Slideshow image

2 Timothy 4:2 — “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”

One of the pastor’s chief responsibilities is to feed the flock with God’s Word. Sheep cannot thrive without nourishment, and Christians cannot grow without the Scriptures. Paul’s charge to Timothy was not to entertain, speculate, or dilute the message, but to preach the Word faithfully in every circumstance. The Word is the pastor’s primary tool and the flock’s primary need.

This feeding involves more than surface-level encouragement. Paul calls for preaching that reproves, rebukes, and exhorts. Reproof exposes error, rebuke confronts sin, and exhortation encourages obedience. Balanced preaching both warns and comforts, convicts and heals. Sheep may prefer constant comfort, but they need the full diet of God’s truth.

The command to be “instant in season, out of season” reminds us that faithful preaching is not dictated by convenience or popularity. A pastor must declare the Word whether the world is receptive or resistant. Culture changes, but God’s Word does not. The true shepherd preaches truth, even when it is unpopular.

For the church, this means receiving the Word with humility. Too often, believers want their ears tickled rather than their hearts transformed. But spiritual growth comes when we allow the Word to confront us, comfort us, and conform us to Christ. The greatest gift a pastor gives his people is not his personality or programs, but faithful feeding from God’s Word.

Pastors must resist the temptation to substitute human wisdom for divine truth. Only God’s Word saves souls, strengthens saints, and equips the church for every good work. Sermons rooted in Scripture may lack worldly flair, but they bear eternal fruit.

The faithful pastor is like a shepherd who leads his sheep to green pastures. He may not always give them what they want, but he gives them what they need. And when the flock is well-fed, they are strong, healthy, and fruitful for God’s glory.