Galatians 1:12 KJV
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
That the Apostle Paul is an exception to the average Christian is, of course, obvious.
His position is so unique that missionaries, evangelists and pastors alike see him as a model
The ministry Paul had passed with the and the other apostles. We do not claim gifts of healings or tongues or extra-biblical revelations today. We could never, in the same manner as Paul could, claim that we were not taught our doctrine but by the Lord Jesus Christ. We have all (who are preachers) been taught:
Who would ever consider a pastor credible who is a novice spiritually? He must at least have a good report among the brethren, which necessitates he has extensive time in church.
But I would be afraid of the preacher who doesn't have some sense that his doctrine was received of the Lord.
Give me a preacher who has studied the Word of God under sound mentors but has also walked with God. Give me a preacher who is disciplined and grounded in his faith through training but who gets alone with God for refinement and identification of his message. Give me a preacher who steps in the pulpit confident that what he is about to deliver comes not from extra biblical revelation, but from the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
That the Apostle Paul is an exception to the average Christian is, of course, obvious.
- He was an apostle
- He was the original missionary (excluding, of course, Jesus who is the ultimate missionary)
- His work in writing the Word of God is unequaled among men.
His position is so unique that missionaries, evangelists and pastors alike see him as a model
The ministry Paul had passed with the and the other apostles. We do not claim gifts of healings or tongues or extra-biblical revelations today. We could never, in the same manner as Paul could, claim that we were not taught our doctrine but by the Lord Jesus Christ. We have all (who are preachers) been taught:
- In church
- In college or
- In some sort of fellowship
Who would ever consider a pastor credible who is a novice spiritually? He must at least have a good report among the brethren, which necessitates he has extensive time in church.
But I would be afraid of the preacher who doesn't have some sense that his doctrine was received of the Lord.
- To have a preacher with no training would be to follow one who is a novice in defiance of the Bible.
- To have a preacher who only mimicked what he had received of men, and had no sense of receiving a message from God, would be to follow an academic whose only knowledge had never made it from his head to his heart.
Give me a preacher who has studied the Word of God under sound mentors but has also walked with God. Give me a preacher who is disciplined and grounded in his faith through training but who gets alone with God for refinement and identification of his message. Give me a preacher who steps in the pulpit confident that what he is about to deliver comes not from extra biblical revelation, but from the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
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