From the Word:  Herald of righteousness (from II Peter 2:1-10)
”and [God] did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a ‘herald’ of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly,” (II Peter 2:5 NASB)

I like the marginal note translating the word ‘herald’ rather than the word in the text - preacher.  For me the word ‘herald’ brings memories of the French herald in Shakespeare’s Henry V who was the courier of news and information between the French King and Henry - a man of dignity, humility, and performing an essential duty.

The word ‘preacher’ comes with some unfavorable baggage, some cultural impressions that misrepresent  the Biblical role and don’t sit well with people outside the churched subculture.  No one likes to be ‘preached at’.  Of course, the word righteousness could fall in the same category.  Yet the role and activity of preacher is encouraged, while the pursuit of righteousness is not emphasized, getting overshadowed somewhere between the grace which is greater than all my sin and the righteousness You credit to us apart from anything we do on our own.  Most of what I hear referred to as preaching, at least in our Christian circles, is certainly not new information (’gospel’ means new information that is good - ‘good news’), and is more of a lecture series amplifying nuances of basic information that most people already know. 

I praise You, Lord, both for Your grace and the perfect righteousness that You grant because of Your sacrifice on the cross.  And I thank You also for Peter’s reference here to Noah, who stressed the necessity of righteousness in order to be right with You and to honor You with our lives.  And You (through Peter) even refer to Lot as a righteous man (v8).  Noah was a herald, a bringer of good news, new information, an ‘announcer’ of sorts.  Genesis does not record what he actually said as he  heralded the need or path of righteousness.  He is described as a righteous man.  May I consider this as I go through the day.  Amen.

Please pray with us:
Dick and Jeanette Taylor serve on our Philly Metro Team helping churches in the Philadelphia Metro area become intentional in disciplemaking.  Also, for over ten years, they have had a travelling ministry into the countries that formerly made up the Soviet Union, discipling and training nationals to labor and serve to advance the gospel in their own countries.

Later this month Dick and Steve Tice (Navigator Metro staff in New York City)  will be in Yalta, Ukraine with 8 Russian men who are full time discipleship coordinators from various parts of Russia/Siberia and Latvia.  Pray for God to give them a great time of encouraging them and helping them to develop fruitful minstries where God has them.

You can check out Dick and Jeannette’s website at: http://www.navigators.org/us/staff/dick_taylor

Thanks for praying!
John

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