EVERY BELIEVER IS A MINISTER, EVERY BELIEVER IS A PREACHER.

Last Tuesday night, as our Community Ministry team was getting ready to prepare for service, Teresa asked me to give a short devotional. I started by asking volunteers how many consider themselves preachers. They looked at each other, and then looked at me, knowing that pastor is again up to something.

Now, last Saturday at the vespers after baptismal service we focused on the “Spiritual Gifts of Charismatic Believers, and discovered that there is no spiritual gift of “preaching” listed in the New Testament!

Interesting fact is that the word translated into English as “preach” comes from different words that have nothing to do with our contemporary misconception of preaching! In Hebrew version of Isaiah 61:1 “preach” comes from Hebrew word many recognize “basar”- the market place, where news is published, advertisement is displayed, things are “fleshed” out, it is incarnational communication.

Another more common Hebrew roots was “qara” – meaning to invite people by calling, reading, summoning, talking to, even crying. In Greek it gets even more common – “diaggello”! That’s right – dialogue! To get the message through dialogue. Then there is common word “laleo”, simply meaning “to speak.” Of course there is a popular word “keruso” meaning to publish. And one more notable word is “evaggelizo” – to tell the good news.

SO, how many of you had a dialogue in your life with somebody? Have you written something for publication? What about just talking loud, like at the bazaar, just yapping loud at the mall? Have you invited someone somewhere? Have told someone a good news? Do you speak? Guess what: you preach! You are a preacher! E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E!!!

All the spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of preaching! Every believer is to preach! It is a huge misconception that preachers are pastors! Anyone who conveys a message to another person is a preacher. The Kingdom of God is to be preached For All By All!

Matthew records words of Jesus (10:27) “What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs.” Have you heard truth in the church? Have you heard a revelation in your dream, or in your private devotional? You are to tell it loud!

As we are gearing to our first Evangelistic effort in April, I invite you to embrace this simple truth – you are a preacher. Every dialogue you are to have with a friend, co-worker, neighbour – is to invite them to Jesus, to the event where we will share the Message. Invite, e-mail, call, cry if you need to, paint a poster (no graffiti!), use all means of communication, and preach “Come to Jesus and live!”

I am going to preach as I know. You preach as you know. Each one reach one. Together we tell London that Jesus is coming soon.

Welcome to the calling of preaching!