56 Bible Verses about Preaching, Effects Of

And with great power the apostles were giving testimony [to] the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all.

For just as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and they do not return there except they have watered the earth thoroughly and cause it to bring forth and sprout, and give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall be my word that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me without success, but shall accomplish what I desire and be successful [in the thing for] which I sent it.

and from there they sailed away to Antioch where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had completed. And [when they] arrived and called the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that he had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain, but I labored even more than all of them, and not I, but the grace of God with me. Therefore whether I or those, in this way we preached, and in this way you believed.

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim the gospel, not with {clever speech}, lest the cross of Christ be emptied. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the intelligence of the intelligent I will confound."read more.
Where [is] the wise person? Where [is] the scribe? Where [is] the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. For indeed, Jews ask for sign miracles and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a cause for stumbling, but to the Gentiles foolishness, but to those [who are] called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human [wisdom], and the weakness of God [is] stronger than human [strength].

And I, [when I] came to you, brothers, did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I decided not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and with much trembling,read more.
and my speech and my preaching [were] not with the persuasiveness of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power, in order that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

"The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because of which he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send out in freedom those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord."

[The] Spirit of the Lord Yahweh [is] upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me, he has sent me to bring good news [to the] oppressed, to bind up {the brokenhearted}, to {proclaim} release to [the] captives and liberation to those who are bound, to {proclaim} [the] year of Yahweh's favor, and our God's day of vengeance, to comfort all those in mourning,

And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same [place]. And suddenly a sound like a violent rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. And divided tongues like fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.read more.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them [ability] to speak out. Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And [when] this sound occurred, the crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one was hearing them speaking in his own language. And they were astounded and astonished, saying, "Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how do we hear, each one [of us], in {our own native language}? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those residing [in] Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs--we hear them speaking in our [own] languages the great deeds of God!"

[While] Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message. And those believers from the circumcision who had accompanied Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter said,read more.
"Surely no one can withhold the water for these [people] to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as we also did!" So he ordered [that] they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for several days.

and my speech and my preaching [were] not with the persuasiveness of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and power, in order that your faith would not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

praying at the same time for us also, that God may open for us a door of the message, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which also {I am a prisoner}, so that I may reveal it, as it is necessary for me to speak.

And now, Lord, concern yourself with their threats and grant your slaves to speak your message with all boldness, [as] you extend your hand to heal and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus." And [when] they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

So the twelve summoned the community of disciples [and] said, "It is not desirable [that] we neglect the word of God to serve tables. So, brothers, select from among you seven men {of good reputation}, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we will put in charge of this need. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

Now there were prophets and teachers in Antioch in the church that was there: Barnabas, and Simeon (who was called Niger), and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen (a close friend of Herod the tetrarch), and Saul. And [while] they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart now for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then, [after they] had fasted and prayed and placed [their] hands on them, they sent [them] away.read more.
Therefore, sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed away to Cyprus. And [when they] came to Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they also had John [as] assistant.

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may progress and be honored, just as also [it was] with you,

{For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us}, just as those also [did], but the message {they heard} did not benefit them, [because they] were not united with those who heard [it] in faith.

And because of this we also give thanks to God constantly, that [when you] received God's word {that you heard} from us, you accepted [it] not [as the] word of men, but as [it] truly is, [the] word of God, which also is at work in you who believe.

The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold, [something] greater than Jonah [is] here!

The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold, [something] greater than Jonah [is] here!

And the word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second [time], saying, "Get up! Go to Nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to it the message that I [am] telling you." So Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was {an extraordinarily great city}--a journey of three days [across].read more.
And Jonah began to go into the city a journey of one day, and he cried out and said, "Forty more days and Nineveh will be demolished!" And the people of Nineveh believed in God, and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth--from the greatest of them {to the least important}. And the news reached the king of Nineveh, and he rose from his throne and removed his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in the ashes. And he had a proclamation made, and said, "In Nineveh, by a decree of the king and his nobles: "No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything! They must not eat, and they must not drink water! And [the] human beings and [the] animals must be covered [with] sackcloth! And they must call forcefully to God, and each must turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind and turn {from his blazing anger} {so that} we will not perish." And God saw their deeds--that they turned from their evil ways--and God changed his mind about the evil that he had said [he would] bring upon them, and he did not do [it].

Now in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the Judean wilderness and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!" For this is the one who was spoken about by the prophet Isaiah, saying, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.'"read more.
Now John himself had his clothing made from camel's hair and a belt made of leather around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan were going out to him, and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River [as they] confessed their sins.

the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths!'" John was there baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the Judean region and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem went out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.

And he went into all the surrounding region of the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight! Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be leveled, and the crooked will become straight, and the rough road [will become] smooth,read more.
and all flesh will see the salvation of God.'"

But many of those who listened to the message believed, and the number of the men was approximately five thousand.

And Peter [said] to them, "Repent and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all those [who are] far away, as many as the Lord our God calls to himself." And with many other words he solemnly urged and exhorted them, saying, "Be saved from this crooked generation!"read more.
So those who accepted his message were baptized, and on that day about three thousand souls were added.

Now a certain man {named} Simon had been in the city practicing magic and astonishing the people of Samaria, saying he was someone great. They were all paying attention to {him}, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called 'Great.'" And they were paying attention to him because for a long time he had astonished them with [his] magic.read more.
But when they believed Philip [as he] was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were being baptized. And Simon himself also believed, and [after he] was baptized he was {keeping close company with} Philip. And [when he] saw the signs and great miracles that were taking place, he was astonished.

Now these were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica. {They} accepted the message with all eagerness, examining the scriptures every day [to see] if these [things] were so. Therefore many of them believed, and not a few of the prominent Greek women and men.

Now I make known to you, brothers, the gospel which I proclaimed to you, which you have also received, in which you also stand, by which you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the message I proclaimed to you, unless you believed to no purpose.

And [after they] had proclaimed the good news in that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging [them] to continue in the faith and [saying], "Through many persecutions it is necessary [for] us to enter into the kingdom of God."

And he himself gave some [as] apostles and some [as] prophets and some [as] evangelists and some [as] pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to a measure of the maturity of the fullness of Christ,read more.
so that we may no longer be infants, tossed about by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of people, by craftiness with reference to the scheming of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow into him [with reference to] all [things], who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined together and held together by every supporting ligament, according to the working by measure of each single part, the growth of the body makes for the building up of itself in love.

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, live in him, firmly rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding with thankfulness.

And they went out [and] proclaimed everywhere, [while] the Lord was working together with [them] and confirming the message through the accompanying signs.]]

And he went around through all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. And a report about him went out {throughout} Syria, and they brought to him all those {who were sick} with various diseases and afflicted by torments, demon-possessed and epileptics and paralytics, and he healed them. And large crowds followed him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the other side of the Jordan.

And summoning the twelve, he gave them power and authority over all the demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And he said to them, "Take along nothing for the journey--neither a staff, nor a traveler's bag, nor bread, nor money, nor to have two tunics apiece.read more.
And into whatever house you enter, stay there and depart from there. And [as for] all those who do not welcome you--[when you] depart from that town, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony against them." So they departed [and] went throughout the villages, proclaiming the good news and healing everywhere.

Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them saying, "Do not go on the road to the Gentiles, and do not enter into a city of the Samaritans, but go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And [as you] are going, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near!'read more.
Heal those who are sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, expel demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Do not procure gold or silver or copper for your belts. Do not [take] a traveler's bag for the road, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff, for the worker [is] deserving of his provisions. And into whatever town or village you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay [there] until you depart. And [when you] enter into the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whoever does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet [as you] are going out of that house or [that] town.

And he summoned the twelve and began to send them out two [by] two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. And he commanded them that they take along nothing for the journey except only a staff--no bread, no traveler's bag, no money in their belts-- but to put on sandals and not to wear two tunics.read more.
And he said to them, "Whenever you enter into a house, stay there until you depart from there. And whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, [as you] go out from there, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them."

And now, Lord, concern yourself with their threats and grant your slaves to speak your message with all boldness, [as] you extend your hand to heal and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

And Philip came down to the city of Samaria [and] began proclaiming the Christ to them. And the crowds with one mind were paying attention to what was being said by Philip, [as] they heard [him] and saw the signs that he was performing. For many of those who had unclean spirits, they were coming out [of them], crying out with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.read more.
And there was great joy in that city.

Now it happened that in Iconium they entered {together} into the synagogue of the Jews and spoke in such a way that a large number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the Jews who were disobedient stirred up and {poisoned the minds} of the Gentiles against the brothers. So they stayed [there] for a considerable time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the message of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be performed through their hands.

And it happened when Jesus finished these words the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

And he came down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath. And they were astounded at his teaching, because {he spoke} with authority.

And they went into Capernaum and immediately on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue. And they were amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like the scribes.

Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And [when] this sound occurred, the crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one was hearing them speaking in his own language. And they were astounded and astonished, saying, "Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?read more.
And how do we hear, each one [of us], in {our own native language}? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those residing [in] Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs--we hear them speaking in our [own] languages the great deeds of God!" And all were amazed and greatly perplexed, saying {to one another}, "{What can this mean?}"

Now [when they] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were astonished, and recognized them, that they had been with Jesus. And [because they] saw the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in return.

And he went out from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And [when] the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard [him] were amazed, saying, "Where did this man [get] these [things]? And what [is] this wisdom that has been granted to this man, and the miracles such as these performed through his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they were offended by him.read more.
And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, and among his relatives, and in his [own] household." And he was not able to do any miracle in that place except to lay his hands on a few sick [people] [and] heal [them]. And he was astonished because of their unbelief.

And he came to his hometown [and] began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were amazed and said, "From where did this man [get] this wisdom and these miracles? Is not this one the son of the carpenter? Is not his mother called Mary and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? From where then did this man [get] all these [things]?"read more.
And they were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his [own] hometown and in his [own] household." And he did not perform many miracles in that place because of their unbelief.

For indeed, Jews ask for sign miracles and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a cause for stumbling, but to the Gentiles foolishness,

Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him [when he] observed the city was full of idols. So he was discussing in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing [Gentiles], and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. And even some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were saying, "What does this babbler want to say?" But [others said], "He appears to be a proclaimer of foreign deities," because he was proclaiming the good news [about] Jesus and the resurrection.read more.
And they took hold of him [and] brought [him] to the Areopagus, saying, "May we learn what [is] this new teaching being proclaimed by you? For you are bringing some astonishing things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what {these things mean}." (Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who stayed there used to spend [their] time in nothing else than telling something or listening to something new.) So Paul stood there in the middle of the Areopagus [and] said, "Men of Athens, I see you [are] very religious {in every respect}. For [as I] was passing through and observing carefully your objects of worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, 'To an unknown God.' Therefore what you worship without knowing [it], this I proclaim to you-- the God who made the world and all the things in it. This one, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands [as if he] needed anything, [because] he himself gives to everyone life and breath and everything. And he made from one [man] every nation of humanity to live on all the face of the earth, determining [their] fixed times and the fixed boundaries of their habitation, to search for God, if perhaps indeed they might feel around for him and find [him]. And indeed he is not far away from each one of us, for in him we live and move and exist, as even some of {your own} poets have said: 'For we also are {his} offspring.' Therefore, [because we] are offspring of God, we ought not to think the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and thought. Therefore [although] God has overlooked the times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man who he has appointed, having provided proof to everyone [by] raising him from the dead." Now [when they] heard about the resurrection of the dead, [some] scoffed, but [others] said, "We will hear you about this again also."

But Felix, [because he] understood the [facts] concerning the Way more accurately, put them off, saying, "When Lysias the military tribune comes down, I will decide {your case}." [He] ordered the centurion [for] him to be guarded and to have some freedom, and in no way to prevent any of his own [people] [from] serving him. And after some days, [when] Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him concerning faith in Christ Jesus.read more.
And [while] he was discussing about righteousness and self control and the judgment that is to come, Felix became afraid [and] replied, "Go away for the present, and [when I] have an opportunity, I will summon you." At the same time he was also hoping that money would be given to him by Paul. For this reason also he sent for him as often as possible [and] talked with him.

Now [when they] heard about the resurrection of the dead, [some] scoffed, but [others] said, "We will hear you about this again also."

And Yahweh, the God of their ancestors, had repeatedly and persistently sent to them by the hand of his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they were mocking the messengers of God and despising his words and scoffing at his prophets until the wrath of Yahweh rose against his people until there was no remedy.

But others jeered [and] said, "They are full of sweet new wine!"

But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the message of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there too, inciting and stirring up the crowds.

And [while] they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees approached them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put [them] in custody until the next day, because it was already evening.

And [when they] had brought them, they made [them] stand in the Sanhedrin, and the high priest put a question to them, saying, "{We strictly commanded} you not to teach in this name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching! And you are intending to bring upon us the blood of this man!" But Peter and the apostles answered [and] said, "It is necessary to obey God rather than men!read more.
The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed [by] hanging [him] on a tree. This one God has exalted to his right hand [as] Leader and Savior to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things, and [so is] the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." Now [when] they heard [this], they were infuriated, and were wanting to execute them. But a certain man stood up in the Sanhedrin, a Pharisee {named} Gamaliel, a teacher of the law respected by all the people, [and] gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. And he said to them, "Men [and] Israelites, take care for yourselves what you are about to do to these men! For before these days, Theudas rose up saying he was somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined {him}. {He} was executed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man, Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and {caused people to follow him in revolt}. And that one perished, and all who followed him were scattered. And now I tell you, keep away from these men, and leave them alone, because if this plan or this matter is from people, it will be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them, lest you even be found fighting against God." So they were persuaded by him. And they summoned the apostles, beat [them], commanded [them] not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released [them].