Are We Called To Preach?

Preachers often have favorite doctrines or agendas that they enjoy, but Paul said he was not remiss to proclaim the whole counsel of God. Just because we preach--and we are all called to preach in some vein--doesn't mean we are perfect, experts on the subject, or deserve the right to preach on it. What is important is that we key into our listeners and know where they are at and where they are coming from, and tailor the message to them specifically and clearly. God has chosen us to preach the Word regardless; however, it is hoped we will not become hypocrites, and we will practice what we preach. Jesus was the prototype preacher par excellence in that He practiced what He preached and preached what He practiced--but we all fall short of this ideal. By the way, Paul said he preached not himself, "but Christ and Christ crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2).

Someone has said of Jonathan Edwards that "his doctrine was all application and his application was all doctrine"; we are not to just make our preaching an intellectual thing that has no relevance. Our preaching should challenge us as well as our hearers and we should humbly thank God for the honor and privilege of preaching and for the high calling that it is. Sometimes it is even ironic that we can preach on a subject because of our background. For example, many ex-drug addicts or ex-convicts have dramatic testimonies, and sometimes the experts on home life actually come from broken homes or less than ideal situations. Sometimes it is very interesting to hear what they have to say and what their point of view is because of their experiences.

Let's not second-guess God as to why we are preaching and accept the authority of the pulpit as being from God and has His anointing. The focus should be to preach the Word according to our faith and gifting. In the final analysis, we really want to know what the Bible says more than some one's experiences which can be biased. (We test our experiences by the Word of God, not the Word of God by our experiences.)   Soli Deo Gloria!