Title: Responsible Proclaimers
Listen as I read 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Bruse Waltke tells the story about the time his wife was in college and in her economics class they chose to do a test involving two white mice. They fed the first mouse whole milk, wheat bread, oatmeal, carrots and fruit juice. They fed the second mouse coffee and doughnuts for breakfast, white bread and jelly for lunch, candy, potato chips and coke for supper.
In less than ten days there were marked differences in the two mice. One was healthy and robust, running around his cage full of all shorts of energy. The second mouse was showing signs of ill health, losing hair, becoming irritable, becoming a loner and listless. As the diet continued the second mouse died. Why? Wrong diet. (The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart, Swindoll)
If church attendees are not offered the milk and wheat bread of God’s Word, they become listless in service to Christ, to the Body of Christ and unable to fulfill their part of the “Great Commission.” When people choose not feed upon the Word of God and choose to feed the flesh what it wants, live in the world’s view and listen to the lies of the devil, they become irritable, aggravating to be around and lack strength to fulfill God’s ultimate plan for them.
Christians who feed upon the Word of God are raised up by the Lord Jesus Christ to spiritual health. Their walk with the Lord is vibrant and alive, full of hope and vision even in lean times. As we catch the truth that God’s Word is food for the spiritual heart, we begin to understand that it is imperative that preachers proclaim the whole wheat bread of God’s Word.
The first truth to grasp in the “Proclaimer’s Responsibility” is to have a witness of the Holy Spirit that the person who preaches the Word of God is born again. John 3:3 says, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again.
These Words of Christ were spoken to the Pharisee named Nicodemus who was a member to the Jewish council. (John 3:1) Pharisees were the religious leaders of the Jews. (The New International Dictionary of the Bible)
The preacher must have a spiritual rebirth so he can proclaim the truths of God, live in fellowship with God the Father, Christ the Savior and walk in step with the Holy Spirit.
“Again” (anóthen) means born from above. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary; Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament; Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains; The New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries)
Born Again according to the Word of God is found in Ezekiel 36:26-27 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”
The first question that should be asked of anyone who wants to preach and teach God’s Word is, “Are you born again?”
The second responsibility is to exercise his Holy Spirit gift to “prophesy.” Romans 12:6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.”
“Prophesying” (propheteia) here is “…not primarily prediction but communication of revealed truth that will both convict and build up the hearers.” (The Expositors Bible Commentary) It is a special gift that enables the preachers (Ephesians 4:11) to expound the Holy Scriptures. (Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon) This Holy Spirit gift enables the proclaimer of God’s Word to declare the Lord’s purpose, whether by reproving and admonishing the wicked, or comforting the hurting and afflicted. (Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon; The Pulpit Commentary) This gift enables the preacher to make known the will of God, which is designed to influence men. (Barnes Notes)
All Christians are to consider the gift of prophesying as an important endowment for edifying the Body of Christ and for the purpose of proclaiming God’s truth to those who are without Christ and to Christians.
The gift of prophesying is to be exercised in accordance to the faith of the proclaimer who is speaking forth the message. “Faith” (pistis) here is what can be believed, trusted. (DBL Greek) A preacher of God’s Word is not governed by his emotions or by his love to preach, but by the leading of the Holy Spirit as the Word of God is revealed to his mind and illuminated into his spiritual heart.
The third responsibility is be a soldier of Christ. 2 Timothy 4:1-4 says, “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
In the charge, “Preach the Word!” “Preach” (k¬¬erússo) means to especially preach, publish or announce religious truth, the gospel with its attendant privileges and obligations, in this gospel dispensation. It is to proclaim publicly after the manner of a herald always with authority such as to beckon people to listen and obey what is proclaimed. (The Complete Word Study Dictionary; Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament; Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon: Wuest Word Studies in the Greek New Testament)
The fourth responsibility is to know his place and the congregation place is to learn as well.
The preacher is not to present book reviews, not politics, not economics, and not the current topics of the day. He is to preach the Word or step down from the pulpit. The last truth to grasp today is proclaimers of God’s truth do not take glory upon themselves.
1 Corinthians 3:7-9 says, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.”
Preachers are only the Lord’s instruments, they do not bring sinners to Christ, enable people to believe, empower Christians to be successful in the Great Commission or bless the people of God. Only the Lord can do that. Preachers enjoy victories in the Lord’s battle for the souls of mankind only when God brings about those victories. Holy Spirit illuminated preachers say as the Apostle Paul, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service.” (1 Timothy 1:12)
.In Closing: “Preaching is Truth Proclaimed” only when those who teach what the Bible says are born again. When preachers exercise the gift of “prophesying,” when preachers are obedient to their charge, “Preach the Word” and when preachers preach in a way that brings glory to God, to Christ and under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Preachers who enjoy the privilege of proclaiming truth are those who give ear to what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “…devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4: 13-16)
What American churches need is not preachers ordained by denominations and fellowships, but shepherds who know Christ personally as Savior and Lord, who have the anointing of the Holy Spirit to preach, who fulfill their charge to preach the Word of God and who enjoy the Lord strengthening them for service unto Christ Jesus. Let us pray!
