About thirty years ago I used to commute to a neighboring state to teach a mid-week Bible study at a church. It took about forty minutes for me to make the journey from home to the church and the same amount of time to return home. I carried on this ministry for an extended period of time. After one of these Bible studies I was a bit unhappy with how things had gone. I do not remember what biblical book or subject I had been teaching, nor do I remember what it was that caused me to feel dissatisfied with the ministry that night. What I do remember is a thought I had on the way home. As I was driving, and thinking about the ministry that night, I thought to myself “That did not even feel good.” After I had that thought I believe the Lord spoke to my heart. He said “So, you preach to feel good?” That was an awkward question and I don’t recall answering it at the time. My statement already indicated that feelings were important to me so I could not with total honesty say “no.” And it is clear that “yes” would be the wrong answer. Those of us who preach and teach do, at times, need to come to terms with why we do it.

I have been in ministry for over thirty-five years. As a general principle I believe that most of us who preach and teach genuinely want to do a good job. In fact, it is an essential requirement of the ministry. We are called to accurately handle the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15) and we will be judged with greater strictness regarding how we carry out this work (Jas. 3:1). It is true that part of our satisfaction in ministry comes from feeling that we have done a good job. There is a certain sense of fulfilment in having preached a sound message and having connected with the people. That being said, personal satisfaction with our pulpit ministry should not be the primary motive for our preaching. In the remainder of this article we look at a number of biblical reasons why a man or woman should preach and teach the Word of God.

A Divine Call

The first reason why anyone should preach is because they have a divine call to do so. This is made very clear in the experience of the original twelve apostles and the apostle Paul. In Mark 3 we see Jesus call the Twelve to Himself so that He could “send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons” (Mark 3:14-15 NIV). The apostle Paul also had a call to preach, he makes multiple references to it in his writings (Gal. 1:15-16; Eph. 3:7-8; Titus 1:3). God selected him for this ministry. With the calling comes the sending (we saw this already with the Twelve). Paul also affirmed that he was sent by God and not by people (Gal. 1:1). When a man or a woman is called by the Lord the Lord in turn sends them out. They have a purpose. This calling and sending is not something that is unique to the apostles in the New Testament. The Lord calls and sends out others as well. In Ephesians 4 we read about the ministries of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. All of these are ministers that God has raised up for the church; all are called by the Lord and all are sent to people. Every genuine preacher or teacher will have a divine call.

Faithful Discharge of Ministry

Obeying the call to preach or teach is being a good steward of the ministry that the Lord has given. Paul wrote about this in his first letter to the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 4:1-2). He stated that this stewardship was not only something for him only but also for his coworkers (1 Cor. 4:1), he used the word “us” (NIV). A little later in the same letter he says that if he voluntarily discharges his responsibility to preach he has a reward, but if he does not do it voluntarily he is just fulfilling a trust (1 Cor. 9:16-17). The implication of this passage is that preaching might not always be enjoyable (one might not feel like preaching). The experience of the early believers in the book of Acts confirms that preaching, or the results of preaching, were not always pleasant.

Salvation

So, what are the purposes for which a preacher or teacher is sent? Fortunately Scripture provides us with a number of answers to this question. At a fundamental level all ministers are sent to communicate a message. We are to “Preach the Word” (2 Tim. 4:2 NIV). The first message that many people need to hear is the message of salvation. The Great Commission passages (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8) speak about the priority of this. Paul’s purpose in preaching to the Gentiles was to bring them to salvation (1 Thess. 2:16). In Romans 10:14-15 Paul asks a number of questions, one of which is, “And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Rom. 10:14). Salvation is vitally connected to preaching. All believers, but perhaps especially preachers and teachers, have been charged with the task of bringing people into a reconciled relationship with God (2 Cor. 5:18-20).

Instruction

Salvation is not the only topic for preachers and teachers. While the Word can make one knowledgeable of salvation (2 Tim. 3:15) the believer is to grow up in their faith. They start with the milk of the Word (1 Pet. 2:2) and eventually grow to be able to handle the meat of the Word (Heb. 5:12). The Scriptures were given for a number of purposes (2 Tim. 3:16), all of which will at one time or another be brought to bear in the life of a church. When Scripture is faithfully communicated, and received, it results in the believer being “equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17 NIV). Paul took this responsibility very seriously. In his words to the Ephesian elders he told them that he did not hold back anything that would be helpful to them (Acts 20:20). He further went on to say that he declared “the whole will of God” (Acts 20:27 NIV) to them. I think that one of the truths that emerges from this section is that preachers and teachers are not to just teach their favorite subjects (or those of their congregation) we have a responsibility to preach all of God’s truth.

Unity

Another purpose of the ministries of preachers and teachers is found in the book of Ephesians. Ministers of the Word are to work toward providing stability, health, unity, and momentum in the church, so that the church may pursue the goals that God has for His body (Eph. 4:12-16). The goals that the Lord wants the church to move toward are spelled out for us in Ephesians 4:12-13. As we declare the Word may God help us to fulfill these vital aspect of our ministries.

Conclusion

As this brief survey demonstrates, there are a number of reasons for a person to preach or teach, but none of them necessarily involves the preacher feeling good about his or her ministry. The primary reasons for a man or woman to declare the Word of God are the sense of a divine call and the needs of people. I believe that the Lord in His grace will at times allow us to sense His approval and blessing on the service that we render, however, I do not believe that it is one of His top priorities. May it not be ours either. Instead, may we seek to please the Lord by faithfully fulfilling the biblical purposes for which He entrusted the ministry of preaching and teaching to us. It is truly a high calling.

John P. Lathrop is a graduate of Zion Bible Institute and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is an ordained minister with the International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies. He has written articles and book reviews for a number of publications including: Pneuma Review, the Africanus Journal of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Christian Trends Magazine, in India, and  Berita Mujizat and Jurnal Jaffray, both in Indonesia. He is also the author of four books.