Entrusted With The Gospel

Pastors have been called to shepherd the Lord’s church (Mt 16:18). They are to feed “the flock of God” (1 Pet 5:2); by teaching, nurturing, and protecting the assembly (Eph 4:11). They were entrusted “with the gospel,” which is a great responsibility. Because it is the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins, “that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor 15:4). He is the Saviour to those who would receive Him by faith (Jn 5:24). Preachers cannot resort to manipulation or devious means to please and entice people, as some who “would pervert the gospel of Christ” (Gal 1:7).

 They must never seek the approval of men over the approval of God (Gal 1:10). Because, pleasing people will always lead to compromise by losing focus on God’s purpose (Mt 14:30). The “cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things” (Mk 4:19), can easily fill our hearts and minds with distractions (Prov 27:7). Sadly, an increasing number of churches today are moving toward worldly compromise (Mt 6:24), and following the pragmatic philosophy. It results in a lack of soulwinning, lowering of biblical standards, and allowing worldly music to replace sacred hymns. This infiltration leads many churches into apostasy (1 Tim 4:1), and away from “sound doctrine” (Titus 1:9).

They use expressions such as: empower, next level, paradigm shift, outside the box, think tank, etc. We don’t need to reword or revise what God says. He simply wants us to convey what He says clearly, so it can be understood plainly (Prov 8:8). Preachers, we must obey God’s command to just “preach the word” (2 Tim 4:2)! We should neither be a pragmatist nor a politician. We must strive to remain faithful and strong (1 Cor 4:2), so that the next generation of preachers would follow the same path! God bless you!

- Pastor Melito Barrera