The Word of God
with Pastor Troy Warner
Hey brothers, I’m glad to be able to take a minute and talk to you about the importance of the Word of God.
Teach the Bible, not just from it
I know when we think of ourselves as a movement in Calvary Chapel, the Word of God is important—teaching through the Word. I can still remember hearing Pastor Chuck say, “We don’t teach from the Bible, we teach the Bible.” And his heart and our heart, and I know it’s your heart as well, is that we’re going to give people the Word of God.
As you do that, I want to encourage you that the Lord is going to use that for His purposes. He’s going to use it to:
- Strengthen the church
- Correct the church
- Build the church up
I’m thankful for those of you who are out there faithfully studying the Word of God and giving that out.
Four Quick Things to Remember When Preparing to Teach the Word
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Teach Being Read Up
As you give yourself to study, read through the Word, pray through the Word, do that which is necessary to be able to rightly divide the word of truth. Ask: What does the Bible say? What does the Lord want to say through that?
- Teach Being Prayed Up I don’t remember who said it, but one individual said he pitied the congregation whose pastor did not labor long in prayer.
May we not only give ourselves to the study of the Word but also spend time in prayer, knowing this message will reach individuals from all walks of life, all different experiences. The Lord knows exactly what they need to hear.
The Word is alive, powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. As messengers, we want to be in tune with what the Lord wants to say so the Word of God will have free course to run into people’s lives.
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Teach Being Filled Up
As you put the message together, stop and pray: Lord, what are those words of encouragement or exhortation that are specific to those walking through the doors?
What illustration might be perfect? The Holy Spirit wants to encourage us. Teaching is a gift, so teach being filled up with the Spirit. -
Teach Being Graced Up
As we teach the Word of God, we want to encourage the body of Christ—not beat them up with the Word.
There’s a time to exhort and correct, but the heart of a pastor needs to come through. We must not let frustration come out in a way that beats up the flock.
We have great examples in our movement of those who teach the Word with the grace of God.
Even when giving strong exhortation, don’t let people be overcome with guilt, shame, and failure. Quickly bring them back to the place of the Lord’s favor and kindness—how He’s going to strengthen them.
Closing Encouragement
As you do this faithfully, give them the Word.
- Teach through each book of the Bible.
- Give them the whole counsel of God.
- Teach them in such a way that they will fall in love with Jesus.
- Teach them in such a way that they would know their Savior is in love with them.
Be faithful in this work, continue on, and press on. Even if you don’t see the results you’d like to see, remember that if you’re giving them the Word, you’re giving them the words of the Lord. Let Him be the one who produces the fruit in their life.
Just be faithful.
God bless you.
