You Don't Need Any Preacher
People are so spiritually diluted nowadays that they think they can actually be spiritually nourished by simply picking up a Bible and reading it as a 10th grader reads a Shakespearean novel for his English class.
That's not how that works.
Straight up: You don't need any preacher, but you need a preacher.
Paul poses these questions in Romans 10: "...How can they hear without a preacher?" "...how can they preach except they be sent?" This at a very basic level shows 2 things.
Number 1 - You need a preacher in order to hear the word.
Number 2 - This preacher can only be effective if he his sent by God.
1. You need a preacher in order to hear the word.
The Bible is more than just a collection of stories. It is literally God's words as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit it would behoove us to allow the Holy Spirit to help us interpret what we're reading in order to fully understand what God is saying. Now, while we have access to the Holy Spirit and need not a mediator to have access to God (shout out to the big brother Jesus for handling that for us), the Holy Spirit uses preachers to help guide and direct us on the hidden truths of God's word.
Picture this. I have a bucket full of water, an empty plastic water bottle, and a funnel. The goal is to get the water from the bucket into the bottle. Now, I could just take the bucket and just start pouring the water into the bottle. However, this would make a mess. It would take much longer to fill the bottle..and I'm not even sure if the water would actually make it into the bottle. In fact, I can picture the heaviness of the water completely washing away the bottle. Now, if I take the funnel, put it in the bottle...and then pour the water through the funnel, I can more effectively ensure that the bottle is actually catching the water. The water will most likely fill quicker than just pouring without the funnel...AND because I'm using the funnel, I can properly gauge how much I should be pouring.
In this illustration, we are the bottles, the water is the word of God, and the funnel is the preacher. In order to be filled (or properly fill our bottles), we need the direction of God-sent preachers (that funnel). Of course we have access to God directly, but that funnel acts as not only a mechanism to get the water into the funnel, but it also serves as a guide and a gauge for how we receive the water.
Notice, the bottle is not being filled with the funnel...that just wouldn't make sense would it? That's why it's important to never mistake your leader for God...and in the same breath that is why it's important to have EFFECTIVE spiritual leadership.
2. You need a preacher that is sent by God.
Let's be honest. In today's culture, there are people who can quote 2 scriptures that relatively relate to one another and/or know 3 bible stories and think they're called to preach.
Listen...
Preachers aren't just people who can quote scriptures. Preachers are those who expound on the word of God, those who unveil the hidden truths of the word of God. They are those who are consistently in the face of God, those who do not merely "know" the scripture, but those who have spent enough time with God that they can EFFECTIVELY explain the "in between the lines"...you know...the spirit of the scripture.
...the spirit of the scripture.
That's what sets a preacher apart from a regular-shemegular Bible Class professor. God uses them to effectively deliver the spirit of the word.
Paul in 1 Timothy encourages us to RIGHTLY divide the word of truth. The English Standard Version says rightly "handle" the word of truth.
Go back to our water illustration. Imagine if the funnel was defective to the point of no functional usage. Imagine if there were holes on the sides of the funnel. Imagine if the funnel was too wide or too narrow. I mean, the funnel would be practically useless at that point, basically creating the same issues that not using the funnel creates.
That said, there are so many people in the world who are self-proclaimed, not God sent, preachers who have so many extra holes, are too wide, and/or too narrow. You've heard them. They take scriptures out of context and call themselves preaching to the masses. Child, that is helping NO ONE. In fact, I would go as far as to say they're hurting people's walk with Christ wayyyyyy more than they're helping. There's nothing harder than pulling someone out of old religious doctrine that they learned from someone who just plainly got it wrong.
Period.
Ultimately, when it's all said and done, God's use of preachers is there for a reason. Don't look over it. It's not an ancient method, practice, or ritual. It's not something to take lightly. It's not a role you just step in to. It's a necessary medium for hearing God effectuated by a specifically God-chosen vessel. While, we are encouraged to read our Bibles and study to show OURselves approved, please don't forget the importance of adhering to preachers and submitting to spiritual leadership.
Side note: Submitting to spiritual leadership is not about someone being more powerful than you. It's not about someone being "better" than you. It's about God being able to properly get you connected so that he can pour into you. Without that funnel that was specifically made for you (spiritual leader), it'll be mighty hard to get the completeness of what God is trying to give.
Now, what does submitting to spiritual leadership look like?
I think it depends...
...and I also think that's a whole other blog...lol.
(...also let me just acknowledge that "preacher" and "spiritual leader" aren't necessarily interchangeable. There's a major difference between a pastor and a preacher. Preachers preach, but pastors cultivate...a much deeper commitment to and a much different responsibility for the souls of people.)
That's not how that works.
Straight up: You don't need any preacher, but you need a preacher.
Paul poses these questions in Romans 10: "...How can they hear without a preacher?" "...how can they preach except they be sent?" This at a very basic level shows 2 things.
Number 1 - You need a preacher in order to hear the word.
Number 2 - This preacher can only be effective if he his sent by God.
1. You need a preacher in order to hear the word.
The Bible is more than just a collection of stories. It is literally God's words as inspired by the Holy Spirit. Because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit it would behoove us to allow the Holy Spirit to help us interpret what we're reading in order to fully understand what God is saying. Now, while we have access to the Holy Spirit and need not a mediator to have access to God (shout out to the big brother Jesus for handling that for us), the Holy Spirit uses preachers to help guide and direct us on the hidden truths of God's word.
Picture this. I have a bucket full of water, an empty plastic water bottle, and a funnel. The goal is to get the water from the bucket into the bottle. Now, I could just take the bucket and just start pouring the water into the bottle. However, this would make a mess. It would take much longer to fill the bottle..and I'm not even sure if the water would actually make it into the bottle. In fact, I can picture the heaviness of the water completely washing away the bottle. Now, if I take the funnel, put it in the bottle...and then pour the water through the funnel, I can more effectively ensure that the bottle is actually catching the water. The water will most likely fill quicker than just pouring without the funnel...AND because I'm using the funnel, I can properly gauge how much I should be pouring.
In this illustration, we are the bottles, the water is the word of God, and the funnel is the preacher. In order to be filled (or properly fill our bottles), we need the direction of God-sent preachers (that funnel). Of course we have access to God directly, but that funnel acts as not only a mechanism to get the water into the funnel, but it also serves as a guide and a gauge for how we receive the water.
Notice, the bottle is not being filled with the funnel...that just wouldn't make sense would it? That's why it's important to never mistake your leader for God...and in the same breath that is why it's important to have EFFECTIVE spiritual leadership.
2. You need a preacher that is sent by God.
Let's be honest. In today's culture, there are people who can quote 2 scriptures that relatively relate to one another and/or know 3 bible stories and think they're called to preach.
Listen...
Preachers aren't just people who can quote scriptures. Preachers are those who expound on the word of God, those who unveil the hidden truths of the word of God. They are those who are consistently in the face of God, those who do not merely "know" the scripture, but those who have spent enough time with God that they can EFFECTIVELY explain the "in between the lines"...you know...the spirit of the scripture.
...the spirit of the scripture.
That's what sets a preacher apart from a regular-shemegular Bible Class professor. God uses them to effectively deliver the spirit of the word.
Paul in 1 Timothy encourages us to RIGHTLY divide the word of truth. The English Standard Version says rightly "handle" the word of truth.
Go back to our water illustration. Imagine if the funnel was defective to the point of no functional usage. Imagine if there were holes on the sides of the funnel. Imagine if the funnel was too wide or too narrow. I mean, the funnel would be practically useless at that point, basically creating the same issues that not using the funnel creates.
That said, there are so many people in the world who are self-proclaimed, not God sent, preachers who have so many extra holes, are too wide, and/or too narrow. You've heard them. They take scriptures out of context and call themselves preaching to the masses. Child, that is helping NO ONE. In fact, I would go as far as to say they're hurting people's walk with Christ wayyyyyy more than they're helping. There's nothing harder than pulling someone out of old religious doctrine that they learned from someone who just plainly got it wrong.
Period.
Ultimately, when it's all said and done, God's use of preachers is there for a reason. Don't look over it. It's not an ancient method, practice, or ritual. It's not something to take lightly. It's not a role you just step in to. It's a necessary medium for hearing God effectuated by a specifically God-chosen vessel. While, we are encouraged to read our Bibles and study to show OURselves approved, please don't forget the importance of adhering to preachers and submitting to spiritual leadership.
Side note: Submitting to spiritual leadership is not about someone being more powerful than you. It's not about someone being "better" than you. It's about God being able to properly get you connected so that he can pour into you. Without that funnel that was specifically made for you (spiritual leader), it'll be mighty hard to get the completeness of what God is trying to give.
Now, what does submitting to spiritual leadership look like?
I think it depends...
...and I also think that's a whole other blog...lol.
(...also let me just acknowledge that "preacher" and "spiritual leader" aren't necessarily interchangeable. There's a major difference between a pastor and a preacher. Preachers preach, but pastors cultivate...a much deeper commitment to and a much different responsibility for the souls of people.)
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