How do I become a preacher?

Sincerely,
Career Oriented

Dear Career Oriented,

Preachers always start out the same way – as christians.  When Paul enlisted Timothy to preach, he did so because Timothy was well spoken of amongst the brotherhood (Acts 16:1-3).  There is no magic formula for how to become a preacher.  Study (2 Tim 2:15) is the biggest key.  Any man who desires to preach needs to know his Bible (1 Pet 3:15).  The Bible pattern for preaching often involved an apprenticeship with an already existing preacher (i.e. Timothy and Titus studying with Paul).  Ultimately, every preacher started out as someone preparing himself to be of use to the Lord (2 Tim 2:21), and that preparation readied him to step into preaching when the opportunity presented itself.

My question is: as christians do we celebrate Christmas? And what is the significance of December 25^th to Jesus Christ?  Thank you!

Sincerely,
Holly And Jolly

Dear Holly And Jolly,

Many people believe Christmas to be a spiritual holiday, but the Bible never commands us to celebrate Jesus’ birth on December 25^th (the truth is, no one knows when Jesus was born, but it was most likely in the spring or summer because the shepherds were out – Lk 2:15).  Christians are commanded to remember Jesus’ death every first day of the week (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 11:24-25)… we are never commanded to remember His birth on an annual basis.  Christmas is not a biblical holiday.  There is nothing wrong with celebrating it as a family holiday, but it is wrong to teach that there is a biblical foundation to it.

Christmas can be traced back to the Roman pagan holiday of Winter Solstice (also known as ‘Saturnalia’ because it was in worship of the god, Saturn).  As Catholicism tried to integrate itself into a pagan Roman world, Christmas was instituted by Pope Julius I on December 25^th as a way to assimilate the pagans into a Catholic worldview.  In short, Christmas has never been a truly biblical holiday; it is a manmade tradition with no bearings upon your salvation.

What do you think about people choosing television to be their church?  I have been running into preachers who are also saying that is their church.  What would you tell a person who says the television is their church and their preacher?

Sincerely,
Unplugged

Dear Unplugged,

Television is not a replacement for assembling with christians.  Heb 10:24-25 clearly says that we shouldn’t forsake the assembly of the saints.  The Bible pattern shows over and over that christians physically gathered together regularly.  The church has to get together to take the Lord’s Supper on Sundays (Acts 20:7).  The church has to gather to take up a collection (1 Cor 16:1-2).  The church has to gather together to encourage each other (Heb 10:24-25).  The church has to gather together to study God’s Word (1 Tim 4:13).  There are a plethora of verses that clearly state that the local church is a necessary and integral part of a christian lifestyle.  Television is no substitute for flesh-and-blood people of faith.

I've been reading over some of the responses to questions involving music, and I keep hearing Ephesians 5:19 being thrown around a lot.  To a musician, anything that comes from us is from the heart… be it banging trashcan lids together or the serenade of a choir spanning all octaves.

As a musician, everything I play, I play for the Lord because I want to deliver a beautiful gift for Him and for all to hear.  There is beauty in Metallica, there is beauty in Psalms, and there is beauty in prayer, but the people answering questions on here have a strong tendency to not like instruments (or more specifically in church).  With every instrument I touch, I can feel ideas exploding from my heart for God, but you seem to rebuke others who want to join along in song with me using other instruments if they don't carry the same praise that I do for the Lord.

The standard response to my question is "you’re looking too deeply at the Scripture" + "Scripture is perfect" = Only sing, but I want the long answer.

So could you please expand on the "...and make music from the heart" part of Ephesian 5:19 for me?

Thanks and God Bless.

Sincerely,
Musician

Dear Musician,

Before we go into the specifics of this issue, it is important to note that how we feel about a topic is not the same as the truth on a topic.  We may feel that a certain activity is pleasing to God, but that doesn’t mean it is.  God tells us that His ways are not our ways (Isa 55:8) and that every man’s ways are right in his own eyes (Pr 21:2).  The issue isn’t whether or not you feel that you are pleasing God when using instruments to worship – the question we have to ask is: “What do the Scriptures say about instruments in worship?”

The fact is that God has given us instruments to use for worshipping Him – our hearts (Eph 5:19).  In the New Testament, God tells us to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to Him.  He wants the only melody He hears to come from our hearts.  Instrumental music wasn’t introduced into the church until over three hundred years after Christ.  In fact, ‘a cappella’ singing (singing without instruments) literally means ‘as the church’.  There are no examples of the church using instruments to worship God in the New Testament.  If we start using them, we are adding something to God’s Word (Rev 22:18-19).  All we are ever told to do is “sing and make melody in our hearts”… pluck your heartstrings as you sing to God, and you will make God happy.  If a congregation begins to use instruments in worship, they must do so without any New Testament Scripture to back up the practice.

The problem with instrumental music in worship is that it isn’t a part of the Bible pattern, and the moment we start doing things outside the Bible, we have gone beyond what God intended (1 Cor 4:6).  Instrumental music may sound appealing to us, but it is just one more manmade additive that adds to the division and confusion found in the religious world.

Thank you so much for this wonderful site!  It is a blessing and a great tool for Bible study!  My question is: how exactly are we supposed to examine ourselves before and while participating in the Lord's Supper (1 Cor 11:26-29)?

Sincerely,
Looking In The Mirror

Dear Looking In The Mirror,

When Paul told us to examine ourselves before taking the Lord’s Supper, he used a very unique word.  ‘Examine’ means ‘to try or test for genuiness’.  The Greek word for ‘examine’ is sometimes translated ‘prove’, ‘discern’, and ‘test’.  It is a word that was used when someone examined precious metals to see whether or not they were genuine.

God doesn’t give any specific method for examining ourselves.  We are supposed to contemplate and use introspection to examine whether our lives are genuinely dedicated to Christ.  We can know whether our lives are faithful by the fruits we are bearing (Matt 7:16-20).  When you get ready to take the Lord’s Supper next Sunday (Acts 20:7), ask yourself what kind of life you have lived this week.  Examine your life and whether or not it genuinely belongs to Christ, and you will have fulfilled the commandment of 1 Cor 11:28.