4 Ways Of Getting Rid Of The Preacher

An elder once told about some church members who came to him for advice. They wanted to know of a way to get rid of their preacher. Sensing that they were not being fair in their criticism, he gave them the following four ways:

1) Look your preacher straight in the eye while he is preaching and say “Amen!” once in a while — He’ll preach himself to death.

2) Pat him on the back and tell him his good points — He’ll work himself to death.

3) Rededicate your life to Christ and ask your preacher for a job to do — He’ll die of heart failure.

4) Get the church to pray for him — Soon he’ll become so effective that a larger congregation will take him off your hands.

Beloved, if your preacher faithfully preaches God’s Word and tries to live an exemplary life, let’s do all we can to support and encourage him (cf. 1 Timothy 4:12-16). God’s preacher carries a big responsibility (2 Timothy 4:1-2), and a faithful man of God is worthy of respect and generous financial support (Romans 10:15; 1 Corinthians 9:13-14).

By the way, when did we last say to our preacher, “I’m grateful for you and all you’ve done for my family and for the Lord’s church?”

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets