Throughout human history, the need for proclaimers of God’s Word has been acute. God frequently commissioned individuals to do His bidding by conveying His Word to people. Some were reluctant to do so—like Moses and Jonah (Ex. 3:11ff.; Jonah 1:3). Others were willing, valiant, and courageous in their compliance—like Amos and Micaiah (Amos 7:14ff.; 2 Kgs. 22:14). Until the end of time on Earth, the pressing need for preachers will continue unabated.

Indeed, though God is omnipotent, and though He still works today via His providence to achieve His purposes without the help of puny man, nevertheless, He has posited His message of salvation into “earthen vessels” (2 Cor. 4:7). He so arranged the grand scheme of redemption that the Gospel must be promulgated by human beings—initially via the apostles (Rom. 10:14ff.), and since that time through uninspired evangelists and preachers (2 Tim. 2:2). No wonder Jesus told Saul on the road to Damascus to “arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do” (Acts 22:10). No wonder the angel told Cornelius to “send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved” (Acts 11:13-14). God consistently used mere humans to articulate the gospel message to people.

Of course, these initial proclaimers of the Gospel were provided with the appropriate words directly (e.g., John 14:26; Mark 13:11). God no longer acts in this manner. So for preachers today, preparation is critical—an absolute necessity. The less preparation a preacher has, the more apt he is to create confusion and division in the church. What a tragedy that some men seek to become preachers for the plain reason that they can’t seem to succeed at anything else! They labor under the misconception that maybe by becoming a preacher they will have an easier life with less effort. How unfortunate! Are there such men in our pulpits? Certainly! May their number dwindle. There is no shortcut to preparing to preach the Gospel. For one to think that he can presume to speak for God without thoroughly acquainting himself with God’s Word and being meticulously accurate in his preaching is a great travesty (cf. Job 13:7). A preacher ought to exercise far more caution and care in his preaching than either the brain surgeon or the cardiologist display in their work.