If you
were to ask me, “What are the characteristics of a solid pastor teacher?” There are several characteristics I would
list. First I would say that they must know
the word of God. They must know what it
says and how it flows and how it points Jesus.
A great preacher knows how most every passage fits in God’s story and
how it ties to Christ and God’s Gospel and how it applies to us.
Second I would say that they must know how to
communicate God’s word effectively. A
good preacher not only knows God’s word, but knows how to communicate it in a
way it can be understood by the common man/woman and knows how to communicate
it in a way that is captivating and intriguing.
Good preachers are also missional. They have a desire to make Christ known where
he is not known and be His witnesses to the unbelieving and watching world. I would say that great preachers also live
what they preach. They preach to
themselves and apply what they preach to their own lives as well as preach to
others. They are men of great integrity
and display great faith.
Lastly, I would say their message stirs great
emotions and results in great action—both positive and negative. God uses their words to bring the hardest of
sinners to repentance and the most resistant of believers to obedience. And their messages also produce great
enemies. Some of my favorite pastor teachers
are some of the most despised men by the world because they stand on the truth
of God’s word, which is counter to the world.
They don’t shy away from the truth no matter how it offends, but they defend
it and contend for it.
These characteristics, in my opinion, are what make
for great preachers. And in Acts 6 and 7,
we see all of these characteristics bundled up in the person of Stephen. Stephen lived what he preached. He was a man of great integrity and
faith. In the first part of Acts 6, as
the church was getting more organized to better deal with their issues, they appointed
seven men of great faith and integrity and wisdom, and of the thousands to choose
from, Stephen was at the top of their list.
We also learn in Acts 6 that on top of being a great
servant in the church, Stephen went above and beyond for the cause of Christ outside
the church in ministry. Not only did he
help handle issues within the church, he took God’s Gospel message out into the
world in hopes of growing His church and advancing His Kingdom.
He was a man of great integrity, and faith and
wisdom. He was also a mission-minded
minister. He had a desire to see the
lost come to Christ and was passionate about making Him known where he was not
known.
In Acts 7 we learn that Stephen also knew the word
of God and knew how to defend it and contend for it. He boldly spoke the truth in love. Stephen was a great man of God and the reason
why he was so great is because he looked so much like Jesus. Jesus was full of the Spirit, so was
Stephen. Jesus was full of wisdom, so
was Stephen. Jesus was full of power, so
was Stephen. Jesus was full of grace, so
was Stephen. And Stephen was the way
that he was because of Jesus.
For more on Stephen, click HERE and listen to “A
GREAT MESSAGE OF FAITH FROM A GREAT MAN OF FAITH.”
