Anglican Bible study - STUDY 35, AUGUST 28, 2022 
STUDY 35
Anglican Bible study - STUDY 35, AUGUST 28, 2022, 11TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY AUGUST 28 2022
THEME: THE LORD GOD AND THE REIGN OF PEACE
SUB THEME: Mandate of the Church for noble and godly rule (2)
TOPIC: The Use of the Pulpit
TEXTS: Neh 8:1-8
AIMS:
i. to inform us that the Pulpit can be abused,
ii. to draw attention to forms of abuse of the Pulpit and
iii. to admonish us on the correct use of the Pulpit.
INTRODUCTION
"Pulpit"as a word in the Bible can only be found in Nehemiah 8:4 and in only the Revised or King James Version of the Bible. The Miriam Webster Dictionary (eleventh edition) defines the word pulpit as “a raised enclosed platform in a church or chapel from which the preacher delivers a sermon or preaches the word of God for the purpose of urging an unbeliever to accept Jesus Christ as Savior or to exhort believers in doing the will of God. However, it is pertinent to note how the pulpit has been abused as a platform for vengeance, selfish-attraction, fund-raising and other profane purposes in our generation. How then can the pulpit be effective for the purpose of godly rule in our land? Let’s enter the discussion through today's study
STUDY GUIDE
1. Define pulpit and its exclusive usage. Neh 8:4-6,8; Luk 4:18-19.
2. With critical reference to Luke 4:18 – 19; 2Tim. 4:2, what should be the focus of a preacher on the pulpit?
3. How can you describe the ways the Pulpit has been abused by some preachers in our generation? Ezek 13:4-6; Mic 3:5,11; 2Tim. 4:3-4; 2Peter 2:1 – 3.
4. How can the pulpit be effective as a vessel for godly rule like in the context of John’s wilderness sermons? Luke 3:2b-4, 9 – 14
CONCLUSION
Faithful use of the pulpit helps propagate the gospel of salvation and builds up the body of Christ; while its abuse confuses the congregation and corrupts the purity of the Christian faith. The pulpit is therefore meant for conversion of souls to Christ’s Kingdom and not for conversion of money to selfish pockets.
FOOD FOR THOUHT: The right use of the pulpit can turn the the darkest sinner into a saint.
MEMORY VERSE: Luk 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised”