Preaching Is A Way Of Life

If we go to the Book of 2 Timothy, Chapter 4 and I am going to read verse 2:
The Lord says: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season to convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”
I want to say to you that preaching is not just about talking.
It is not just about standing in the pulpit on Sunday morning.
No, preaching is a lifestyle.
We have to walk the talk.
We cannot just spout it off and then not follow up.
We have got to live our faith and not just talk about it.
You know, I remember an old friend - he has gone to be with The Lord now - he said to me, ”Angus, I can’t go down the well with you anymore but I can stand on the top and I can hold onto the rope.”
And you know, we can’t do this work alone.
We need each other.
There are so many people that when we get to Heaven, we are going to get a huge surprise.
We have never seen them on the platform.
We have never seen them in the pulpit, but they have probably done more work than any preacher has ever done because of their lifestyle and because of the way in which they live.

An old farmer said to me once when I was preaching down in the Eastern Cape, he said to me, “My boy,” he said, “speak so that we can see you.”
And I thought, “What did he mean by that?”
He meant you have got to preach what you live.
You have got to preach what you believe.
And that is what changes peoples’ outlook
I looked up the Oxford Dictionary to find out the literal word, and what it meant – “preaching.’
And this is what it said, “Preaching is to publically (Publically! Not secretly) proclaim a message.
It means to earnestly advocate a principle.
It means to give moral advice.
Preaching is a way of life.
We have got to do it now, especially when things are so open and everyone is asking questions about the future.
What does the future hold?
This is our opportunity to tell people about Jesus Christ and to tell people that we will make it if we put our trust in Him.
Just in closing, I remember the first time I ever preached a message.
I was in the back of the vestry praying and some old gentlemen had laid their hands on me and were praying for me. I was so nervous.
There were about forty people waiting to hear the gospel.
I was petrified.
One old man put his hands on me and said, “Son, get in there and do it. I have done my bit.”

And I will never forget thinking, “Lord, how can he say that? Done his bit?”
Jesus Christ died for us.
The least we can do is to tell the world about Him.