The Danger of Professional Familiarity
edit. The teachings of Christ are not ours to improve. They are a sacred trust, delivered once for all to the saints.
To be nourished in doctrine is to be mastered by doctrine before attempting to master it for others. The steward sits under the Word before he stands to deliver the Word. He allows the Scriptures to confront his pride, to expose his sin, to comfort his sorrows, and to direct his steps. Only then can he say with integrity to his hearers, "This Word is life to me, and it will be life to you." The authority of preaching does not flow from the volume of the voice but from the veracity of the life that has been nourished in the truth. Congregations do not primarily need innovators. They need stewards who have been with God and have been fed by His Word. They need to hear from a man who has heard from God, not merely about God.
The Danger of Professional Familiarity One of the great hazards for those who handle doctrine vocationally is professional familiarity. The more we study the text for others, the more we are at risk of not studying it for ourselves. Bibles become textbooks. Prayer becomes sermon preparation. The worship of God becomes aworkshop on worship. The steward must guard against this drift. The way to guard is to remain a student. Paul told Timothy, "continue thou in the things which thou hast learned." Learning is not a season that precedes ministry.