Following Jesus’ model, the disciple-making minister is, to some degree, selective with regard to who he teaches. That may surprise you, but it is true. Jesus often spoke to the multitudes in parables, and He had a reason for doing so: He didn’t want everyone to understand what He was saying. This is clear from Scripture:

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” And He answered and said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (Matt. 13:10-13).

The privilege of understanding Christ’s parables was reserved only for those who had repented and decided to follow Him. Those who turned down the opportunity to repent, resisting God’s will for their lives, were likewise resisted by God. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (see 1 Pet. 5:5).

Similarly, Jesus instructed His followers: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matt. 7:6). Obviously, Jesus was speaking figuratively. He meant, “Don’t give what is valuable to those who don’t appreciate its value.” Pigs don’t realize that pearls are precious, and likewise spiritual pigs don’t value God’s Word when they hear it. If they believed it was actually God’s Word that they were hearing, they would give it their utmost attention and obey it.

How do you know if someone is a spiritual pig? You cast one pearl his way and see what he does with that one pearl. If he disregards it, then you know he is a spiritual pig. If he obeys it, then you know he is not a spiritual pig.

Unfortunately, too many pastors are doing what Jesus told them not to do, continually casting their pearls before pigs, teaching people who are resisting or have rejected God’s Word. Those ministers are wasting their God-given time. They should have shaken the dust off their feet and moved on long ago, just like Jesus commanded.

One question that I’m often asked by pastors around the world is this: “Is it acceptable for Christian women to wear trousers considering that the Bible forbids women from wearing men’s clothing?”

This is good question that we can answer by applying some sound rules of interpretation and through a little cultural context.

First, let’s examine the Bible’s prohibition against women wearing men’s clothing (and visa-versa):

A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God (Deut. 22:5).

We should begin by asking, “What was God’s intention in giving this commandment?” Was His goal to keep women from wearing trousers?

No, that couldn’t have been His intention, because no men in Israel wore trousers when God originally said this. Trousers were not considered to be men’s clothing or anyone’s clothing for that matter. In fact, what men wore in biblical days would seem more like women’s clothing to most of us today! That is a little bit of historical and cultural information that helps us to rightly interpret what God is trying to say.

So what was God’s intention?

We read that whoever wore clothing of the opposite sex was an abomination to the Lord. That sounds quite serious. If a man takes a woman’s scarf and places it on his head for three seconds, does that make him an abomination to God? That seems very doubtful.

It would seem more likely that what God was opposed to was people intentionally dressing so that they would appear to be the opposite sex. Why would anyone want to do such a thing? Only because he or she was hoping to seduce someone of the same sex, a sexual perversion referred to as transvestitism. I think we can understand how that would be considered an abomination to God.

Thus one cannot rightfully conclude that it is wrong for women to wear trousers based on Deuteronomy 22:5, unless she is doing so as a transvestite. As long as she still looks like a woman, she is not sinning by wearing trousers.

Of course, Scripture teaches that women should dress modestly (see 1 Tim. 2:9), and so trousers that are skintight and revealing are inappropriate (as are skintight dresses and skirts) because they could lead men to lust. Much of the clothing that women publicly wear in Western countries is completely inappropriate and is the kind of clothing that only prostitutes wear in developing countries. No Christian woman should publicly wear clothing with the goal of appearing “sexy.”

The fact is, you can’t disciple someone who doesn’t want to be discipled, someone who doesn’t want to obey Jesus. Many churches are full of people just like that, people who are only cultural Christians, many of whom think they are born again just because they have given a mental assent to a few theological facts about Jesus or Christianity. They are pigs and goats, not sheep. Yet many pastors spend 90% of their time trying to keep those pigs and goats happy, while neglecting the ones whom they could help spiritually and should be serving, the true sheep! Pastor, Jesus wants you to feed His sheep, not the goats and the pigs (see John 21:17)!

But how do you know who are the sheep? They are the ones who come to church earliest and leave the latest. They are hungry to learn the truth, because Jesus is their Lord and they want to please Him. They come to church not just on Sundays, but whenever there is a gathering. They get involved in small groups. They often ask questions. They are excited about the Lord. They are looking for opportunities to serve.

Pastor, devote the majority of your time and attention to those people. They are the disciples. To the goats and pigs who attend your church, preach the gospel as long as they can stand it. But if you preach the true gospel, they won’t be able to stand it for long. Either they will leave the church, or if they have the power, they will attempt to remove you from your position. If they succeed, shake the dust off your feet as you leave. (In a house church setting, such a thing cannot happen, especially if your church meets in your house!)

Likewise, evangelists should feel no obligation to continually preach the gospel to the same people who have repeatedly rejected it. Leave the dead to bury the dead (see Luke 9:60). You are an ambassador for Christ, carrying the most important message from the King of kings! Your position is very high in God’s kingdom and your responsibility is great! Don’t waste your time telling anyone the gospel twice until everyone has heard it once.

If you are going to be a disciple-making minister, you should be selective in regard to who you teach, not wasting your valuable time on people who don’t want to obey Jesus. Paul wrote to Timothy,

And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2; emphasis added).

Like Paul, the disciple-making minister has a goal. That goal is to “present every man complete in Christ” (Col. 1:28b). So he, also like Paul, will “admonish every man and teach every man with all wisdom” (Col. 1:28a; emphasis added). Note that Paul didn’t teach only to educate or entertain people.

The disciple-making minister can say with Paul, “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Tim. 1:5). That is, he wants to produce true Christ-likeness and holiness in the lives of the people he serves, which is why he teaches believers to obey all of Christ’s commandments. He teaches the truth, admonishing his hearers to “pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification [holiness] without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14).

The disciple-making minister knows that Jesus commanded His disciples to teach their disciples to obey all, and not just part, of what He had commanded them (see Matt. 28:19-20). He wants to be certain not to neglect teaching anything Christ commanded, and so he regularly teaches verse by verse through the Gospels and the epistles. That is where Jesus’ commandments are recorded and re-emphasized.

This kind of expository teaching also insures that his instruction will remain balanced. When we teach only topical messages, we are more apt to focus on topics that are popular with people and likely to neglect those that are not so popular. The verse-by-verse teacher, however, will not only teach about God’s love, but also about His discipline and wrath. He’ll not only teach about the blessings of being a Christian, but also about the responsibilities. He’ll be less likely to major on minor themes, emphasizing what is less important and neglecting what is most important. (According to Jesus, this was a fault of the Pharisees; see Matt. 23:23-24.)

In this chapter we will consider many aspects of the ministry of teaching. Teaching is the responsibility of apostles, prophets, evangelists,^[1] pastors/elders/overseers, teachers (of course), and to some degree, all followers of Christ, as we are all supposed to be making disciples, teaching our disciples to obey all that Christ commanded.^[2]

As I’ve previously emphasized, the disciple-making pastor or minister teaches first by his example, and second, verbally. He preaches what he practices. The apostle Paul, a very successful disciple-maker, wrote:

Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).

This should be every minister’s goal—to be able to honestly say to those he leads, “Act like me. If you want to know how a follower of Christ lives his life, just watch me.”

By comparison, I can remember telling a former congregation that I pastored, “Don’t follow me…follow Christ!” Although it didn’t occur to me at the time, I was admitting that I was not a good example to follow. In fact, I was actually admitting that I was not following Christ as I should, and then telling everyone else to do what I wasn’t doing! How different this was from what Paul said. In truth, if we can’t tell people to imitate us because we are imitating Christ, we should not be in the ministry, because people use ministers as their role models. The church is a reflection of its leaders.

^[1] There isn’t anything you could do to make God love you any more or less than He does right now.

^[2] There is nothing you could do that would make God stop loving you.

Can a believer forfeit eternal life by sinning? The answer is found in many scriptures, such as the following, which all guarantee that those who practice various sins will not inherit God’s kingdom. If a believer can return to the practice of the sins in the following lists compiled by Paul, then a believer can forfeit ultimate salvation:

Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10, emphasis added).

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21, emphasis added).

For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience (Eph. 5:5-6, emphasis added).

Notice that in every case, Paul was writing to believers, warning them. Twice he warned them to not be deceived, indicating that he was concerned that some believers might think that a person could practice the sins he listed and still inherit God’s kingdom.

Jesus warned His closest disciples, Peter, James, John and Andrew of the possibility of their being cast into hell because of not being ready for His return. Note that the following words were addressed to them (see Mark 13:1-4), and not to a crowd of unbelievers:

Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you [Peter, James, John and Andrew] be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you [Peter, James, John and Andrew] do not think He will.

Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that evil slave says in his heart, “My master is not coming for a long time,” and shall begin to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and shall cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth (Matt. 24:42-51; emphasis added).

The moral of the story? “Peter, James, John and Andrew, don’t be like the unfaithful servant in this parable.”^[1]

To underscore what He just said to His closest disciples, Jesus immediately continued with the Parable of the Ten Virgins. All ten virgins were initially ready for the coming of the bridegroom, but five become unready and were excluded from the wedding feast. Jesus ended the parable with the words, “Be on the alert then [Peter, James, John and Andrew], for you [Peter, James, John and Andrew] do not know the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13). That is, “Don’t be like the five foolish virgins, Peter, James, John and Andrew.” If there were no possibility of Peter, James, John and Andrew not being ready, there would be no need for Jesus to have warned them.

Jesus then immediately told them the Parable of the Talents. It was the same message again. “Don’t be like the one talent slave who had nothing to show for what his master entrusted to him when he returned.” At the end of the parable, the master declared, “Cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 25:30). Jesus could not have made His message clearer. Only a theologian could twist His meaning. There was a danger that Peter, James, John and Andrew could all be cast into hell in the end if they weren’t obedient when Jesus returned. If that possibility existed for Peter, James, John and Andrew, then that possibility exists for all of us. As Jesus promised, only those who do the will of His Father will enter the kingdom of heaven (see Matt. 7:21).^[2]

Those who teach the false doctrine of unconditional eternal security clearly work against Christ and assist Satan, teaching the opposite of what Jesus and the apostles taught. They effectively neutralize Jesus’ commandment to make disciples who will obey all He commanded, blocking the narrow road to heaven, and widening the broad highway to hell.^[3]

^[1] Amazingly, some teachers, who can’t escape the facts that Jesus was warning His closest disciples and that the unfaithful servant clearly represents one who was a believer, say that the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth is a place in the outer fringes of heaven. There, unfaithful believers will supposedly temporarily mourn their loss of rewards until Jesus wipes the tears from their eyes and then welcomes them into heaven!

^[2] Of course, Christians who commit a single sin do not immediately forfeit their salvation. Those who ask forgiveness for their sins are forgiven by God (if they forgive those who sin against them). Those who don’t ask for God’s forgiveness place themselves in the danger of being disciplined by God. Only by hardening their hearts to God’s on-going discipline do believers run the risk of forfeiting their salvation. We will more fully explore the subject of God’s discipline in a later chapter.

^[3] Those who are still not persuaded that a Christian can forfeit his salvation should consider all of the following New Testament passages: Matt. 18:21-35; 24:4-5, 11-13, 23-26, 42-51; 25:1-30; Luke 8:11-15; 11:24-28; 12:42-46; John 6:66-71; 8:31-32, 51; 15:1-6; Acts 11:21-23; 14:21-22; Rom. 6:11-23; 8:12-14, 17; 11:20-22; 1 Cor. 9:23-27; 10:1-21; 11:29-32; 15:1-2; 2 Cor. 1:24; 11:2-4; 12:21-13:5; Gal. 5:1-4; 6:7-9; Phil. 2:12-16; 3:17-4:1; Col. 1:21-23; 2:4-8, 18-19; 1 Thes. 3:1-8; 1 Tim. 1:3-7, 18-20; 4:1-16; 5:5-6, 11-15, 6:9-12, 17-19, 20-21; 2 Tim. 2:11-18; 3:13-15; Heb. 2:1-3; 3:6-19; 4:1-16: 5:8-9; 6:4-9, 10-20; 10:19-39; 12:1-17, 25-29; Jas. 1:12-16; 4:4-10; 5:19-20; 2 Pet. 1:5-11; 2:1-22; 3:16-17; 1 John 2:15-2:28; 5:16; 2 John 6-9; Jude 20-21; Rev. 2:7, 10-11, 17-26; 3:4-5, 8-12, 14-22; 21:7-8; 22:18-19. The proof texts produced by those who teach the doctrine of unconditional eternal security are scriptures that simply emphasize God’s faithfulness in salvation, and say nothing about human responsibility. Thus they must be interpreted to harmonize with the many scriptures I’ve just listed. Just because God promises His faithfulness is no guarantee of anyone else’s faithfulness. Just because I promise my wife that I’ll never leave her and keep my promise, but that is no guarantee that she will never leave me.

Let’s apply this concept to teaching by example to the teaching of one particular topic, the topic of unity. All pastors/elders/overseers desire that the flocks they lead be unified. They hate divisions within their local bodies. They know that factions are very displeasing to the Lord. After all, Jesus commanded us to love each other just as He loved us (see John 13:34-35). Our love for each other is what marks us as His disciples before the watching world. All this being so, most leaders of flocks admonish their sheep to love one another and strive for unity.

Yet, as ministers who are supposed to be teaching foremost by our example, we often fall far short in our teaching about love and unity by how we live. When we, for example, demonstrate a lack of love and unity with other pastors, we send a message that contradicts what we preach to our congregations. We expect them to do what we do not.

The fact is, the most significant words Jesus spoke concerning unity were spoken to leaders regarding their relationships with other leaders. For example, at the Last Supper, after He washed His disciples’ feet, Jesus said to them,

You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you (John 13:13-15). [Note that Jesus taught by example.]

Pastors often use this passage of Scripture to teach their flocks about loving one another, which is certainly appropriate. The words in this passage, however, were addressed to leaders, the twelve apostles. Jesus knew that His future church had little hope of succeeding in its mission if its leaders were divided or if they competed with each other. So He made it clear that He expects His leaders to humbly serve each other.

In the context of the culture of His day, Jesus demonstrated humble service by means of doing one of the lowest tasks of a household servant, the washing of feet. If He had visited a different culture at a different time in history, He may have dug out the latrines or washed out the garbage cans of His disciples. How many of His modern leaders are willing to demonstrate that kind of love and humility towards each other?

Within the space of less than an hour, Jesus repeatedly underscored this important message. Minutes after He washed their feet, Jesus said to His group of future church leaders:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).

These words certainly have application to all of Christ’s disciples, but they were originally spoken to leaders regarding their relationship with other leaders.

Once again, just minutes later, Jesus said,

This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends (John 15:12-13).

Note that Jesus was again speaking to leaders.

Within seconds, He again said,

This I command you, that you love one another (John 15:17).

Then, a few minutes later, Jesus’ disciples heard Him pray on their behalf,

And I am no more in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, the name which Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, even as We are (John 17:11; emphasis added).

Finally, just a few seconds later, as Jesus continued His prayer, His disciples heard Him say,

I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me (John 17:20-23; emphasis added).

Thus, within the space of less then an hour, six times Jesus emphasized to His future leaders the importance of their being unified, demonstrating that unity by humbly loving and serving one another. This was obviously very important to Jesus. Their unity was a key factor in the world believing in Him.

All of this is to say that God does not love His obedient children the same as He loves sinners. He loves sinners only with a merciful love, and that love is temporary, lasting only until they die. At the same time that He loves them with a merciful love, He hates them with a hatred that stems from His disapproval of their character. This is what Scripture teaches.

On the other hand, God loves His children much more than those who are not born again. He primarily loves them with an approving love because they have repented and are striving to obey His commandments. As they grow in holiness, He has less and less reason to love them with a merciful love, and more and more reason to love them with an approving love, which is exactly what they desire.

This is also to say that many portrayals of God’s love by modern preachers and teachers are misleading and inaccurate. In light of what Scripture says, take a moment to evaluate the following familiar clichés about God’s love:

1.) There isn’t anything you could do to make God love you any more or less than He does right now.

2.) There is nothing you could do that would make God stop loving you.

3.) God’s love is unconditional.

4.) God loves everyone the same.

5.) God loves the sinner but hates the sin.

6.) There is nothing you can do to earn or deserve God’s love.

7.) God’s love for us is not based upon our performance.

All of the above statements are potentially misleading or outright false, as the majority completely deny God’s approving love and many misrepresent His merciful love.

Regarding (1), there is something believers can do that could make God approvingly love them more: they could be more obedient. And there is something they can do to make God approvingly love them less: disobedience. For sinners, there is something that they could do that could make God love them much more: repent. Then they would gain God’s approving love. And there is something they could do that would make God love them less: die. Then they would lose the only love God had for them, His merciful love.

Regarding (2), a Christian could stop God’s approving love by returning to the practice of sin, putting himself in a position to only experience God’s merciful love. And, again, the non-believer could die, and that would stop God’s merciful love, the only love God ever had for him.

Regarding (3), God’s approving love is certainly conditional. And even His merciful love is conditional upon a person being physically alive. After death, God’s merciful love ends, so it is conditional in that it is temporary.

Regarding (4), it is more likely that God doesn’t love anyone the same, because all, sinners and saints alike, He disapproves or approves to various degrees. Certainly it is true that God’s love is not the same for sinners and saints.

Regarding (5), God hates sinners and their sins. It could be better said that He loves sinners with a merciful love and hates their sins. From a standpoint of His approving love, He hates them.

Regarding (6), anyone can and everyone should earn God’s approving love. Of course, no one can earn His merciful love, as it is unconditional.

Finally, regarding (7), God’s merciful love is not based upon performance, but God’s approving love certainly is.

All of this is to say that the disciple-making minister should present God’s love accurately, as it is described in the Bible, because he doesn’t want anyone to be deceived. Only people whom God approvingly loves enter heaven, and God only approvingly loves those who have been born again and obey Jesus. The disciple-making minister would never teach what might lead people away from holiness. His goal is the same as God’s goal, to make disciples who obey all of Christ’s commandments.

To succeed at teaching that leads to the making of disciples, there is nothing more important than having the right motives. When someone is in the ministry for the wrong reasons, he’ll do the wrong things. That is the primary reason why there is so much false and unbalanced teaching in the church today. When a minister’s motives are to gain popularity, be successful in the eyes of others, or make lots of money, he is destined to fail in the eyes of God. The saddest thing is that he may succeed in reaching his goal of gaining popularity, becoming successful before others, or making lots of money, but the day will come when his wrong motives will be exposed at Christ’s judgment seat, and he’ll receive no reward for his work. If he is permitted to enter the kingdom of heaven,^[1] everyone there will know the truth about him, as his lack of reward and his low position in the kingdom will reveal it. That there are different ranks in heaven is of no doubt. Jesus warned:

Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:19).

Of course, those ministers who do obey and teach Christ’s commandments will suffer for it while on earth. Jesus promised suffering to those who obey Him (see Matt. 5:10-12; John 16:33). They are least likely to gain worldly success, popularity and wealth. What they do gain is future rewards and praise from God. Which would you rather have? In this regard, Paul wrote:

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds upon the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Cor. 3:5-15).

Paul compared his apostolic ministry to that of a master builder who lays a foundation. Apollos, a teacher who came to Corinth after Paul had established the church there, Paul compared to one who built upon the foundation already laid.

Note that both Paul and Apollos would ultimately be rewarded based upon the quality, not the quantity, of their work (see 3:13).

Figuratively speaking, Paul and Apollos could build God’s building with six different kinds of materials, three of which are common, relatively inexpensive and combustible, and three of which are uncommon, very expensive, and not combustible. One day, their respective building materials would undergo the fire of God’s judgment, and the wood, hay and straw would be consumed by the fire, revealing their invaluable and temporal quality. The gold, silver and precious stones, representing works that were precious and eternal in God’s eyes, would endure the testing flames.

We can be certain that unbiblical teaching will be burned to ashes at Christ’s judgment. So will anything done in the power, methods, or wisdom of the flesh, as well as anything done for the wrong motives. Jesus warned that anything we might do that is motivated by the desire for the praise of people will not be rewarded (see Matt. 6:1-6, 16-18). These kinds of worthless works may not be evident to human eyes now, but will certainly be revealed to all in the future, as Paul warned. Personally, if my works were of the wood, hay and straw category, I’d rather discover it now than later. Now there is time to repent; then it will be too late.

^[1] I say “if” because those who are wolves in sheep’s clothing are clearly “ministers’ who are selfishly motivated, and they will be cast into hell. I suppose what sets them apart from true ministers with wrong motives is the degree of their wrong motivations.

There is no evidence in the New Testament that any pastor/elder/overseer ever prepared a weekly oration/sermon, complete with neatly-prepared points and illustrations all written down in outline form, as is the practice of many modern ministers. Certainly none of us could imagine Jesus doing such a thing! Teaching in the early church was more spontaneous and interactive, following the Jewish style, rather than oratory, as was the practice of the Greeks and Romans, a tradition that was eventually adopted by the church when it became institutionalized. If Jesus told His disciples not to prepare a defense when they were called into court, promising that the Holy Spirit would give them spontaneous, irrefutable words, we would expect that God would be able to help pastors in church gatherings to some degree!

This is not to say that ministers should not prepare themselves by praying and studying. Paul admonished Timothy:

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

Ministers who follow Paul’s instruction to “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Col. 3:16) will be so full of God’s Word that they will be able to teach from their “overflow.” So dear pastor, the important thing is that you immerse yourself in the Bible. If you are knowledgeable and passionate about your topic, very little other preparation is really necessary to communicate God’s truth. Additionally, if you teach verse by verse, you can simply use each consecutive verse as your outline. Your preparation should then consist of prayerfully meditating on the verses of Scripture you will be teaching. If you pastor a house church, the interactive nature of teaching will even more so lessen the need for sermon outlines.

The minister who has faith for God to help him as he teaches will be rewarded with God’s help. So trust less in yourself, your preparation and your notes, and more on the Lord. Gradually, as you gain faith and confidence, prepare fewer sermon notes, until you can get along with just a skeleton outline or no outline at all.

The one who is self-conscious before others is the most likely to depend on prepared notes because he is so afraid of making a public mistake. He needs to realize that his fear is rooted in insecurity that is rooted in pride. He would be better to be less worried about how he appears in the eyes of people and be more concerned of how he and his audience appear in God’s eyes. No prepared speech can move listeners like a heart-felt, Spirit-anointed teaching. Think of how communication would be hindered if everyone used prepared notes for all their conversations! Conversation would die! An unrehearsed conversational style comes across as much more sincere than a prepared oration. Teaching is not acting. It is imparting truth. We all know when we are just hearing a speech, and when we do, we have a tendency to automatically tune out.