In his great book Heralds of God, James Stewart reminds preachers: "resolve that every sermon you preach is in the truest sense your own. . . It is your personal act of witness." Earlier in the chapter, Paul warns Timothy of pretenders, charlatans who deceive the people from the pulpit. Why would Paul and James Stewart take preaching so seriously? For them and us, the words of the gospel are a matter of spiritual life and death.
Paul reminded Timothy to read the scriptures to encourage and teach the church. The New Testament describes preaching as a spiritual gift imparted through the prayerful prophecy of the elders of the church. Preaching is not only a gift of speaking, but a gift of hearing. Paul told Timothy to give his complete attention to reading, encouraging and teaching. The goal is progress. Nobody can do this for us. In a day when great sermons are being written and published, we must do the hard work of listening for God’s voice so that we may do our own work.
Ultimately the only part of the Bible we believe is the part we live. Paul’s words call all preachers to take preaching and their lives seriously. We have to practice what we preach. We cannot tell God’s truth while simultaneously living a lie. Why not? What does it matter? Salvation is at stake – our own and the salvation of those who listen. So we study all week long and wait for a word from God to deliver to his people. And when it comes from God, we tell the truth from our hearts. As E. V. Hill prayed, “Lord help us to preach, not for fame or reputation but to the end that somebody might be saved.”
