Preaching Your Sermon - True Ministers Regurgitate, Or Do They – Should They Series

PREACHING YOUR SERMON - TRUE MINISTERS REGURGITATE, OR DO THEY – SHOULD THEY?

I keep some finches and just recently one pair had babies. It is interesting the way the Lord has arranged for the babies to be fed. I think most people have noticed the method used by birds as the young are fed. Usually it is the special type of rasping or tweeting sound made by the babies that stimulates the parents who then regurgitate the partly digested food into the mouths/throats of the young ones. They do that until the young have learned to feed themselves.

This process reminded me again of the function of the church minister or pastor, or the elders and leadership of the church group. I likened this to regurgitation, a simplistic way of understanding a pastor’s preaching/teaching role among the sheep.

In simple terms, to regurgitate means to feed to others what one himself has received/taken in. This can be good in Christian ministry but can also have problems associated with it. I wish to examine this as I have seen it in operation over seven decades.

[A]. THE BIBLICAL COMMAND TO FEED

Jesus authorised the care of His followers to those He had trained. In the verses that were spoken to Peter we see the pastoral care of God’s leaders being commanded by the Lord.

{{John 21:15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love You.” He said to him, “TEND MY LAMBS.”

John 21:17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” and he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things. You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “TEND MY SHEEP.”}}

It was Peter the Lord selected to take the gospel to the Jews, working ever outward until the episode with Cornelius saw God’s message of salvation going into the whole world. This was his use of the keys of the kingdom and there was nothing popish about it at all.

In the two verses just cited, the words “lambs” and “sheep” are used. The word for lamb originally meant a little lamb, but generally means a lamb or lambkin. These are young, and in the passage in John, would mean those new believers coming into the faith. The Jews had some basic legal knowledge and teaching in their background but the Gentiles would come from paganism and needed feeding, careful feeding.

The sheep are those who are growing or have matured, being established in the faith. Strong’s mentions the word is related to walking forward, eg. sheep. That is the proper direction to go. The Lord’s followers must progress, not be stationary or worse still, retreating. It is the minister who must feed these sheep, or the church teachers in the local fellowship entrusted with that ministry, who do it.

[B]. THE BIBLICAL COMMAND TO TEACH THE TEACHERS

The Pastoral Letter to Timothy mentions a very important instruction, this one – {{2Timothy 2:1-2 “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these ENTRUST TO FAITHFUL MEN WHO WILL BE ABLE TO TEACH OTHERS ALSO.”}}

That is the line of teaching succession that began with the Apostles. Teaching is to be passed on but I question some of the approaches and methods of Bible Colleges and Denominational Seminaries from one aspect. I don’t think that is the way the teaching approach was in the New Testament era. Anyway I don’t wish to pursue that but want to say again, faithful men must teach so that the next generation of teachers can be taught by these men.

Just going back to my finches for a moment – I notice that the parent birds are quite protective of the small, newly emerged young when other birds come close. Teaching the saints would include protection of the saints. What is being passed from teacher to learner (as in the regurgitation simile) needs to be done in an atmosphere of guarding the flock.

{{Acts 20:28-29 “BE ON GUARD FOR YOURSELVES AND FOR ALL THE FLOCK, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”}}

[C]. NOW – THE WHOLE MATTER OF REGURGITATION

By this term I mean the giving out of what has been received. Going back to the finches, what the young are fed all comes from the parents. In Christian ministry, in the early stages the servant of God will feed the flock, but as time progresses the flock is taught the feeding principles.