Mar 7, 2019
Welcome to episode 7 of the UnSunday Show. "Preach the word"
were Paul's words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2. This short phrase
presents two concepts that I talk about in this episode by asking
the questions, what is preaching and what are preachers, and what
did he mean by "the word"?
We take what we know in our modern-day pastor-driven model, and
superimpose it back into scripture on passages like this. We assume
that preaching and preachers are a reference to pastors and what
they do because that's what we see all around us. We've been told
the pastor is the preacher and preaching is what's done from behind
the pulpit every Sunday as we're instructed and challenged to live
better lives and get better at this whole Christian thing.
But is that how the New Testament presents preaching, preachers,
and the phrase "the word of God" to us? Is the pastor the preacher,
making preaching on Sundays a biblical requirement or imperative?
Is that what Paul meant when he encouraged Timothy to "Preach the
word" or has that interpretation come to us via church history and
tradition?
Let's talk about it.