Portrait of a Preacher

Portrait of a Preacher

"How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things" (Rom. 10:15). Such words may be strange to our ears, but God views preachers as "beautiful." If I were an artist attempting to paint a picture of a faithful proclaimer of God's word, I would study the lives of great men of God from the Bible. Then I would draw a composite of all of them.

Like Jesus, a preacher must be busy doing the Father's will (John 6:18). He must see his mission and purpose as seeking and saving the lost (Lk. 19:10). This is the essence of his work and without it nothing else maters. From Christ we would want our portrait to reflect a life that is "holy, guileless, undefiled, and separate from sinners..." (Heb. 7:26).

Our man should have characteristics of Isaiah. He saw Jehovah in his majestic glory (Is. 6:1-4). He felt keenly his own unworthiness. He readily volunteered himself for God's service (Is. 6:8). Isaiah boldly proclaimed heaven's message to the leaders of his society (Is. 1:10).

Attributes of Moses should be found in every man of God. He lead God's people till his life ended (Deut. 34:7). He honored the Lord's law completely and always. Moses interceded with strong prayers for the erring nation and saved them from destruction (Num.14:19-20).

From Jeremiah we glean two vital points. He was a preacher who could weep for his nation (Jer. 9:1). He found no joy in condemning their sins! He was a man of great compassion and sympathy for a lost and dying people. He chose to stay with the battered remnant than to enjoy the favor of a pagan court (Jer. 39:11-14).

Ezekiel offers some important ingredients for our portrait. He was a hard-headed preacher who refused to compromise his message before a stubborn, rebellious nation (Ezek. 3:7-9). Ezekiel knew how to visualize his message. Most of his sermons were acted out or illustrated with visual aids. Needless to say he made a lasting impression on his hearers.

Daniel was a praying preacher (Dan. 6:10). This no preacher can do without. His only fault was his loyalty to God and the law (Dan. 6:5).

Michiah cannot be neglected in our sketch. He was a fearless man who refused to alter his message for the mighty, even when threatened with imprisonment (I Kings 22:13-14).

From John the apostle we draw the example o a loving preacher. From being the son of Boanerges, he became the disciple Jesus loved (John 21:20). He exhorted his fellow Christians to love not just in word, "but in deed and truth" (I John 3:18).

In Barnabas we see an exhorting, encouraging preacher (Acts 4:36). He was helpful, being willing to lend a hand to his brethren (Acts 9:26-27). Barnabas was willing to go the second mile with a weaker brother and give him yet another chance (Acts 15:36-39).

No portrait would be complete if we left out Paul. He was a missionary preacher. He was a literary man who wrote at least 13 of our 27 New Testament books. Paul was a determined man willing to pay any price to achieve his goal (Rom. 15:19b-20). He pressed on even when his life was endangered (Acts 14:19-20). Yet he was a humble preacher, viewing himself as the least of all the apostles (I Cor. 15:9).

We must include Antipas in our portrait. He was a faithful witness who was martyred for the faith of Jesus (Rev. 2:13).

Last we would draw a point or two from Noah the preacher of righteousness (II Pet. 2:5). He would not accept failure. For 120 years he continued faithfully at his post, refusing to quit. He endured the shame and ridicule of his pagan peers. Noah saved his family!

To every young preacher I offer this portrait, imperfect as my sketch may be. As you carefully study the lives of these and other great men of God you will learn the meaning of "preach the word;" "do the work of an evangelist;" "fulfill thy ministry" (II Tim. 4:2-5). May we imitate their faith (Heb. 13:7).

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