Proclaimer Blog
Learning about preaching from Paul
Preachers need to always remind themselves of Paul's own view of preaching. Here are five important principles taken from his first letter to Timothy:
3. Preaching requires appropriate gifts but also hard work
The distinctive qualification of the overseer is that he is able to teach (1 Timothy 3:2). Though deacons are required to be capable of holding on to the deep truths of the faith, there is a recognition that without the distinctive gifting of being able to teach they are not able to fulfil the main leadership and preaching role. However, though the overseer/elder needs this gifting, the chief mark which Paul highlights as deserving of respect is that they direct the affairs of the church wisely and work hard, indeed labour, at preaching and teaching (1 Tim 5:17). This is underlined by the quotation from the Old Testament in which the preacher is compared to the ox laboriously treading out the grain (1 Tim 5:18). It may not be a flattering picture for the gifted preacher to be viewed as an ox but the point is that preaching is hard work and deserves all our strength and mental application.
Editor's note: this week's posts are taken from our forthcoming book Teaching 1 Timothy written by Angus MacLeay – it will be available in the summer. We wanted to encourage preachers with a biblical view of preaching as it is found in this important letter.