By Sean Cavender
Synopsis: To be effective in preaching the gospel, a preacher must consider how he lives and what he is teaching.
Paul admonished Timothy to stay away from arguments that would cause division by generating mere speculation (1 Tim. 1:3-4). Instead, Paul encouraged Timothy to be “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine” (1 Tim. 4:6, NASB). While any Christian should follow this advice, this is particularly important for preachers of the gospel if they wish to be a “good servant of Christ Jesus.”
So, Paul tells Timothy that he must discipline himself for godliness (1 Tim. 4:7-8) while remaining committed to his example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity (1 Tim. 4:11-12). The apostle also encouraged Timothy to continue in his reading of the Scripture, exhorting the brethren in faithfulness and teaching the words of sound doctrine (1 Tim. 4:13). Paul said, “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all” (1 Tim. 4:15). Effective reading of Scripture, exhortation, and teaching do not happen by accident. They are purposed and planned, sometimes with eagerness and other times through great pain.
Then, Paul concludes with, “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you (1 Tim. 4:16, NASB).
In this final admonition, Paul emphasizes two critical aspects of any preacher’s ministry and service to the Lord and His people. First, an evangelist must pay attention to himself, his character, his attitude, and his life. It is easy to be caught up in the excitement of teaching and sharing what you have learned from God’s word. When brethren are thankful for your work and diligence, they express their thanksgiving in kindness and humility. They are glad that you have shared what you have learned and helped them learn more about God. Yet, their humility and kindness ought to be reciprocated. Their thanksgiving is not an excuse for puffing out our chests and thinking more of ourselves than we should. Just as our brethren humbly thank us for teaching them, we should humbly accept their thanksgiving. Let us, therefore, pay attention to our attitude and motivation. We must also take great care to examine our life and our character. Sadly, many preachers have destroyed their reputation and effectiveness in God’s kingdom because of inconsistency and hypocrisy in their lives. While preachers will not be perfect and will face the same struggles and temptations as everyone else, preachers must be diligent and keenly aware of those temptations. When and if they sin, they need to make things right quickly and not try to hide those sins.
Secondly, the preacher must pay close attention to what he is teaching. As a gospel preacher, I am obligated to preach sound doctrine (1 Tim. 4:6)—the doctrine of Christ (2 John 9). I must preach Christ. I am not permitted to preach my opinions, nor should I be afraid to take a stand for the truth in the face of error. Preaching is not a time to test new ideas; rather, it is an opportunity to explain accurately what the Scriptures mean (Neh. 8:8). When people have misunderstandings and misconceptions of biblical teaching, it is my job to correct that error in love and with truth from God’s word (Eph. 4:15; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). Upholding truth might mean fewer likes on my Facebook page or fewer views on my YouTube sermons. However, I do not answer to social media platforms; I answer to God concerning what I am teaching. “Pay close attention. . . to your teaching” is what Paul wrote to Timothy. “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Tim. 4:2) is the charge and obligation given to all gospel preachers.
Preachers must be careful with their words. While no one is perfect in what they say, and may misspeak, words express thoughts and concepts, so preachers must be extremely careful with their words (Jas. 3:1-2). Preachers must appreciate the responsibility of getting behind the pulpit and sharing a message from God’s word. When preachers continually misspeak in their teaching, saying things unfounded in God’s word, unwise, or sensational, they have underlying misunderstandings and mistaken concepts.
When preachers pay attention to their teaching, scrutinizing their words and concepts, and find that they misspoke or expressed ideas that generated confusion, then they should apologize and offer clarification. Anyone who has ever stood at a podium to teach or preach God’s word has had to do this at some point. However, when preachers express something unwise or sensational and have been asked for clarification, and they do not apologize or even get angry for needing to offer clarification, it shows a genuine misconception on their part and often reflects their acceptance of concepts that are contrary to the word of God.
Preachers must take heed to themselves and their teaching because we are in the soul-saving business. We want to ensure our salvation and the salvation of those who are listening. When people listen to us, we need to remain humble, and be thankful that there are people genuinely interested in learning more about God’s word. When people scrutinize our teaching and ask questions for clarification’s sake, be happy to offer the necessary clarification. We must do so to help them (1 Tim. 4:16; Acts 17:11)!
Our listeners will examine public preaching and teaching. They will scrutinize our words. They will have questions. The apostle Paul acknowledged that some in Corinth would examine his teaching. Some of the Corinthians probably were angry with his teaching, but he did not chastise them for close examination of what he was saying; Paul stood accountable to God because he took heed to the doctrine (1 Cor. 4:3-4).
When we are questioned, answer the questions, and offer clarification because your responsibility is ultimately not to the questioner but to yourself and God. That is why Paul said that the goal of our instruction was fostering love, developing a pure heart, maintaining a good conscience, and keeping a sincere faith (1 Tim. 1:5). Preachers should live their lives and teach sound doctrine with love, a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
