©2001 Charles Darby
A minister, called by God, is commanded to preach The Word. Preaching should teach and teaching should preach. They are really one and the same. Verse 2 says preach and verse 3 says teach.
God, the Father, will judge the living and the dead by His word. Under all circumstances be instant in season and out of season. A minister should not have off days being self-concerned and self centered. We are to be as Christ who came to minister not be ministered to.
The word taught as it is written will reprove, rebuke and evangelize. Reprove - Rebuke means to find fault with, to convict, to show folk in what way they are wrong. Then offer the way to change through Christ. The word will sometimes wound, but it must at the same time offer healing to the wounded.
Teaching should be with patience and long suffering. Never tell anyone that they are going to hell without doing so with tears of compassion. Remembering always that God loves sinners and that His Son died to save sinners.
A teacher must teach Bible truths, not church doctrine, not psychology, not some pet thing of our own, but rather the truth of God's Word. Only the truth will set free, deliver and heal. Only the truth will stand in the storms of life that come to all of us. All other ground is sinking sand! Will what you believe, and live by, stand when it seems your world is falling apart? The truth of God will!
Most folk, who believe the Bible, know we are living in the last days of this age. Soon the Lord will appear and catch His Bride, the church, to Himself. Then shortly will follow great tribulation on the earth such as the world has never known. It will be the wrath of God poured out on those that remain. I believe that the cup of His wrath is full ready to be poured out. Judgment is just ahead. What should we do? Tell it as it is! Live it as it is!
There are many today that profess they know God. Some are even ministers and teachers. We are not known by what we say only but also by what we do. If anyone says they know Him and are still living in sin not repented of; their works deny Him. I am not talking about those that know what they are doing is sin and want to be delivered but are still struggling. These need God's help and ours.
In the days of Jeremiah, they were not living God's way they were doing things their own way and expecting God to bless them. They heard the Word of God but turned deaf ears to it. They refused to repent. They turned to false prophets who told them God was going to bless them anyway. Their prophets told them you are God's children and He will bless you no matter what you do. He loves you and will not hurt you.
It's sad but many ministers of this day are telling the people the same thing. I have heard them prophesy and tell folk God was going to bless them when at the time they were living in sin they had not repented of. Child of God it will not happen! If there is sin in your life repent and let God take it out of you and give you victory over it.
Israel did not listen to Jeremiah and they went in to captivity for seventy years. We must learn from this. Stop listening to those who tell you every thing is O.K. when in your heart you know it's not. The wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience.
How can you know if it is the Holy Spirit convicting you or the enemy tormenting you? The enemy will always tell you to give up. He will condemn you. The Holy Spirit will never tell you to give up. He will always offer you repentance. He will point you to Jesus as the answer to everything that bothers you.
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Thank you for reading.
