The Preacher Man

“For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but He that judgeth me is the Lord.”  I Corinthians 4:4

The Apostle Paul was writing to those at Corinth who were comparing preachers of the gospel as if these ministers were in competition with one another.  He wanted to settle the matter so that folks would understand that he and all other preachers of the gospel were servants, first, of the Lord, because He is the Master, and secondly, servants of those to whom they were responsible to preach the word.  The believers were arguing with each other as to which one of them had the “best” preacher.  Paul didn’t concern himself with making a name for himself.  He wasn’t concerned about what people said about him or said about his preaching.  He felt that he was preaching and practicing exactly what the Lord told him.  He knew that it was what the Lord thought about him and not what the people in his sphere of influence thought.

Fast forward to today.  It seems as though some preachers, particularly television preachers, are in competition with one another:  who has the biggest church, who takes in the most in offerings, or who has the newest and most modern jet airplane.  I don’t think that a pastor should have to “scrape” by to make a living.  He works hard, is on call 24 hours a day, and gives up time with his own family to care for his flock.  He should receive enough to provide a comfortable living for his family.  But what about those who become multi-millionaires on the backs of their congregations?  I wonder what Paul, the tentmaker, would say about that.

I heard an analogy on the radio years ago which described three types of preachers.  The first was a preacher who stood up on a mountain preaching to the people down below who were caught in the muck and mire of life.  The second preacher was on the bank of the muck and mire reaching down to help the people out of their desperate situation.  The third preacher was down in the muck and mire with the people trying to lift them out.  Which one of these preachers would identify more closely with his congregation?  Which one exhibits the pattern of Christ?

Jesus received a lot of criticism from the religious leaders because He chose to “hang out” with the common folks, even sinners.  Jesus said that He came to call sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13), and how could He do that if He chose to avoid them?  If we choose to only “hang out” with those who are just like us, then how can we affect any change in a world that is in dire need of the good news of Jesus Christ?