“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:1,2)
These words from Paul to Timothy can easily be applied to pastors and preachers, and rightly so. Every pastor has the duty to preach the word of God. But in reality these words are not just for preachers, they are meant for every Christian. Every one of us is to be so committed to the word of God and its proclamation that it becomes the centre point of the body of Christ.
Think of the two motivations for proclaiming the word of God in verse 1. First, we are to preach the word because we live in the “presence of God and of Christ Jesus”. While it is a joyful reality to live with God and experience his grace, love and mercy through faith in Jesus Christ, it is also an awesome reality. We need to realize that as Christians we live in the presence of the all-powerful, all-knowing God of the universe. And because we are in his presence we can’t just proclaim any word, we can’t just say anything; we must speak his word.
The prophet Jeremiah understood this when he said, “But if I say, I will not mention his word or speak any more in his name. His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in, indeed, I cannot.” (Jeremiah 20:9) Just as Jeremiah felt the pull to proclaim God’s word, so we too must speak the truth of the word. We live in the presence of God, and as a witness in a court of law is charged with stating the truth before the State, so must we.
The second reason we are given to preach the word is that Christ Jesus is coming again. He will judge the living and the dead and he will come a second time fully consummating his kingdom. Of course, in one sense, God’s kingdom (his rule and authority) has already arrived in the heart of every believer who trusts in Jesus Christ. But on the other hand, his kingdom is not quite here for there will be a day when “every knee will bow on heaven and earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” (Philippians 2:10,11)
We cannot speak any other word in light of such a truth. There are millions of people who do not know the truth of Jesus Christ and they will stand before the judge of the living and the dead and will go to an eternal death because they don’t know the Saviour of their soul. How horrible! How terrible! What a responsibility is ours to proclaim the truth of the written word as it reveals the truth of the living word.
So how is it with you? Are you faithfully relating the word of God to those around you? Do you know that you live in the presence of God and he calls you to faithfully communicate his truth in whatever situation you find yourself in (“in season and out of season”)? Do you realize that you have been given the charge to preach the word in view of “Christ’s appearing and his kingdom”?
May God find us faithful,
Pastor Tom.