-hand with the sharp and powerful application of that truth to the heart, soul, mind and strength of the gathered church.

Here are 7 reasons why the church needs expository preaching:

It is commanded. In the power of the Holy Spirit the apostle Paul wrote to his protégé Timothy: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word.” – 2 Timothy 4:1-2a. It’s why overseers must “be able to teach” – 1 Timothy 3:2. And it’s why the apostles appointed deacons to serve the physical needs of the church, because: “we [the apostles] will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” – Acts 6:4. The ministry of the preaching of the Word is not a hobby. It’s not a preferred tradition. It is a command from the Lord to the overseers of the church of Christ. It must happen.

It is salvific. The LORD can do whatever he wants, and yet in his unfathomable wisdom he has ordained that the primary vehicle of the gospel is the preaching of the Word amidst the gathered church, and there is a biblical expectation that as the church gathers, unbelievers will be drawn to gather as well. After all, “1How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” – Romans 10:14.

It is diagnostic. The amazing thing about God’s Word is that it transcends the written page. We don’t worship a book, we worship the incarnate, crucified, risen and ascended Word – the Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us the Bible and left behind the Holy Spirit to bring about every single intended purpose of God in all humanity. And to that end the Word of God is a divine diagnostic tool, able by the Spirit to expose sin, draw out its poison and alter the affections of the human heart, because “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16.

It is protective. As the Word is preached in the presence of the church it protects the church from error and sin. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” Psalm 119:9-10. So one of the key tasks of the preacher is to be a shepherd, guarding the flock from itself and its predators.

It is authoritative. One of the great strengths of expository preaching is that, by its very design, it makes it easier for the Word to have the place of authority over the preacher. Although it has now become a sad and soulless tradition, the procession of the Word from vestry to the pulpit started out as visible sign that everyone, preacher included, sat under the authority of the Word of God. And so it should be. By going systematically through books of the Bible the church is being taught that every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God is important, worthy of note, authoritative and necessary. There isn’t a single verse in the entire Bible that cannot and should not be proclaimed. And expository preaching enables this, as well as dissuading preachers from only jumping on their favorite hobby horses. We preach the full counsel of the Word of God.

It is piercingly sharp. Like the finest of surgeon’s scalpels and the sharpest of battle swords, the Word of God dissects our hearts; the Lord uses His Word to identify sin, remove it, heal us and revive us, sometimes at different stages of our lives, often all at once. This is what separates expository preaching from a classroom lecture. Preaching is not the mere transferal of data but the wounding-to-heal sword of the Spirit, biting where bidden and binding where needed. “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:12-13. True preaching gets out of the way of the ministry of the Word so sorely needed; it acts as a vessel, not a dam.

It is pastoral. The heart of every genuine preacher is for the sheep of the Good Shepherd, for they are called to “…shepherd the flock of God that is among you…” – 1 Peter 5:2. And how are they to do that? By lovingly and patiently and repeatedly bringing the sheep to lie down in green pastures…to be led by still waters… to have their/our souls restored… and be led in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake and ours. The shepherd-elder who cares for the those in his flock will work tirelessly behind the scenes, in much prayer and preparation, to feed the sheep with the salvific, diagnostic, protective, authoritative, piercing Word of God. Besides the ministry of prayer and the modelling of holy living, the preaching of the Word is the highest calling of elders/overseers/bishops/ministers/pastors.

Join with me in praying that the Lord will raise up many men in Scotland to preach the Word.

Post Tenebras Lux.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Nathan