SUMMER READING: “Expositional Leadership: Shepherding God’s People from the Pulpit.”
Notes from CHAPTER 1: Scriptural Leadership from the Pulpit
1 Timothy 4:13 “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.”
1 — The Pastor’s Motive is the Master.
See Matthew 20:25–28 and Mark 9:35. The motive behind a pastor’s leadership is his dedication to Christ. Like Timothy, pastors must guide their congregations to believe correctly and live obediently (1 Tim. 4:6).
Often, pastors may neglect studying God’s word due to other responsibilities. However, engaging deeply with Scripture is crucial for both personal spiritual nourishment and effective sermon preparation. A pastor leads well by preaching well, which requires thorough study and learning. Regularly immersing in God’s truth, gospel, and doctrine enables a pastor to guide the church in proper conduct, making him a “good servant” (1 Tim. 3:15).
2 — The Pastor’s Goal is Godliness.
Leadership inherently implies a destination, and for Paul, this destination is godliness. He advises Timothy to “train [himself] for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7–10).
Godliness involves being re-created into God’s image, achievable only through the gospel (Col. 3:10; Eph. 4:24). God’s truth is the primary agent for nurturing believers in godliness (1 Pet. 2:2). Jesus’ prayer, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17), underscores this. Pastors must prioritize leading their congregations toward godliness through faithful exposition of Scripture, the sole transformative power for believers.
3 — The Pastor’s Priority is Preaching.
The apostle Paul emphasizes the importance of priorities to Timothy, instructing him to “devote [himself] to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13). R. Kent Hughes and Bryan Chapell describe this directive as “a landmark text in defining the major work of the pastor and the worship of the church.” The term “devote” signifies giving oneself fully to this task. Thus, this work should be Timothy’s primary focus.
Paul instructs Timothy to “command and teach these things” (1 Tim. 4:11), referring to the entirety of apostolic teaching and biblical revelation. This is the foundation of pastoral authority and the reason pastors can preach compellingly.
Pastors preach under the authority of apostolic instruction, delivering content from God’s inerrant, infallible revelation, capable of fulfilling His redemptive purposes. Pastors are stewards of God’s word, sowers of His seed, heralds of His message, and ambassadors representing Him. They must faithfully expound Scripture to shape believers into Christ’s image and lead congregations towards corporate Christlikeness.
Notes from CHAPTER 2: Scriptural Leadership from the Pulpit
1 Corinthians 2:4 “… and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power…”
1. Spirit-Encountered Sermon Preparation
Encountering the Spirit in our sermon preparation centers on the inherent relationship between the Spirit and the text. As we study the Scripture and prepare our sermons, we must not rely solely on methods or formulaic approaches that ignore our dependence on the Spirit. Instead, we must yield to His interpretive guidance, which begins by demonstrating our dependence through prayer.
2. Spirit-Empowered Sermon Delivery
Effective sermon delivery also requires divine empowerment, which begins and is sustained by prayer. The Apostle Paul’s requests for prayer in his letters to the Ephesians and Colossians highlight the necessity of this divine assistance. He asked the Ephesians to pray that “words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel… that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:19–20). Similarly, he implored the Colossians to pray “that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ… that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak” (Col. 4:3–4).
These prayers reflect Paul’s understanding that boldness, clarity, and effectiveness in preaching are gifts from the Spirit, activated and sustained by prayer. This divine empowerment liberates preachers from the fear of inadequacy and the burden of human expectations. It allows them to speak with authority and authenticity, knowing that the power behind their words comes from God.
1 Corinthians 2:3–5 “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”
God’s gracious desire to use us despite our imperfections is profoundly liberating. It frees us from the pressure to perform, the captivity of our insecurities, and the burden of meeting others’ expectations. Recognizing this truth allows pastors to focus on faithfully proclaiming the gospel, trusting that God will work through their weaknesses. This mindset produces a ministry where the congregation’s faith is rooted not in human wisdom but in the power of God. Such an approach ensures that the effectiveness of our ministry does not rely on our abilities but on the Spirit’s power.
3. Spirit-Enabled Sermon Application
Perhaps the most definitive aspect of spiritual leadership from the pulpit is the application of the sermon. Spirit-enabled application bridges the gap between understanding the text and living it out. It’s through this application that we guide our congregation in applying the truths of Scripture to their daily lives, fostering a deeper and more active faith.
Thiago M. Silva
