"Preacher"

Recently I've had several contacts from people in my High School class from a long, long, long time ago. It's been interesting and fun to catch up. One was very complimentary about the fact that I had been a decent guy and knew I would be in ministry. While that was gratifying, it was sad when they said they had not even known about the Lord until their adult years even though they had attended church during those years. Maybe they weren't open, but obviously I was satisfied to be "a decent guy" and didn't share about the Lord.

"Life-style evangelism" is a "decent" concept, but usually indicates an unwillingness to talk about the Lord. I'm reminded that the Bible says people will NOT know about Him (believe)unless they hear, and they will not hear without a preacher. Of course a "preacher" is not simply one who has a pulpit in a church or on a street corner. A preacher is a proclaimer who speaks the Gospel, which is the power to salvation. Moreover, a "preacher" is not someone who hounds or pounds with the Gospel, but proclaims the whole truth about both the goodness of the Gospel and the requirements of living according to the Gospel.