PTHOUSANDS OF pastors mount the pulpit every Sunday to preach and teach. But what exactly are they called to preach and teach? Which greatest theme or subject has been given to servants of Christ to preach and teach? Do apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors/bishops and teachers have the freedom to preach and teach just anything they like?
Well, we know that the Bible is
the Word of God which is the standard for Christian reference, instruction and
living. In it, we see the central theme which both the Old and the New
Testament preachers and teachers spoke about. When God calls His servants to
preach and teach in the world, He does not give them the discretion to preach
and teach just anything they want. God gives them a specific message or
messages they must preach and teach.
If a person says God has called
him or her into the pastoral ministry, he or she must be ready and willing to
make public what God told them in secret to preach and teach for His glory. God
does not call anyone without giving the person a message or messages. In the
Old Testament, we know what God told Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah,
Ezekiel and other messengers to preach and teach when He called them.
Similarly, when the Lord Jesus
Christ called the 12 foundational apostles, He gave them messages. When Christ
later called the apostle Paul, He gave him also specific messages including
what he must preach and teach. You can see that whenever God calls, He instructs
and puts His Word into the mouths of His servants to speak.
These days, it is common to
hear pastor A or B being commended for delivering what they call “powerful and
good messages”. But how can we know if a sermon a pastor preaches is good or
not? A message delivered by a pastor may sound good and powerful in the ears of
men and women but unpleasant and itchy in the ears of God. We can describe a pastor’s
message as good if only we know what God has told His servants to preach and
teach.
So true servants of Jesus
Christ preach and teach the Word or message the Lord has commanded or given to
them. A faithful pastor has no option but to comply with the divine
instruction. He preaches and teaches the Word his Lord and Master has
instructed him. He may be exposed to several other relevant messages which he
knows may excite his hearers, but he will carefully limit himself to the
message which is divinely given to him to teach and preach.
It is like our secular
educational systems. Teachers of education do not have the freedom to select
just any subjects or topics they want to teach in schools. Yes, teachers do not
teach what they want. They teach the subjects and topics approved by their
employers. It is the same with the Church of Jesus Christ. Pastors do not just
get up and ALWAYS preach and teach anything they think will benefit believers.
Of course, there is nothing
wrong with a pastor teaching his congregants about SWOT analysis, 17 principles
of success, 11 powerful steps to abundance, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,
personal hygiene and other motivational messages. But we must understand that
these are not the central message Christ has given to His ministers to preach
and teach as we hear them these days.
A Christian who is
knowledgeable in the Bible and familiar with the messages Peter, James, John,
Philip, Paul and other early servants of Christ preached and taught can confirm
that many Christian ministers in our day have been led astray to preach and
teach opinions of men. Authentic Christian ministry is not about what man wants
get done but what God wants to get accomplished.
The Bible presents to us the
greatest theme all true apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers
are required to preach and teach. It is clearly written in the Bible. This
theme which is carefully presented in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is
given to be preached and taught to get the work of God done on earth. The
greatest work of God on earth is to get souls saved from the bondage of sin and
reconciled to God the Father for everlasting love relationship.
Thus after Jesus Christ was
raised from the dead He gave instructions to His foundational apostles and
clearly spelt out what they must do. His key instruction was three-fold. They
were to travel to villages, towns and cities to preach the gospel and make
disciples, baptise them and finally teach them to observe all that He had
commanded them (Matthew 28:18-20).
Now, the apostles understood
the instructions of the Lord to mean that they should go and preach and teach
about Jesus Christ. And so when the apostles received power after the Holy
Spirit had come upon them they went about bearing witness about the risen Lord.
In other words, they preached and taught nothing except Jesus Christ.
The message about the Lord Jesus Christ was to them the greatest theme or subject for preaching and teaching for sinners to believe in Jesus Christ, repent of their sins and be sealed with the promised Holy Spirit for the day of redemption. And preaching and teaching Jesus Christ is necessary for believers to know and grow in Him, and eventually conform to His glorious image.
By James Quansah
The post Pastors Don’t Teach Just Anything appeared first on DailyGuide Network.
