PREACH THE WORD OF GOD

II Tim. 4:1-2 And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus---who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom. Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

You do not have to be a preacher in order to preach the Word. Each of us have a responsibility to tell others what God says. We are obligated by God to share what we know and to live what we know. God will hold us accountable for our witness, or lack thereof. We talk about what excites us. We want others to know what really matters to us. We are not shy about sharing our opinions on earthly matters. Our failure to talk about our faith and God"s Word is a testimony to how little we really value God and His Word. If we value our relationship with God as we ought, we cannot fail to share it with others. Period.

We need to persistent in our witness. It's not a one-time deal. We easily back off when someone rejects our testimony and don't bring it up again. Instead we ought to be determined to continue to be a witness for Him. We don't know when the heart is ready to hear. We don't know when the time is favorable or not. We are not knowledgeable or wise enough to know when it's "the" right time. Therefore, we must continue to share our faith whenever we have opportunity. Sometimes are more uncomfortable than others, but we should never let our comfort dictate our witness. The readiness of the soul for eternity is of greatest importance in life and our witness may be the turning point for someone. Tell others what God has done for you.  Tell them what God says.

Preach the Word.  Preaching requires preparation. In order to preach well, you must know your material well. Good teaching comes from proper understanding and proper understanding comes from good connections with God and the study of His Word. If we know what we are talking about, we can confidently witness with patience. We can instruct others with a clear understanding of God's directives. We can correct, rebuke, and encourage others with boldness because we know that it is the mind of God and not our own.

I solemnly urge you today to be a preacher, a proclaimer, of God's Word. People you know desperately need to hear about your faith in Christ, our Savior. People desperately need to know about Jesus, our Lord. Who will tell the people in your life if you don't?