'Give attendance to the reading'.  Not only does this suggest that the

reading of the Scripture is important, it calls upon the minister to give it

much attention.  It is painful to realize sometimes that a preacher is

reading a passage of Scripture in public with which he is not familiar.

Wrong emphasis, erroneous punctuation, badly pronounced words, especially

names of persons and places, all tend to lower the Word in the estimate of

the hearer.

Every preacher should have before him at least mentally, as he stands

at the reading desk, the words of Nehemiah chapter 8:

'So they read in the book in the law of God Distinctly, and gave the

Sense, and caused them to Understand the reading' (Neh. 8:8).

The following sentence reveals the need for clear articulation.  'He sang his

song with the greatest tenderness', for if the reader will say these words

aloud before reading further, he will probably find that he has made one or

more of the following mistakes -- 'He sang his -song with -the greatest -

tenderness' all contrary to distinctness.  We all know the evils of false

emphasis, for example, reading 'they did eat' as though it meant 'They Did

eat'; of misreading 1  Corinthians 9:24 and making Paul say 'all but one

receiveth the prize', or of failing to lower the voice at the reading of a

parenthesis and so making Peter stand up in the midst of the disciples and

say that the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty (Acts

Reading should be unhurried, though never drawled; a too conversational

style should be avoided owing to the holiness of the Book read, but an

unnatural intoning avoided.  It is usually wise to read at each service a

portion of both Old and New Testaments, and to select passages that 'compare

spiritual things with spiritual' where possible.  While undue length in

reading is inadvisable, snippets of Holy Writ scarcely do honour to the Word

or its Author.  Whether an interjected comment should or should not be

permitted must depend much upon the actual reader.  Some can, with a word,

indicate the bearing of the context, or the value of a marginal reading, but

care must be exercised lest 'the reading' be subordinated.

The Preaching of the Word.  Following the command to give

attendance to the reading, the apostle adds '... to exhortation and to

doctrine'.  Preaching can be either the making known the glad tidings of

salvation (1 Cor. 1:17) euaggelizo, or announcing the truth as a herald

kerusso (2 Tim. 4:2).

The covering term 'Preach the Word' includes the preaching of the

gospel to the unsaved, and making known the ways and will of God to His

people.  In a meeting for worship, it is possible that all would be saved

people, but no opportunity should be lost to speak of the great salvation and

the Redeeming Sacrifice of the Son of God.  Preaching will include doctrine;

faithful preaching will not leave the great doctrines of our faith too long

without specific reference.  Preaching includes exposition, even as our

Saviour and His servant Paul are said to have 'opened' the Scriptures (Luke

24:32; Acts 17:3).  Preaching 'alleges' or proves by citation (Acts 17:7).

Much more remains in the Scriptures concerning worship.  The spiritual

equivalent of Tabernacle worship is a theme in itself, but sufficient we

trust has been brought forward to help any whose heart has been touched by

grace, to render to the Lord His due in worship that will be acceptable,