Preach the Word

"Preach the Word"--2 Timothy 4:2

"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction."--2 Timothy 4:2.  This is another one of my favorite passages.  Paul's instructions to Timothy while Timothy was in Ephesus facing discouragement and the temptation to give up.  This was among the last directives Paul would write.  He would not only have written them to Timothy but to us.  The main instruction is to preach the word!

Preach the word.  This passage goes on to tell us that we need to "be ready in season and out of season." We must be ready at ALL times to preach God's word.  To be constantly prepared means to use every opportunity we have to study His Word so that we might be able to preach it, for the lack of a better term, at the drop of a hat.

Preach the word.  We are also told to reprove, rebuke, and exhort with great patience and instruction.  Me and so many others can tell you that preaching the word requires so much patience.  When we preach the word in order to reprove, rebuke, and exhort, we can't always expect people to change overnight. We must exercise patience while continue to instruct.

Preach the word.  Why? Well if you look at the surrounding context in 2 Timothy 3:1-17 and 2 Timothy 4:3-8, Paul tells us that difficult times are going to come where people will be "lovers of self" and "lovers of money" and there will be a time when people will turn away from the truths of God's Word "to have their ears tickled" or listen to simply what makes them feels good, regardless of whether or not it's true.  Lovers of self, lovers of money, ears tickled, does this not sound like the society we live in today???

Preach the word.   This is not an option, it's an obligation for every Christian and especially to those of us that are full time preachers. So brother, sister, in the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:1-2 "I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom; PREACH THE WORD;" (Emphasis added).  PREACH THE WORD! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!