Preach The Word

God calls preachers to “preach the word!” Not man’s word, but God’s word (Isa 55:11). Because sinful man has a tendency to pervert “the words of the living God” (Jer 23:36). Sound preaching must be filled with the truths from the Bible (Eph 3:8), which should expound on both the text and the topic. Lost people should be convicted of their sins (Jn 16:8), and cause them to repent (Acts 20:21), upon hearing “the word of God” (Rom 10:17)! Sadly, there are many hireling preachers today (Jn 10:12), who don’t care about overseeing their flock (Acts 20:28). They are “greedy of filthy lucre” (1 Tim 3:8), or monetary earnings, so they resort to soft compromising messages that would scratch the “itching ears” (v. 3), of their listeners.

Too often, they base it upon their own opinion, a worldly philosophy, or even an anecdote (Col 2:8). Thus, downgrading the holiness of many churches today (Isa 30:10)! The hireling preacher is only there for his paycheck. He would run away in times of trouble and would leave his flock vulnerable to “ravening wolves” (Mt 7:15). However, a faithful pastor who has been called to “feed the flock of God” (1 Pet 5:2), has a vested interest in their safety and welfare. His primary concern is to love and protect them and to ensure that they are fed with a healthy, well-balanced spiritual food so they would “grow in grace” (2 Pet 3:18). He would preach “in season, out of season” – whether he feels like it or not.

The listeners may or may not be receptive. But he has to preach because he understands that his strength comes from God (Ps 18:32). His message must “reprove, rebuke, and exhort.” It may not always be positive since it involves preaching against sin, worldliness, and humanism. Sometimes it’s discouraging, but he must do it “with all longsuffering.” Listeners may take some time to be convicted by “sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1), so he must keep on preaching! God bless you!

- Pastor Melito Barrera