Sunday, October 29, 2017 am
THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH 2017
(31)
Leaders In the Church (11)
The Preacher/Evangelist (3)
a.
He is a Christian first
– he needs to live an exemplary life.
He does what he is able to do.
He visits and encourages the brethren because he can.
He may have more flexibility in this, so he can do more of it.
b.
Let no one despise your
youth (1
Timothy 4:12) – do not act so as to provoke ungodly attitudes from
others. Paul here addresses
the youth of Timothy. He
says that he should not act so that people turn against him because of
his youth (with arrogance, etc.).
We could apply this to anyone.
Don’t let one despise your experience (by being arrogant and
bullying them).
c.
Be an example
i.
In word –
this could mean several things:
1.
The word of God you
preach, or what you say. The
Greek word here is “logos” which indicates communicating with
understanding. It is
more than just uttering sounds. He
treats the Bible as the word of God.
2.
Your everyday
conversation. Whatever you say needs to be the way a Christian would
speak.
3.
OR it could mean that
what you say you will do, you do (cf. Matthew 5: 37, Your ‘yes’ means
‘yes.’). Your word means
something to others.
ii.
In Conduct
– this describes one’s manner of life (KJV – conversation).
Your behavior is commensurate with what you preach and profess to
be.
How often in scripture did Jesus rebuke the hypocrisy of the leaders?
If we want the respect of our audience, we need to LIVE the life we
preach.
In vs. 16 Paul will say, “Take
heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
Continue in them…”
iii.
In love –
This love (agape) is the motivation behind all that we do.
Its importance is emphasized throughout scripture and in every
relationship. Cf.
Matthew 22:39, Romans 13:9, etc.
1 Corinthians 16:14, “Let all that you do be done with love.”
Our attitude toward others needs to be manifested in our work – our
message and its application.
We need to show those we are preaching to that we genuinely care about
them.
iv.
In spirit –
(Lacking in some versions) –
1.
Could be referencing the
controlling of our passions.
We are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14, Galatians 4:18 – it is good
to be zealous in a good thing always)
2.
Perhaps it is
descriptive of our overall demeanor and attitude (cf. John 4:24).
We need a good attitude.
We need to show patience, trust, kindness, etc. as we deal with
brethren.
v.
In faith –
trusting God and His word.
We know how important faith is as Christians (Hebrews 11:6, 10:22 – the
full assurance of faith, 2 Peter 1:5, etc.) You genuinely believe what
you are preaching and teaching.
Your life is a demonstration of what it means to walk by faith
and not by sight (Romans 1:16-17, 2 Corinthians 5:7).
vi.
In purity –
not defiled. This is a
timely reminder for all Christians.
We need to be living ABOVE the standards of the world.
1.
We need purity of heart
(Matthew 5:8),
2.
To flee “youthful lusts”
(2 Timothy 2:22),
3.
To live purified lives
“as He is pure” (1 John 3:3)
Sadly today, we see so much scandal among leaders, including
religious leaders at time.
If a preacher is to have respect for his message, his life will be pure
and free from the pollutions of this world.
He needs to live “above reproach” (cf. Colossians 1:22).
Example: Outside of his
family, a preacher should never be alone and in private with a woman.
Please don’t put him in that circumstance!
d.
He needs to love and deal with all sorts of people
– We have emphasized our
need to love our neighbor (Matthew 22:39, James 2:8, Romans 13:9, etc.),
and Jesus helped define who our neighbor is in Luke 10:29-37 in the
parable of the good Samaritan.
There is no specific verse that points out who a preacher deals with,
because he will deal with all sorts of people in varying circumstances.
He is going to deal with brethren (some good and some ungodly),
the strong and the weak, the stubborn, other preachers, elders, friends
and enemies alike, etc. He
will deal with unbelievers who he needs to try and convince.
He will deal with the straying brethren whom he will try to steer
back on the right course. He
will be dealing with the lost, some who have serious struggles and
problems, and those who are disrespectful to God and His cause.
He will deal with delicate souls that are searching.
He needs to be able to talk to a large audience, a small gathering or an
individual, with the attitude that such is not a waste of his time.
And not only when he “feels like it”.
IN TIME, with experience, he will do better at managing whatever
audience he has.
The point here is you CANNOT be a preacher and isolate yourself from
the world. It is not
healthy for a preacher to do nothing but study all the time and NOT
interact with his brethren or others in the world.
That is NOT what we see in preachers in the Bible.
a.
He must study the word
– 2 Timothy 2:15. How does a preacher gain his knowledge?
A good part of his life is devoted to studying and learning God’s
word. Give attention to
reading – 1 Tim. 4:13, 15-16; cf. Deut. 17:18-19, Joshua 1:8.
b.
He realizes he is
accountable
– James 3:1, Matthew 12:36, (cf. 2 Peter 2:1-3) – every idle word men
may speak…
c.
Scriptures also address supporting the preacher
–
1 Corinthians 9:4-14, esp. 12-14ff,
Philippians 4:15-16 – Paul was supported by the brethren in Philippi to
do his work. (cf. 2
Corinthians 11:8-9)
Galatians 6:6, Let him who is taught the word share in all good things
with him who teaches.
Often elders are also preachers of the gospel – such are worthy of
“double honor” which includes being supported - 2 Timothy 6:17-18 (BTW,
this text is not limited to preachers also serving as elders.
NOTE: This is an unpleasant topic for preachers to address because it
seems self serving, but the scriptures do address it and people should
understand what scripture teaches about it.
However, a preacher, when living as he should, will not make the amount
he receives the primary goal behind where he goes and what he does.
Sometimes, preachers “made tents” Cf. Acts 18:2-3.
a.
Finally, the preacher is
a soldier in the Lord’s army.
He has put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).
And he is in the front of the army.
b.
He leads the fight
against Satan and his minions; He fights for purity in the church; He
fights for true unity (Ephesians 4:1-3); He fights against false
teachers to expose them – Ephesians 5:11, 1 Timothy 1:3-4; He fights
against worldliness and its influences not only in his life, but in the
life of his brethren; He fights for the mind striving to bring every
thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians
10:4-6).
a.
There is a comparison to
be made between the preacher and the prophets of the Old Testament.
b.
Consider the following
(from another source):
i.
They were men of deep
conviction – they had a message that needed to be proclaimed and people
that needed to hear it.
ii.
They did not “beat
around the bush” to proclaim that message (cf. Nathan with David – 2
Samuel 12:7)
iii.
They did not fear being
rejected or the reactions of men.
iv.
They did not go along
with the crowd. Most
specifically resisted the majority.
v.
They were willing to
suffer and even die for God’s cause – note 1 Timothy 3:12, while
applying to all is in this letter written to young Timothy as a
preacher.
vi.
They were often grieved
– at the rejection to truth around them.
vii.
They challenged false
prophets and corrupt leaders
viii.
They addressed
immorality and ungodly behavior.
ix.
They warned of coming
judgment and called for repentance (cf. Acts 17:30-31)
x.
At times they became
discouraged, but they did not quit.
In
1 Timothy 4:16 Paul summarized what his goal is,
Take heed to yourself and to the
doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both
yourself and those who hear you.
And that will make all that he does worth it!
If
we are to be the church God wants us to be, we need to demand that
preaching fit this mold.
Think about it.