"Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season..." (2 Tim. 4:2, ESV).
NB: We are called to be Christ's ambassadors, preaching the gospel.
What this means is that preparation (and knowing the Word is implied here) is a requisite for preaching. One needs to be ready for any opportunity God may give, in opening doors to preach--being sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. There is a world of difference between preaching and teaching and some teachers end up preaching! (or should I say, in some cases, lecturing) and the latter may be "interesting, edifying, challenging, and informative (like info FYI)," but preaching takes it to the next level and faith comes by the preaching of the Word, while teaching is for discipling, and preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit's unction and anointing and is illuminating, enlightening, prophetic, challenging, upsetting, convicting, edifying, and inspiring--viva la difference!
When you preach you never know where the Spirit will lead, but that doesn't mean you don't prepare notes; it just means God may lead you off your subject, go off on a tangent, or go somewhere you couldn't have guessed and may mention in passing and be forced to leave your notes, because of a special anointing. Preaching the Word means faith in the Word and not in yourself, your experiences, your research, or the media you use. It isn't how professional you appear, but how spiritually prepared and led you are--prayer and faith are a must.
The called preacher afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted. You don't just learn something--you are edified (i.e., built up in the faith). People have to be knocked out of their comfort zones, and you have to know where the sheep are to be able to do that. People tune you out once they feel you are lecturing them and aren't speaking to their needs or relating to them--don't condescend or "wow" them with your scholarship or expertise. The last thing he wants to do is to appear pedantic or as dry as a seminary prof. Paul said that he preached the "Christ and Christ crucified," and not himself--he wants to keep the focus off himself and on Christ and the cross, where the power is.
Preaching is prophesying to some degree when you edify the body you are controlled by the filling, having the anointing. This is the highest calling for a believer, not a job (he isn't a hireling), but he will be judged according to how faithful he was in using his gift and being available, humble, sensitive, and obedient, more important than being able intellectually or naturally talented with appropriate inclinations. God is able to make him able if he has faith and is sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. There is a certain effect when one is preaching that the person really believes what he is saying and practices what he preaches and preaches what he practices, and he does it with obvious passion and a delivery that is noticeable and effective, through the power of the Spirit, not his own charisma or personality, lest he get the glory instead of God.
The gift of teaching is not necessarily connected to the gift to preach, and elders who are good at teaching should be given double honor. Preaching is not something you seek, or aspire to, but are called to (if you can do anything else, do it!), and if you are ordained, you must do it and it drives you. Every mature believer should be able to teach to some degree, but he who prophesies edifies the church, and may not necessarily be called to preach. Soi Deo Gloria
NB: We are called to be Christ's ambassadors, preaching the gospel.
What this means is that preparation (and knowing the Word is implied here) is a requisite for preaching. One needs to be ready for any opportunity God may give, in opening doors to preach--being sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. There is a world of difference between preaching and teaching and some teachers end up preaching! (or should I say, in some cases, lecturing) and the latter may be "interesting, edifying, challenging, and informative (like info FYI)," but preaching takes it to the next level and faith comes by the preaching of the Word, while teaching is for discipling, and preaching in the power of the Holy Spirit's unction and anointing and is illuminating, enlightening, prophetic, challenging, upsetting, convicting, edifying, and inspiring--viva la difference!
When you preach you never know where the Spirit will lead, but that doesn't mean you don't prepare notes; it just means God may lead you off your subject, go off on a tangent, or go somewhere you couldn't have guessed and may mention in passing and be forced to leave your notes, because of a special anointing. Preaching the Word means faith in the Word and not in yourself, your experiences, your research, or the media you use. It isn't how professional you appear, but how spiritually prepared and led you are--prayer and faith are a must.
The called preacher afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted. You don't just learn something--you are edified (i.e., built up in the faith). People have to be knocked out of their comfort zones, and you have to know where the sheep are to be able to do that. People tune you out once they feel you are lecturing them and aren't speaking to their needs or relating to them--don't condescend or "wow" them with your scholarship or expertise. The last thing he wants to do is to appear pedantic or as dry as a seminary prof. Paul said that he preached the "Christ and Christ crucified," and not himself--he wants to keep the focus off himself and on Christ and the cross, where the power is.
Preaching is prophesying to some degree when you edify the body you are controlled by the filling, having the anointing. This is the highest calling for a believer, not a job (he isn't a hireling), but he will be judged according to how faithful he was in using his gift and being available, humble, sensitive, and obedient, more important than being able intellectually or naturally talented with appropriate inclinations. God is able to make him able if he has faith and is sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. There is a certain effect when one is preaching that the person really believes what he is saying and practices what he preaches and preaches what he practices, and he does it with obvious passion and a delivery that is noticeable and effective, through the power of the Spirit, not his own charisma or personality, lest he get the glory instead of God.
The gift of teaching is not necessarily connected to the gift to preach, and elders who are good at teaching should be given double honor. Preaching is not something you seek, or aspire to, but are called to (if you can do anything else, do it!), and if you are ordained, you must do it and it drives you. Every mature believer should be able to teach to some degree, but he who prophesies edifies the church, and may not necessarily be called to preach. Soi Deo Gloria
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