New Year, Same Duty: Three Truths of Scripture to Anchor Your Year
(Originally sent out as an article under Eagles' Simply Proclaim) What’s new this “New Year”? 2017 is three weeks old as I write, and for some of us, it may be a year when we seek new opportunities in our work. Others might find it the “same old, same old.” Many of us are entering the new year full of uncertainty, and preachers and teachers are no difference. Will we be as passionate as we were when we first rose up and proclaimed the Word? In times like these, preaching the Word of God is needed more than ever. Here’s why: It is directly commanded by the Scriptures The call to proclaim the Word is a direct command from Scripture. When Paul exhorted Timothy to “proclaim the Word” (2 Timothy 4:2), this same command also applies to those placed at the pulpit or in a public teaching setting. Louw and Nida, in the lexicon that now bears their name, pointed out that to proclaim is to “publicly announce religious truths and principles while urging acceptance and compliance.” [1] J