Jesus was a "great teacher" sent from God to be a living example of spiritual enlightenment and reconciliation of individuals unto God and unto each other. Individuals, in "professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" (Romans 1:28).
Preaching is teaching, and teaching is example-setting. Hence, preaching is rightly dividing the truth of God and pastoral leaders must be willing to not just preach a sermon, but live the sermon. Every pastoral leader must be willing to become a living example of his own spiritual teachings based upon the principles of God. If pastoral leaders are not willing to live by the words that come forth from their own mouths, they certainly will not live by the Word of God.
Preaching is not a social form of entertainment and verbal oratory. Preaching is spiritual enlightenment based upon the principles of God, because "the man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead" (Proverbs 21:16). This is precisely why Jesus could emphatically declare: "If you do not believe me for what I say, then believe me for my works' sake." The disciples asked Jesus: "What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:28-29).
Preaching is about helping individuals understand John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." After all, "God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17). Moreover, Jesus said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).
Lest we forget, preaching is about spiritually investing in the lives of others. What individuals invest in the lives of others comes back into our own. To be sure, only what we do for God endures. In twenty-first century America, preaching has become "worldly business," not God's soul-saving business. In fact, preaching has become worldly business development, not God's spiritual development business. Selah!
