In the mid to late 60's A.D. Paul wrote two letters to a young evangelist
whose name was Timothy. They contain some profound wisdom from Paul
to Timothy, that would serve him well along life's way after Paul had taken
his exodus from the land of the earthly living.
I have known several men through the years who have been dear friends
and advisers to me. Sometimes they told me things that were like bitter weed
at the time, but they were meant for my well-being. By the grace of God, I have
lived long enough that I am now able to pass along some things that I have
learned to young preachers.
Be a worker. (2 Tim. 2:15) Never be ashamed of the gospel. It is the
message of salvation. (Rom. 1:16) Be prepared to rise during the early hours
of the morning, or to study into the late hours of the night in order to fill the
mind with the word of the living God. "Study long and study deep." Take
nothing for granted and be thorough in your research. Examine every possible
avenue of understanding in your analysis of a word, phrase, sentence, verse,
etc. When you "lock down" the meaning, put it in your head. Remember, an
evangelist is a worker. (2 Tim. 4:5)
Read scripture. (1 Tim. 4:13) Be devoted to public and private reading.
Read, read, and read again. Reading will keep your mind fresh and you will
always have a reservoir of information for those you serve. If you are not
widely read, you will grow stale and you will experience burnout. But, more
importantly, have an intimate familiarity with the book on which you stake
your life!
Learn to speak clearly, distinctly, and emphatically. Many of us
began preaching "race horse style." We were nervous and the main thing
on our mind was standing up, speaking up, shutting up, and sitting down,
often at the expense of good diction and clarity. Slow down and speak
up in order to be heard and understood. When Peter addressed the people
on the day of Pentecost, he "stood up with the eleven, raised his voice
and addressed the crowd." (Acts 2:14) We must teach people in order
that they may learn, and they will learn if they understand what we are
saying. Slow down and pronounce your words clearly.
Commit as much of God's word to memory as possible. You will
not always be in a position have a copy of the Bible in hand, but you should
strive to have it in head. You should not memorize scripture in order to
dazzle an audience with your own accomplishments, but memorization
is expedient and useful, and it enables the preacher to conserve time
in delivery. Placing God's word in the heart also enables a person to be
upright before God. The psalmist wrote, "I have treasured your word in
my heart that I might not sin against you." (Psalm 119:11)
Keep your sermons simple and relatively brief. Simplicity is one
of the keys to all successful teaching. Some preachers have taken pride
in the fact that they are "preachers' preachers." Such is not good! We
should learn from Jesus and his apostles that truth is to be taught in an
understandable manner. Jesus frequently used parables as a means to
convey God's truths. (Mat. 13) Why? They were both simple and memorable.
Neither Jesus nor his apostles tried to teach over the heads of the multitudes.
It is also a fact that "the mind will not absorb more than the body can
tolerate," so keep the sermons relatively brief.
Do not participate in "preacher gossip." Preachers are some of the
most notorious gossipers on earth. One of the reasons for this is, many
preachers travel throughout the country in meetings and they hear a lot,
see a lot, and know a lot. As a result they are overcome by the "can't
wait to tell it bug." Many preachers also think of preaching as a
"competitive sport" rather than the work of God. Therefore, they seek
to belittle and cast aspersion on those they deem to be competitors. This
is shameful and should be avoided at all costs. Use your mouth in the
classroom and the pulpit, not on the telephone, computer, and breakfast
table to spread the latest news. Remember, if gossip is brought to you
about someone else, it will be taken from you to someone else! A dog
that will bring a bone will take a bone. Guaranteed! The Bible says to
avoid those who gossip. (Prov. 20:19)
Forget about lining up with "brotherhood" positions. Make it your
goal to be fiercely loyal to the truth. "Buy the truth and do not sell it; get
wisdom, instruction, and understanding." (Prov. 23:23) The only person in
whom you should have one hundred percent confidence is God, and the
only "position" you should hold is the one that aligns with truth! Avoid
sectarian philosophy by refusing to "line up" with men and movements.
(1 Cor. 1:11-13) Be an independent thinker. Do not believe anything
just because a friend believes it, and do not reject anything just because
an enemy believes it. Go wherever truth leads! Follow the trail of evidence.
Nothing but the facts; only the facts.
Be wise in selecting commentaries. Do not focus on commentary
"sets" per se. Most sets are highly uneven in quality. Carefully pick the
individual volumes on particular biblical books. Furthermore, give high
priority to exegetical commentaries, that is, those that explain the text
and examine it lexically, contextually, and grammatically. I do not want
a commentary to necessarily agree with me, but I want it to make me
think my way through the text. Do not turn to commentaries as your first
"court of appeal." Delve into the text itself. First try to determine what
you see in a passage. Attempt to draw your own conclusions before
you seek out a commentator's point of view.
If possible learn the biblical languages. Not everyone can or will
become an expert in Hebrew and Greek, but most preachers can either
learn the basics of the biblical languages or at least learn how to use the
fundamental reference works that are available. No, you don't need to
learn Hebrew and Greek to go to heaven. But since our heavenly Father
chose those languages as the means of conveying his will to humanity, it
would seem that one would want to know something about them. It may
also enable a preacher to avoid making some of the common mistakes often
observed, such as etymologizing for word meaning, lexical overloading,
condemning modern translations when they differ with the KJV, misusing
Hebrew and Greek grammars and lexicons, etc.
Never be ashamed to say, "I am wrong" when you are wrong.
Pride is a destroyer of self, friendships, and the soul. (Prov. 16:18)
Sometimes people will point out a fault or sin just to embarrass you or
because they are being eaten from the inside out by jealousy. Be man
enough to admit the fault. Make the necessary correction and move ahead.
If their motives are not pure, even though they might have embarrassed
you, it will be God who gets the last word! He knows peoples' hearts and
your adversaries will have no escape. The Lord's apostles had critics, but
they did not allow that to stop them. (Phil. 1:15; 2 Tim. 4:14-18)
As a general rule, avoid "preachers' " meetings, breakfasts,
luncheons, etc. Very often they evolve into opportunities to consume
more than what's on the plate. If half the people are half as bad as most
preachers say, it seems that instead of talking about it, they would get
up and go help the people overcome their weaknesses and sins. Spend
your time diligently studying God's word and helping the people you
should love. Help them overcome the obstacles they face on the road
to eternity. (Gal. 6:1)
Never entertain resentment for other preachers. We are all
needed in the Lord's service. We all approach things differently and
our knowledge varies. I refuse to be jealous of another man. If I am
envious of him, I am rebelling against God, for it is God who has
blessed my fellow preachers with their ability. Rejoice in the ability
of others and perfect your ability. If you spend time honing your skills,
you will not have time to sit idly and resent others! (Gal. 5:19-26)
Avoid institutional thinking regarding the local congregation.
The local congregation is God's appointed "group" to perform the work
he has assigned her. (1 Tim. 3:15; 5:16) Shun the idea that the well-being
of the congregation is dependent on men and papers, or colleges and
universities. The well being of the local congregation is dependent on the
Lord's blessings and her adherence to his inerrant word! God has given
her an all-sufficient arrangement (Phil. 1:1); guide (Jas. 1:25; 2 Pet. 1:3);
worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1Cor. 11:17-26; Eph. 5:19); and mission
(2 Cor.11:8; Phil. 4:14-17; 1 Thess.1:8) No human arrangement or
society is her equal! Defend God's plan against any and every
unauthorized human scheme. Do not expect to have many true friends
when you stand for the truth. Cherish those who are proven friends,
and remember, God is the friend who is larger than the world!
Develop a hobby. Learn to get away from things sometimes.
The Lord was a fisherman. He loved the wilderness and would often
get on the water . A change of pace is good for one's face, for the race
we are running, and for one's faith as it shows us the variety in Yahweh's
creation. When you resume your routine after having "taken a breather,"
you will be fresher than a rose bouquet that's one minute old, and ready
like a race horse to leave the gate!
Practice habits that are conducive to good health. The preacher's
mind is a terrible thing to waste. "Water is nature's beverage and honey
is nature's sweetener," so consume a lot of both if you are not allergic to
them! Eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables, especially those that
are high in antioxidants. Blueberries, pomegranates, apples, pears, nuts,
bananas, whole grain cereal, etc. Seek out sources that are high in
vitamins C and E along with the mineral zinc.
You will not regret it! Do
all you can to preserve and strengthen your mind. It is your "workshop."
Pray constantly. (Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17) Remember, stress is a killer.
(Prov. 14:30; 15:13; 17:22)
Do not be a braggart. Be humble and unassuming. (1 Cor. 13:4)
You do not need to blow a trumpet about your academic attainments.
People will know your capabilities by your conversation, writings,
preaching, etc. A person is not a scholar merely on the basis of
academics. There are men and women with PhD's who have trouble
understanding Jno. 3:16; Acts 2:38; Eph. 5:19 and many other texts.
Scholarship indicates depth of thought, thoroughness of research,
originality, and unflinching loyalty to the truth.
RD
Copyright 2011
