With the new year comes the perennial preacher problem: what should I focus on this year? I know quite a few preachers who resist developing an annual theme for their preaching, teaching, and writing, expecting to respond to the needs of their congregation as they arise or to follow the traditional seasons of the church at large. While there’s nothing wrong with that, in and of itself, I find myself distracted by the calendar and seasonal itches that are too easy to scratch, of which Paul warned Timothy when he wrote:
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. (2 Timothy 4:3)
Honestly, it’s a lot easier to preach about a topic that it seems people might expect to hear than to identify the needs we might have as the church and persuade people to respond appropriately, especially when the needed response might not be easy or wanted.
What were Paul’s instructions to Timothy to address that concern? He wrote, “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:5). How do I understand that? Paul is telling me to think it through because it’s not easy, but it’s all about the gospel, so keep that focus. When Paul told Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist,” he meant that Timothy must be a messenger of the gospel, the Good News of new life through Jesus. This is one of the primary reasons why many who serve church bodies that seek to follow the example of the early church as recorded in the Bible prefer to be called preacher or evangelist instead of pastor, which is the role of the elders in the church.
While there is no doubt that proclaiming the Good News is the responsibility of every disciple of Jesus, which Jesus made clear in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16), it is the duty of the preacher or evangelist to do that work thoughtfully in all circumstances. However, a lot of folks look at their circumstances – the troubles of everyday life, the temptations that come from within us and from the world – and expect the preacher to break down the Scriptures to find the “bullet points” of application – “3 Ways to Overcome Addiction,” “5 Tips for Being a Better [Dad/husband, Mom/wife, Christian, etc.] – so that our everyday lives might be better, if not easier. Unfortunately, life on this side of eternity, even life in Christ isn’t easy, and even the best messages full of tips and tricks from the Bible can’t make it so.
Still, the gospel is Good News. That’s what the word means, literally, so an evangelist is someone who communicates the gospel and evangelism is the work of sharing the Good News. Does the gospel change our lives? Absolutely! The gospel is all about new life through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection; that’s why it is Good News. Paul reminded Timothy and the early church of this when he wrote:
He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Timothy 1:9-10)
As I consider what to preach, teach, and write in this new year, I pledge to focus on the Good News of new life, gospel life. As we enter 2025 together, let us all pledge to focus on the gospel, in our everyday lives and as the church. Happy New Year!