To the Preacher

In my preaching journey I have made numerous mistakes, but I have also learned a few things though along the way. Call it growth or survival, but I have managed by God’s generous grace to make it so far. I would encourage anyone who has the giftedness and passion to pursue a life of ministry. The church needs to continue to develop and produce solid preachers.

If preaching is your call; if serving God and his people through ministry is your passion–God bless you! We can use you, but please give all diligence to make sure your life and approach to preaching is healthy. Some of the best advice I ever received was simple and biblical–just continue to read the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus) and allow the Holy Spirit to guide and speak to you through these letters. They contain sound, divine instruction for the preacher of God.

In addition here are a few things I have discovered as essential for healthy ministry. I have at times failed in all of these. That is one reason why I share–maybe you can avoid my mistakes:

• Preach Christ first and foremost. The Corinthian church had assorted and competing agendas at work within it. The apostle Paul’s solution was to focus primarily on the cross and simply “preach Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). We will never go wrong following that example. Lifting up Christ in our ministry and preaching will create the kind of atmosphere in which churches will be healthy, will grow, and will represent the kind of kingdom community God desires. Preachers should avoid the snares of other agendas–they can be divisive and counterproductive to the work of God and the church. We all need to make sure our preaching is anchored in Jesus as we speak truth in love.
• Don’t Bash the Church. All too often I hear a negative focus when it concerns the church–even from among the ranks of preachers. Sure we have all been there–our church is not where we think it should be; we are frustrated by lack of passion, growth and involvement; maybe the church has even hurt us, but bashing the Bride of Christ accomplishes nothing constructive. Certainly we are to–as Scripture teaches–reprove, rebuke, exhort, but nowhere on this list is to tear down and harm. Just because our church is not exactly what we want it to be, there is no reason to attack it and those in it. God sees his church–even with all of our faults–as radiant. So should we. I get that we all need to vent–preaching is fascinatingly frustrating, but guard against the kind of bitterness which can lead to tearing down instead of building up. God detests that (see Proverbs 6:16-19).
• Love the Brotherhood. This is a biblical mandate (1 Peter 2:17). It speaks of the broader love for God’s people everywhere–not just those in your church. Once I asked a brother preacher about another congregation in his city. He replied in what I considered to be a demeaning tone, “We are not like them.” I understood. His church had a more progressive outlook. He considered the other congregation too restrictive and old school, but aren’t we all saved by the grace of God? Shouldn’t we love the entire brotherhood of believers and lift up one another in Christ? Too often I sense a spirit of competition between churches and even between preachers. As Paul taught the Corinthians, we are all “of Christ” (See I Corinthians 3:23). We may not always agree on all things but in love we should do our best to accept each other in Jesus (Romans 15:7). This should be the kind of welcoming, healthy spirit we desire in our churches.
• Do not disqualify yourself (I Corinthians 9:27). Paul spoke in this text about personal integrity–about living the lifestyle to back up the calling. While we do not claim perfection, own up to mistakes, and rejoice in the grace of God, we as preachers must be careful to “watch our life and doctrine closely” (1 Timothy 4:16). All kinds of minefields exist to undermine our credibility as ministers of the gospel. From sexual sins to being irresponsible with words, money and time–we must be on guard. Lazy preparation and preaching is never a good look. We must be alert to allowing some unhealthy agenda to overtake us. It is true that on occasion we may be unfairly held to a higher standard than the rest of the church, but to a degree it does come with the calling. Perhaps this is why Scripture says it is not for everyone (James 3:1).
• Be Patient. One of the very most difficult challenges in ministry for me personally. I want it done yesterday, but the church simply does not operate like that–and usually for the best. Impatience in ministry can do damage to people and churches. So we have to learn how to operate in our church setting to implement ideas, build consensus, seek input and council, inform and share while bringing folks along with us. That takes work and time, of course, but it is well worth it. Typically the outcome is far better than imagined. Learn to be longsuffering and your ministry will be strengthened as a result.
• Don’t Grow Stagnant. Just like in other professions–there are peaks and valleys in preaching. Our challenge is to never tarry too long in the valley. We must strive to stay fresh in our spirit; in our preparation; and in our outlook. Make sure to make time to read, to consider the scholarship of others; to find places of encouragement. We cannot preach from an empty well.
• Be magnanimous (see Philippians 4:5)*. Ministry and conflict; ministry and disappointment; ministry and failure; ministry and hurt all do happen together. It is just a given that in ministry, you will take some lumps–sometimes fairly and sometimes not. All of us in ministry know preachers who have been unjustly treated and have a few stories of our own. However the natural way to react to these is not usually the best way. Rather we should learn to be magnanimous–to forgive and, at least from our perspective, do our best within those situations to be led by the spirit of Christ. It is always better to be generous with God’s grace than to be vindictive, return hurt for hurt or to allow bitterness to take root. Being magnanimous gives God the glory and defines our ministry as being led by him.

I love preaching and preachers! To us all I say–don’t lose heart while we do our best to “discharge all the duties” of our ministry.

I will conclude with a text from 1 Timothy that I referenced earlier. I think it is a fitting way to conclude:

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. (4:15-16)

May God bless our ministry for him.

 

 

*Thanks to Cecil May III for helping me see this text in a better way.

 

 

Wisdom for the Ages

Solomon—especially gifted by God—is famously one of the wisest men who ever lived. He requested and God granted him an extra measure of wisdom (1 Kings 3), which he shared through “thousands” of proverbs (1 Kings 4:32-34), which others sought out. Many of these are now collected for us in the Old Testament book of Proverbs. Solomon wrote most, but not all of them. Together they represent God’s wisdom addressing a wide range of subjects. This wisdom is about more than just knowledge; it is more about applied knowledge—that is, using the wisdom to inform and live out God’s will in all aspects of life.

It is important to understand how the literature of Proverbs differs from other parts of the Bible. Proverbs is, fittingly, in the category of wisdom literature. It offers guidelines, probabilities, and insight, but unlike the law and prophecy sections of Scripture, it speaks about probable and possible outcomes—not commands. (For instance, while it is generally true that a child who is brought up in the way of the Lord will never depart—Proverbs 22:6—there are exceptions). The Proverbs should not be approached as a book of formulas therefore, but as they were intended—a collection of applied wisdom and a general guideline for wise, godly living.

Our specific weekly Bible reading of Proverbs 6-24 is part of the heart of the book—full of applied wisdom covering a wide swath of subjects. Topics such as justice, poverty, debt, sex, family, generosity, marriage, friendship, vocation, character, alcohol and forgiveness are addressed. In one way this section can be used as a reference—looking up each subject to hear a wise word about it from the Lord.

Wisdom for the ages! Let’s check some of it out:

• Avoid the sluggard syndrome. Don’t become lazy and fearful. The sluggard is presented in Proverbs as someone so lazy they will not exert the energy to feed themselves or so fearful that even a rumor of a roaming lion will entice tremain in their perpetual slumbered state. The end result is ruin (Proverbs 6:6-11; 13:4; 19:24; 20;4; 21:5, 25-26; 22:3; 24: 30-32; 26:14-15). Instead of a sluggard lifestyle, the Proverbs point to the ant as the example of industrious labor.
• Avoid seduction. Adultery; the allure of illicit sex is a topic to which wisdom is applied (Proverbs 6-7). This is a father speaking to his son—teaching him the folly of empty, gratuitous sex. These words remain ever true to our contemporary setting.
• Embrace wisdom. Of course, this could be the purpose statement of all of the Proverbs, but in chapter eight wisdom’s significance is especially highlighted. Here wisdom speaks for itself and advises: “Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not ignore it” (vs. 33). We would still do well to heed.
• “The fear of the Lord.” This is a theme of the Proverbs (9:10) but it is more about reverence and awe than it is about being afraid. It is about being drawn to God to learn from him, not about hiding in fear from him. Being drawn reverently to him is how we begin our journey of wisdom and knowledge.
• The tongue—a source of blessings and curse. All throughout this segment of the Proverbs, wisdom advices proper use of the tongue, while also warning against the trouble the misuse of words will bring. Just consider chapter 10 alone (vss. 11, 13-14, 18-21, 31). All true wisdom for the ages.
• Discipline brings maturity; the lack thereof brings folly. This is another major thread running throughout Proverbs. The wise man understands the value of a disciplined life; while the foolish man avoids it and runs into folly and ruin. Discipline teaches, corrects and matures. The undisciplined receive no such parameters and therefore are destined to error and trouble. (10:23; 12:1; 15:12; 21:11).
• Pride leads to ruin. Wisdom shines light upon pride and exposes the traps it contains. (11:12; 13:10; 16:18; 29:23). Pride continues to lead to destruction.
• Justice is encouraged. It should not surprise that wisdom and justice go together (8:20; 17:23; 18:5; 21:15; 29:7, 26)). Justice—like wisdom itself—originates in God. The righteous seek it, while the wicked seek to subvert it.
• Avoid drunkenness. An entire section is dedicated to warning against the effects of strong drink (23:29-35; also 20:1 & 23:20-21). Alcoholism and drunkenness continues to do much damage throughout all generations. The wisdom of the Proverbs applied would limit such damage.
• The way of the righteous is also highlighted all throughout the Proverbs. It is usually contrasted with the way of the wicked (see for example 11:5-11). This also illustrates the “probable” nature of the Proverb. In each comparison, the righteous realizes a positive outcome, while the wicked are forecast nothing but trouble. While this is generally true, it is not guaranteed (this side of eternity anyway). Some struggle with the Proverbs as a result, but the purpose, context and style of literature must be heavily considered.

Divine Common Sense

Another way to consider the Proverbs is as divine common sense. Solomon being gifted a special dispensation simply approaches life situations and topics sharing a measure of common sense to them. “Wise sayings” is how the Proverbs are defined and that is an accurate definition.

The first seven verses of the book provide an overview and what the Proverbs are all about but one text perhaps sums the point of the Proverbs up best:

Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach, for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the Lord, I teach you today (22:17-19).

The Proverbs are wisdom for the ages—all ages—for us here and now. It would serve us well to pay attention and put this wisdom to work in our lives.