My Dear Shepherds,

Unlike Moses, there was a time when I thought I was well-suited to be a preacher. I liked church life. I was not “slow of speech” nor reluctant to lead. And I had a college degree in Christian Education. But after a couple of humbling failures and God’s merciful instruction, I realized he had never called me to speak for him.

Then, a few years later, in one remarkable week, four discerning people separately told me I should be a pastor, and within two months I was offered a position in the church we attended. In due time I was ordained. Then I was like Moses:

God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘I AM, the God of your fathers —the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob —has sent me to you.’” (Ex. 3:15)

We’d be foolhardy to enter the ministry thinking we’re well-suited for it. The one essential necessity in representing the LORD is his authority, and every prophet and apostle bears witness that the message, “Thus says the LORD,” has nothing to do with our talent or temperament. The authority to speak for God is only conferred upon us by the fiery Spirit of God. The LORD told Moses, “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them . . ..” Then, lo and behold, “The elders of Israel will listen to you . . ..”

In our pastoral work we routinely exercise authority the lesser, the duties assigned to us in our church’s job description (e.g., chair the nominating committee, plan worship services). But authority the greater encompasses those responsibilities specifically conferred upon pastors and elders by Scripture. Our essential charge, tracing its lineage all the way back to Moses, is still, “preach the word.”

God’s primary purpose in speaking through Moses was to teach the Israelites to trust Yahweh’s compassion, promises, and commandments—which proved to be a herculean, heartbreaking task. Now God authorizes us to speak for him, always urging people to trust him so they might follow Christ on paths of righteousness.

Although stiff necks still run in the family, most of us speak to born again, Spirit-breathing people who have a God-given ear for his truth and grace. God has engraved his New Covenant on their hearts. It is a privilege to speak to them for God. Most of them listen to us because they want to hear what God says.

God often pushes even his most faithful people to frontiers of trust, so every believer, every Sunday, in season and out, needs to hear scriptural correction, rebuke, and encouragement. And they need to hear it coming from the Good Shepherd’s heart of grace and truth. We don’t convey our God-given authority by pulpit-pounding, a contrived preacher-voice, or overheated grandiloquence. We study our text to be sure we hear what God says. We pray and ponder to draw out the nuances of that Word for our people in our place, to put the divine accents in the right places. Then we speak for God.

So clear your throat, stand up straight, raise your voice, and preach! Whether it is a sermon, a pastoral conversation, or an encounter with some gospel foe, you’ve been authorized to speak for God. Your words, if they are Scripture-true and Spirit-breathed, are a lamp in the dark, planted seeds, and discovered treasure. Through Christ, the poor hear good news, captives learn they’ve been set free, and mourners are comforted. Your words, when they come from God, become milk and meat, sword, hammer, and fire. I AM has sent you!

Be ye glad!