The Equipping Ministry, Student Workbook, SW15

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T H E E Q U I P P I N G M I N I S T R Y

compulsion to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and his Kingdom as a life shaping vision from the Lord.

• Examples of the divine call are abundant in Scripture, none so dramatic perhaps as the Apostle Paul’s selection as Christ’s chosen instrument to carry his name to the nations. • The Holy Spirit’s movement in the heart and life of the one so called is the crucial evidence of the call, which is usually confirmed in the ministry of the Church. As such, the preaching ministry ought not be viewed as employment, i.e., as a job , but rather an commission from the Lord associated with his gifts, endowments, and direction. • The character of the preacher is an important element in the preaching ministry, especially in the sense that “who we are is more important than what we do.” Since the responsibility of the preacher is to proclaim precisely what God has entrusted to them, the cardinal virtue of preaching is the courage to speak his message without fear or intimidation, and its cardinal vice is cowardice , failing to say what God has entrusted because of fear of others or risk of suffering. • The content of the NT preaching ministry centers upon the person and work of Jesus Christ, especially in the proclamation of the Good News of salvation and life through faith in his name. The apostles proclaimed Jesus of Nazareth as crucified, risen, and ascended as Lord of the earth, the sacrifice made for the sins of the world. They also proclaimed the coming of the “already/not” Kingdom of God, and declared “the whole counsel of God” about the Messiah and the rule of God in him to believers and unbelievers alike.

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I. The Call to the Preaching Ministry

Video Segment 2 Outline

A. The preaching ministry is a call, a particular calling: Romans 10 is the definitive text on the need to receive a call to preach.

Preaching is indispensable to

Christianity. ~ John Stott

Rom. 10.14-17 - But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never