The Perks of Preaching
By Louis Rushmore
Introduction
The word perks means payoffs. Synonyms include:
boon, advantage, bonus, reward, prerogative, privilege, vantage and
accommodation. The word preaching encompasses spiritual
leadership, ministry, exhortation, to sermonize, to evangelize, to moralize,
to teach and to lecture. Biblical preaching conveys a
message from God to mankind in expressions that both fairly represent God
and are intelligible to mortals. One of the most concise and descriptive
definitions of biblical preaching occurs in Nehemiah 8:4-8.
“And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of
wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah,
and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right
hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum,
and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the
book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;)
and when he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed
the Lord, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with
lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the
Lord with their faces to the ground. Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah,
Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad,
Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the
law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in
the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them
to understand the reading.” (Emphasis added, ler.)
Verse Eight in the above passage essentially summarizes what
good, biblical preaching has always been and is today. “So they read
in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused
them to understand the reading.” Aside from the obvious importance
of preaching as a communication from God to mankind, preaching affords
singular terrestrial and celestial perks for the preacher
of God’s Word.
Terrestrial Perks
Some of the perks of preaching accrue in this life.
First, the preacher (and to a lesser degree, his family) is somewhat insulated
from the barbarities often common in the workplace. I have had both
full-time and part-time ministries. The former is frequently aloof
from the social interactions with worldly and sometimes immoral or profane
people, among whom most of the brethren in the pews work daily. The
full-time preacher’s life is consumed in spiritual service apart from many
of the sinful distractions that regularly buffet the rest of the congregation.
It is, therefore, easier for such a preacher to be more of what God wants
him and all Christians to be. From personal experience under circumstances
in which I labored in the world to support my family and me as we labored
for the Lord, I empathize with brethren in the pews. I know firsthand
how difficult daily life can be to the faithful practice of primitive Christianity.
Every full-time preacher should appreciate this perk and sympathize with
the rest of his brethren.
Second, akin to the former perk, preaching permits
the preacher to develop a closer relationship with God. Less of the
preacher’s life is occupied with the mundane matters of making a living.
He, therefore, may and should invest more of his time in both the study
of God’s Word and the execution of Christian service. The preacher’s
life from the beginning to the end of each day is heavily punctuated with
spiritual thoughts, prayers, study and activity. All this results
in the refinement of the preacher’s communion with God. Outstanding
preachers who developed superior relationships with God and about whom
we can read in the Bible include Noah (1 Peter 2:5) and Elijah (2 Kings
2:11; ).
Third, fully supported preachers may and should also realize
the benefit from their release from making a living, whereby they have
a greater responsibility in Christian service. Every child of God
is obligated to practice Christian living and Christian service.
Greater free time and often greater abilities or heightened skills and
training place a greater responsibility on preachers than on other members
of the Lord’s church. All of God’s people must be periodically reminded
of their Christian responsibilities. Further, Christians must not
be allowed to imagine that only the preacher has responsibilities in Christian
service or that the congregation has hired the preacher to do its work.
Still, greater opportunities for the full-time preacher equate to greater
responsibilities. Opportunities for greater service should be viewed
as a perk of preaching rather than as merely perhaps an undesirable
consequence of preaching.
Fourth, preachers enjoy the perk of personal gratification.
There is a degree of contentment and satisfaction from knowing that we
have faithfully served in the corps of God’s workers. One’s labors
for Christ do not always bear visible fruit, nevertheless our labors are
not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58). However, sometimes
the preacher’s investment of himself fully in the work of the Lord does
produce discernible success. Any time a preacher participates in
spiritual instruction that results in the redemption of a lost soul, he
rejoices with the angels in heaven (Luke 15:10; Acts 8:12). The apostle
Paul summarized his life of constant service to Christ to include the acknowledgment
that a crown of life awaited him (2 Timothy 4:6-8).
Celestial Perks
Some of the perks of preaching accumulate and are subject
to enjoyment in the future, eternal, heavenly realm. First, the crown
of life that Paul mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:8 represents more than personal
satisfaction in this life. The crown of life that Paul anticipated
was the calculated result of devoting himself as a Christian and especially
as a preacher in the service of God. Apparently, a degree of eternal
reward is commensurate with the degree of success one has enjoyed in Christian
service while on earth (1 Corinthians 3:11-15; Philippians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians
2:19).
Second, the celestial perks of preaching transform the
souls themselves who are favorably affected by the preaching of the Gospel
to them. Not only preachers who delight in the souls that they lead
to salvation, but the souls who are saved as a result of the effort of
God’s preachers likewise rejoice (Acts 8:39). Truly, in a figure,
“. . . How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15).
Conclusion
Evidently, the apostle Paul, about whom and by whom much
is written in the New Testament, greatly valued the perks of preaching.
No persecution or deprivation was too great to embrace if it allowed him
to preach the Gospel of Christ. He suffered greatly throughout the
years of his ministry, all of which suffering was comparatively insignificant
to what Paul considered the perks of preaching (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).
“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
Further, the apostle considered the forfeiture of what he otherwise would
hold dear in life as a little thing in view of his Christian service (Philippians
3:4-8).
“But what things were gain to me, those I counted
loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for
the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have
suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may
win Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).
Preachers, sometimes the pay may not be much, but the retirement
is out of this world!
“For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing
to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach
not the gospel! For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward:
but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto
me” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17).
|