CHAPTER 1

The Assignment of Preaching:Ezekiel 37:1-10

Let's begin with the Command to Preach. It is vital tounderstand that preaching is not voluntary. It is not a careerchoice, nor is it something that Mom or Dad or family membersconvince you that you ought to be doing. True preachers are sentfrom God. Romans 10:15 says, "how shall they preach exceptthey are sent?" Now this "sent" does not mean sent by any earthlyhuman, but it refers strictly to the true and living God. OnlyGod can call, appoint, and ordain, and heaven knows only Godcan anoint a person to preach the gospel. Only God can put inpreachers what it takes to be a preacher.

Now let's talk about the preacher and the preaching. Thepreacher proclaims the gospel, God's saving work through JesusChrist. The Old testament mentions several prominent preachers.Noah, who was warned of the impending flood and proclaimedGod's ark of safety, was called "a preacher of righteousness."Solomon described himself as a preacher who taught "words oftruth." At God's direction, Jonah made a preaching mission toNineveh, declaring God's judgment and mercy. And just likeJonah, all the prophets of the Old testament were regarded aspreachers, particularly Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and Micah.

In the New testament, the gospel advanced on the wingsof preaching. The zeal generated by Pentecost, coupled with thegrowing persecution of the young church, led the disciples topreach everywhere in the known world. With a sense of urgency,Jesus and the apostles preached in homes, by the seaside, on thetemple steps, and in the synagogues. Wherever you can get peopletogether, remember there is an urgency to preach.

Jesus connected his ministry with that of the prophets andidentified his mission as one of proclaiming deliverance (Luke4:18-19).

Jesus was under a divine order to spread the gospel by means ofpreaching (Luke 4:43-44). Phillip, the preaching deacon, "preachedthe things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of JesusChrist." In sending out the twelve, Jesus commanded them, "asyou go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Theapostle Paul proudly declared his credentials as one whom God"appointed a preacher and apostle." Virtually all New testamentpreaching carries an evangelistic thrust. Paul declared, "it pleasedGod through the foolishness of preaching that man can be saved."

The distinction between preaching and teaching made inthe church today is not evident in the New Testament. Somepeople today say, "It's time out for preaching and the ministerjust needs to stick to teaching," but both Jesus and Paul regardedthemselves as preachers and teachers. Luke reports that Jesus wasappointed "a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles"(2 Timothy 1:11). The best New Testament preaching, whileaimed at motivating sinners to receive Christ, had a strong elementof teaching. Paul charged young Timothy to preach the Word!Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching,teach if you have to sometimes, but remember the command is topreach.

Now, when God calls and commands us to preach, we mayrun like Jonah, but when God gets through with us, we have to dowhat he says. Many think the running will be over after we acceptthe calling, but some pastors still run every now and then. It isimportant to understand that we're not always running by choice.Sometimes the members, deacons, and trustees cause us to run.

Some may ask, "Run from what, Reverend?" Run from hard,piercing, and cutting messages that God sends to the church, butwe're not always free to preach to them because of the repercussionswe may have to suffer. So we run from that message for the peoplein fear of what may happen to us, just like Jonah. We don't alwaysrealize that when we run, God will deal with us, just like he dealtwith Jonah when he ran.

So, Reverend, always preach the word that God gives you,even if you have to preach it in tears on your way out the door!

You know, I've always found it strange how church folks cangive preachers so much trouble, not realizing or caring that theyhave got it hard enough just doing what God wants them to do.You see, the problem is that people don't know everything thepastor preacher has gone through. They see the glamorous side ofpreaching, the monetary gifts, hugs, scattered love, recognition,and the elevation in ministry. Yes, they know about the glamour,but they don't know about the sleepless nights, the toiling andlabor, the wet pillows at night, the loss of family time, the criticismand insults they have to endure, all the hindering spirits they haveto fight, the days and nights traveling with no money in theirpockets. Few people know what preachers have to go through. Andin spite of all of this on Sunday morning, guess what? they have topush all of that aside and preach to a dying world.

Why? It's because preaching is above all. It's sad to say butpreaching is more important than what they go through. Preachingis more important than how they feel. Preaching is so importantthat John lost his head. It's so important that Peter and the apostleskept doing it even though they were threatened and ended up injail. It's so important that Paul decided, even in the face of death,to preach Jesus.

Preaching is so important that God told the prophet, "Yourwife is going to die in the morning; bury her and in the eveningPREACH to my people."

Preaching is so important that the Bible...