God’s Preachers
Look on any church of Christ “Preachers Wanted” website list and you’ll find them: A detailed job description including a preferred list of the desired requirements, components, and qualifications which each congregation of God’s people is specifically searching for in its potential, prospective new preacher. And while God Himself has some very certain and specific requirements which His gospel preachers must meet, the one passage that pretty well sums up His divinely-inspired and dictated job description for them is found in 2 Timothy 4:1-5:
God’s preachers, rely on God’s Word.
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Contained in that one, simple, scriptural passage, is a highly concentrated description, of exactly what God requires from His preachers. They must preach and live God’s word – and only His word – in all crowds, times, situations and circumstances. They must do so without compromise, hesitation, partiality, or concern for their own comfort and/or safety (such as God’s preacher Peter as reported in Acts 4 + 5). They must do so not only when they are in the company of people who are truly seeking and hungering and thirsting after what God has to say, but must also proclaim His word just as diligently, directly, and willingly, when surrounded by, or in the presence of people who absolutely do not want to hear it – and even such hostile religious people as those who would militantly and even murderously reject both His message and His messenger who proclaims it (such as God’s preacher Stephen as reported in Acts 7).
In almost every case where they open their mouths amidst more than a few people, God’s preachers must come to understand, accept, and expect, that amongst those who are listening to the message from God that he preaches, there will be those who will come to love and respect both him and what he has to say; as well as those present who will probably resent, reject – and even in some cases come to hate – both him and what God is using him to do and say (See: Matthew 10:22-38, 24:9-13; John 11:45-53, 15:18-16:3; Acts 13:42-51; and etc…).
When one teaches, preaches, defends and practices the eternally-binding truth of God at all earthly cost, it often causes those with less conviction to flee and leave him all alone to face the earthly consequences of his heavenly calling (such as God’s preachers Jesus and Paul as reported in John 16:32 & 2 Timothy 4:9-17). Being one of God’s preachers can therefore oft-times be an extremely lonely place and position to be in life. In fact, sometimes it can appear even to God’s preachers themselves that they are all alone and the only one left (such as God’s preacher Elijah as reported in 1 Kings 18-19).
Additionally, sometimes people just don’t seem to understand that even the greatest of God’s preachers is still human and therefore needs time alone with God for solace, comfort, rest, and reflection. Sometimes he just needs time with God to ask for strength, wisdom, or regarding some great and important upcoming decision (See: Matthew 26:36-44; James 1:2-3; & Lk. 6:12-13). Sometimes he might just need time to grieve over the loss of a personally dear and departed loved one (such as God’s preacher Jesus, as reported in Matthew 14:6-13a). But there will always inevitably be some people among those whom they serve, who apparently seem to think that God’s preacher is somehow never in need, never struggles, and is somewhat superhuman. And to them, the only thing that matters is their own wants, needs, and desires, and what he can do to fulfill them. And so, they come with no thought for his need, but only for their own (just like they did with God’s preacher Jesus, as reported in Matthew 14:13b-21).
But there comes a time, when even the greatest and strongest of God’s preachers must simply demand and insist upon his own personal time alone to grieve and find strength in the arms of his heavenly Father – even if it means the rest of the disciples who continually count on their preacher must fend for themselves for a while; and that, even in the face of their worst storms (Matthew 14:22-25).
Now, of course any sort of expectation of “super humanity” or “imperviousness to painfulness” will always leave God’s preacher open to the charge of being at fault and the one to blame, when or if he can’t or doesn’t automatically and immediately answer the call to be there at once whenever disaster strikes amongst those whom he loves and serves (such as God’s preachers Samuel and Jesus, as reported in 1 Samuel 13:8-12 and John 11:1-33).
But as difficult as life can be for God’s preachers, the stress, strain, and toll on their wives can be even worse (Job 2:9; Ezekiel 24:15-24)!
However; despite the cost, the consequences, the danger, or the mission; despite the stress, the strain, God’s divine job description, or some people’s simply impossible expectations, God’s preacher wouldn’t stop proclaiming God’s word for anything, because there’s only one thing in his mind that truly matters… Hearing what those who have served the Master well and spent themselves in investing what He has given them in others: “Well done good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21+23). The only thing that really matters to God’s true and faithful preachers and their wives – the one thing that makes all of their earthly perils, pitfalls, and job hazards both bearable – and dare I say even enjoyable at times – is their promise of eternal reward from almighty God (as delivered by God’s preacher Paul, at the continuance of the text with which we started this article):
But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:5-8).