2 Timothy 4 ESV
“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
Who Can Preach?
The word “preach” in Greek is “kerusso” and it means “to be
a herald, to proclaim.” It means to “announce a message publicly and with
conviction (persuasion).” It refers to “preaching the gospel of Christ as the
authoritative word of God, bringing eternal accountability to all who hear it.”
(source: Bible Hub)
In Romans 1 Paul was thankful to God about the Christians (all
those loved by God and called to be saints) that their faith was being
proclaimed in all the world. And Peter said that we who are the saints of God
are a chosen race and a royal priesthood and a holy nation (spiritual, not
physical), a people for God’s own possession, that we may proclaim the
excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (Rom
1:7-8; 1 Pet 2:9). So, all Christians, male or female, can preach (proclaim)
the gospel.
And to prophesy is to “speak forth” that “which reveals the
mind (message) of God in a particular situation” (Bible Hub). And we read in 1
Corinthians 14 that “the one who prophesies speaks to people for their
upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.” And “speak” is another word for “proclaim.”
And we read in Acts 2 (quoting from Joel 2) that in the last days God will pour
out his Spirit on all flesh, and our sons and our daughters (both male and
female) will prophesy. They will proclaim the word of God.
So, “preaching” (proclaiming) the gospel, and the word of
God, is not the same as being a pastor or an elder (an overseer) in the church.
One who preaches merely proclaims what the Scriptures teach, but in all
practicality and application to our lives today. So, a preacher is not
necessarily one who is in a position of authority over anyone, so being a
preacher (a herald, one who proclaims the gospel, the word of God) is not
assigned to men only.
Reprove, Rebuke, and Exhort
Who can do this? We read in the Scriptures that we, as the
body of Christ, are to encourage (exhort, admonish, beseech, give a holy urging
to) one another, that we might be mutually encouraged (exhorted) by each other’s
faith. And the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and
encouragement (exhortation).
And we, as the body of Christ, are to speak the truth in
love, one to the other, so that we are not carried away by false doctrines
being taught by men in their cunning and deceitful scheming, and so that we may
all grow to maturity in Christ as each part is working properly (as assigned by
God) so that the body builds itself up in love. And we are to be filled with
the Spirit and we are to speak to each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.
And we are to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly,
teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs with thankfulness in our hearts to God. And Paul said that
he was convinced that the Roman Christians were full of goodness, filled with
all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
Now, I know Paul said, “my brothers,” but that was often a
generic term to include all followers of Christ. And the letter to the Romans
was to all “who are loved by God and called to be saints.” For if we took the
term “brothers” to mean only men, then the Bible is not written for women, too,
but it is. So the point here is that women as well as men are to exhort (urge)
one another and to encourage one another in the faith.
But women are not to serve in positions of pastor or elder
or overseer and women are not to teach men in a position of authority over them
to where they can exercise church discipline. But women can preach, and they
can prophesy (proclaim the word of God and the messages of God), and they can
teach the Scriptures, but they are just not to be in positions of authority
over men. And a man who is humble is not afraid to hear what a woman is
learning from the Lord and to allow the Spirit to speak through her to him.
[1 Thess 5:11; Rom 1:12; 1 Co 14:3; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:15-21;
Col 3:12-17; Rom 15:14]
That Time is Here
And why is the above mentioned so important in our day? Here
in America? Because that time is here when people are not enduring sound teaching
but having itching ears they are indeed accumulating for themselves teachers to
suit their own passions, and they are turning away from listening to the truth,
and they are wandering off into myths. And many men of the gospel who are
supposed to be teaching sound doctrine are not, but many of them are saying
what people’s itching ears want to hear, instead.
Not many men who call themselves Christians in America, and/or
who serve in positions of pastor and elder and overseer in the church, appear
to be teaching sound doctrine, nor are they sharing the truth of the gospel. For
so many men in today’s church here in America have gone the way of the world,
and many of them are walking in sin, especially in sexual sin, and so they aren’t
talking much about Jesus nor are they sharing his gospel (the whole counsel of
God) but they are teaching a diluted gospel, if any.
So God is raising up women who will. Now, I know there are
women who are trying to serve in positions intended only for men, and I am not
supporting that, but honestly, if there are no men of God who are living holy
lives to fill those positions, then it would be better to have a woman speaking
the truth to the people rather than have men who are teaching lies. But I in no
way am advocating for women to fill the positions meant for only men. But if
God wants to get his messages across, he will even use a donkey, if necessary.
The truth needs to go out and many people need to hear the
truth, and God has called both men and women to proclaim the excellencies of
him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. He has called both
male and female to speak forth his truths from his word to all who will listen.
And we all need to be proclaiming that Jesus died on that cross so that we would
die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet 2:24).
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn
15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1
Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Jas 1:21-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:21-23; Col
3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn
2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Ac 26:18; Rev 21:8,27;
Rev 22:14-15]
He
Gives Purpose
An
Original Work / June 9, 2012
“Listen to Me when I’m calling to you.
Obey freely My word.
Follow Me in all of My ways.
Do all that I say.
Hear Me gently whisper to you
My will for your life and future.
Give all of your life and heart to
Follow Me always.”
Repent of your sins and worship Jesus.
He’s your Lord and Master.
He died for your sins so you could
Live with Him today.
He has a plan for your life and
He gives purpose and direction.
He gives meaning to your life,
So follow Him today.
“I love you so much I gave My life for
You to walk in My ways,
Living for Me each day as you
Bow to Me and pray.
Witness for Me of your love for Me and
Of My grace and mercy,
How I died to save you of your
Sins now and always.”
No comments:
Post a Comment