You may have heard the phrase, “You can take the preacher out of the pulpit, but you can’t take the pulpit out of the preacher!” or something similar to that. Well, I’m a preacher. I love sharing insights about God’s Word, faith, doctrine, and just life in general with folks. A preacher is someone who has been called by God, to the people of God, to minister the Word of God and the character of God to his people through the act of proclamation.

In the New Testament, the primary word for “preaching” is the verb kerusso. This verb connotes the idea of a herald who proclaims the Word of God with gravity and authority. He does so, in order to lead the people of God to follow the path of godly obedience, ultimately leading others into greater faithfulness and holiness.

I made a personal decision to follow Christ when I was 13 years old. I was called into ministry when I was 16 years old. I was raised in a church that valued expository preaching. Such preaching was text-driven, Christ-centered, God-glorifying, and transformational. I remember at times listening to Pastor Paulo Solonca preach, imagining myself in the pulpit proclaiming God’s Word to others just as he did. Pastor Paulo ignited in me the desire to become a preacher of the Word of God. He did not give inspirational speeches and offered counseling advices. He was solely focused on the exposition, explanation, and proclamation of God’s Word to God’s people.

Fast forward a few years, I now have been in full time ministry for 13 years. These years have developed within my soul what I call “a preacher’s heart.” Here are a few characteristics of a preacher’s heart:

1. He desires to commune with God and pray on behalf of God’s people
2. He desires to spend time in the Word not only for personal edification, but to also be able to edify his local body of believers
3. He can’t wait to share insights from God’s Word with others
4. He is an avid and passionate student of God’s Word
5. He is culturally aware, ethnically sensitive, and able to teach
6. He displays the fruit of the Spirit and is authentic
7. He is available to help others, offers godly counsel, and is relatable

The preacher longs to bless and nourish the faith of those under his care. He longs to inspire hope, love, and obedience in the lives of his hearers and flock. He is both shepherd and instructor. The words of Matt Redman in his song “The Heart of Worship” Resonate…

“When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that’s of worth
That will bless Your heart”

The truth is that the preacher’s heart is fueled by his desire to add worth to others. But one thing he must never forget … such desire for worth must be rooted in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Because as Matt Redman concludes … “It’s all about you Jesus”!

The Apostle Paul’s words to the church in Rome are so profound:

¹¹ For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— ¹² that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Notice the emphasis: 1) he longed to impart spiritual nourishment to strengthen the believers, 2) he sought to encourage and be encouraged, 3) he longed to see the results of the gospel in the lives of believers and unbelievers alike, and 4) he was eager to PREACH the Gospel.

A preacher is constantly looking for opportunities to bless God’s people. because after all preaching is the proclamation of God’s Word to God’s people. Though a preacher’s heart is often discouraged by the reality of lost people, members of his flock desisting from fellowship conflicts within his congregation, and gossips, his call to love and serve Jesus never wavers. He is eager to preach the Gospel, because there’s no other message he would ever be more privileged to proclaim.