We seek to proclaim a βwell-roundedβ message and to keep on βan even keel,β but what does this involve? Is one who consistently proclaims the mystery lopsided or unbalanced in the message? Were the twelve apostles off balance when they proclaimed βthe gospel of the kingdomβ? Of course not, for this is what they were sent to proclaim (Luke 9:1-6).
And neither are we off balance or lopsided in our ministry when we consistently proclaim what Paul called βmy gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mysteryβ (Rom. 16:25), for this is our gospel too.
This does not mean that we are to preach only from the Pauline epistles. Far from it. But it does mean that we should make sure that our hearers are well-grounded in the Pauline epistles and that when we preach from other parts of the Bible we should relate it to the mystery, Godβs message for today.
When the twelve apostles preached from the Old Testament Scriptures, they preached Christ according to the revelation of prophecy. But Paulβs βgospelβ was βthe preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery.β Hence when we preach from the Old Testament Scriptures, we should preach Christ βaccording to the revelation of the mystery,β applying, relating, comparing, and contrasting Godβs programs for other dispensations with His program for the dispensation of grace. This is exactly what Paul himself does in Romans and Galatians, and this is βkeeping on an even keel.β
A failure to βpreach the Wordβ and to preach it rightly divided is not keeping on an even keel or bringing a well-rounded message; it is simply getting away from the message God has commissioned us to proclaim.
Since the faithful proclamation of this glorious message rouses Satanβs enmity more than anything else, we must pray for God-given boldness in making it known, like the Apostle Paul, who said:
β[Pray] for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speakβ (Eph. 6:19,20). source
