need you input on this statement...

From the aspect of all being called to faithfully proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ it is right on the mark.

It does not mean that all are called to be "preachers, pastors"

 

it would depend on the context, but in a sense we HAVE all been called to preach. If you are talking about simply telling forth the gospel, that is the duty and "calling" of every Christian everywhere.

Of course, not all have been called to make preaching a life's vocation, nor have all been called to the pastorate. But not all preachers are pastors, and many preachers never get a penny for their service.

 

"Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use words." St Francis of Assisi


Or 1 Peter 2:9 even (and others)

 

All are called to preach the gospel but not are to be pastors. There is a variety of gifts which God gives. To preach simply means to proclaim. I personally think too many modern day things are read into what the Bible teaches.

Romans 10:12-15, "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!"

Good shepherds are typically not great evangelists such as those who truly have the giftedness of an evagelist. Also the great evangelists were not very good pastors.

 

Didn't Jesus tell the woman at the well to "go tell what she had seen"?

He told her to go preach, but He did not call her to be a preacher or a pastor.

IMHO, if a man gets behind a pulpit who has not been called to preach, he is teaching, not preaching.

 

And what is the difference between preaching and teaching?

We are all called to proclaim the word of God. Some of us just get to do it behind a pulpit as well.

 

why is there the idea that a man has to have a specific "calling" in order to get behind a pulpit and preach a message? Now Im not talking about being the pastor of a church, espcially as it's been clarified that this is NOT talking about a church. So I'd see absolutely no problem with men preaching in that context. In fact, I have no problem with men preaching in a church service without having a "calling" to make it their life's work. As long as there are people there watching to be sure the doctrine is correct, I see nothing Biblically wrong with it.

 

Preaching is proclamation to an audience. Teaching is essentially interpreting -- taking something difficult to understand and making it understandable.

 

Thank you, Helen.

bapmom: That is why I stated IMHO. It is not set in stone. It is simply that, my opinion.

No one should get behind the pulpit in your church until your pastor ALREADY knows if his doctrine is sound. Once it is uttered, it is too late...

 

So shouldn't preachers be teachers?

 

I say yes. The Apostle is no longer, as is the Prophet. But the Layman Preacher, and Teacher remain, just as does the Pastor. I consider myself a layperson that preaches and teaches. I am not a Pastor. He has not called me to tend a flock, but expects me to spread the gospel He gave to Paul of "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation". It is only in this gospel from Christ Jesus in heaven we first find the "Body Church", and entrance into it. It is by the grace of God through faith we enter, and this is not known until after Damascus Road. In this "Body Church" we find those in this Church look for the "Rapture" to occur before that "Kingdom Church" that was at hand. It will come, but only after we are, dead or alive, bodily caught up to Him.


We see the church has three Pastoral Epistles for this dispensation. I like the quotes below lifted from the late Pastor Stam (Book-Pastoral Epistle) of the Berean Bible Society - Not a church but a purveyor of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. He was also a Pastor of churches.

"1. According to Eph. 4:11 the pastor is one of God's special gifts to the
Church, and Timothy (in I Tim. 6:11) is called "thou ... man of God," a title which
the Apostle surely did not use promiscuously. Some suppose that all believers
are equally called to this ministry, but this is not so. God gave "some" pastors,
not all pastors. The pastor's office, therefore, is a sacred trust and should be
discharged with scrupulous care in the light of the Word, rightly divided, as we
shall see in dealing with the text of the Pastoral Epistles."

"2. It does not follow from this, however, that these epistles should be
reserved for the study of pastors alone. All cannot be pastors, but all should
learn from the pastor, and all should strive to achieve the qualities that are so
strictly required of him in Scripture and which, hopefully, he possesses. This,
indeed is how many "laymen" become pastors."

 

I Am Blessed......I didn't mean to give you the impression that I was arguing with you. I was actually responding more to an idea in another post.......

Of course if a pastor has a man fill his pulpit he needs to know that the man is doctrinally correct. I just meant that there would need to be oversight just like with any other sort of preaching..........

 

I agree. All the believers there may not agree with all the Pastor says, but the Pastor will want one that agrees with Him to preach the Word.
God's WordEphesians 4:11, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"

What His Word says: No more Apostles hand picked by Jesus Christ, or Christ Jesus from heaven, or them to lay hands on to make other Apostles, and no more Prophets. Today we have Preachers, Pastors and Teachers.

My Thoughts: Billy Graham is a Preacher, but not a Pastor. But I believe he becomes a teacher also through his writings. When he is Preaching, he is to expound the Word of God, as he understands it of "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life". If he begins to teach as he evangelizes, he will become ineffective getting bogged down in detail.

The Pastor is also a Preacher and Teacher, with other duties also the Preacher and/or Teacher don't have. I believe the Pastor today is as an Apostle, without Prophecy. We notice Paul is an Apostle, a Prophet, an Evangelist (Preacher), a Pastor and a Teacher.

There are some Pastor's on this board that Preach and some also teach in their understanding. We Laymen/Laywomen here Preach, and sometimes Teach what God has allowed us understand. Some are here learning as we Preach, and Teach, just as are the Pastor's.

 

Honestly? I believe that any good preacher incorporates alot of teaching into every message. So I really don't worry about the whole preach vs. teach thing. They are intertwined in my opinion.

I do wonder though where the idea comes that in order to preach one must be "called." Isn't this sort of like thinking that one has to have a specific "call" in order to witness regularly? There are some who believe that.........

 

Hi bapmom: :wavey:

I did not get the impression that you were arguing with me, just disagreeing and that is certainly allowed. :laugh:

We were all called to witness, i.e. tell others what Jesus has done for us and what He can do for them.

I had a lot of teachers growing up in school, but none of them were preachers. A preacher, by the very nature of his calling, should be both a preacher AND a teacher (there goes my opinion again)...

I taught Sunday School and Children's church for many years. I was a teacher, not a preacher.

Again, this is just MY opinion, but I feel there is a special calling for preachers (as well as preacher's wives, btw).

I also feel that one can be called to be a preacher without being called to be a pastor.

Oh, my! I should have read ituttut's post before I posted. It sounds like I copied his. :godisgood:

 

I think we make far too much of a big deal on this preacher/teacher thing. Perhaps it is simply because of what our English word "preacher" has become in some circles.

We are all told to proclaim (preach) the word of God. I am open to correction, but off the top of my head I can't think of a single Biblical prohibition of a woman preaching.

On the other hand woman are prohibited from teaching men, a pastor is to be apt to teach, one of the offices God gave the church for the equipping of the saints is the pastor/teacher, etc.

Perhaps not in the modern English sense of the word, but in a Biblical sense I think we all need to "Preach the word" everyday, in every place. Everyone one of us is given a ministry of reconciliation, and to fulfill that commission preaching must take place.

For what it's worth, that my €0.02 (thats worth about 3 cents American ).

 

Perhaps II Timothy 1:9 can point in this direction.

 

I believe we all do this on occasion (not copy). Most of mine occur when starting an answer, and I get a call it is time to eat, go somewhere, or whatever, and return either minutes, hours, or sometimes days, then finish what was saved without checking what happened in between.

Nice to see we can agree on occasion.