Practice what you preach

(1 Timothy 4:14-16 – Practice what you preach)

If ever there is a thing that the people of the world hold against Christians, it is when they don’t practice what you preach.

Hypocrisy is one of the most hated attributes of people everywhere, and especially so where a person or group are preaching one thing, but not doing it. The world hates hypocrites. If you listen to the criticisms of journalists in the news, much of what they report on is the hypocrisy of government, corporations, and those in power who say one thing but do another.

And well they should. It is a great evil when someone thinks that rules do not apply to them. And it is worse when those who break the rules are the ones who espouse them most strongly.

Jesus hated hypocrisy

As Christians we too have a standard to live up to that is greater than that of the world. The truth of Christianity and religion in general holds us to a higher standard.

So when people preach one thing but do the opposite, then they are living as hypocrites, and Jesus hates hypocrisy.

One of the greatest example of hypocrisy in the Bible was seen in the way the Pharisees and scribes behaved. They were supposed to be the examples of people who lived by the Mosaic law, but they did not follow the law. They were quick to condemn those who failed or who they thought failed, without realising they were failures themselves.

How many times did Jesus upbraid and condemn the Pharisees because they did not practice what they preached? Consider His words to the Pharisees and scribes in Matthew chapter 23.

2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. 4 They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. (Matthew 23:2-4)

Jesus was angered at the scribes and Pharisees because they were the teachers and interpreters of the laws of Moses, but they did not follow them. Jesus was effectively saying to the scribes and Pharisees, “Practice what you preach.”

Six times in this chapter of Matthew 23 Jesus says to them, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.” In many of the things they preached and did they were not aligned. They did not practice what they preached.

Practice what you preach

This is why it is so important to practice what you preach. Firstly, so that you do not incur the wrath of the Lord. And second, so that you do not destroy your credibility and integrity as you walk as an ambassador of Jesus Christ.

The scripture I am looking at today gives us fair warning of these things.

14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophetic utterance when the council of elders laid their hands upon you. 15 Practice these duties, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Take heed to yourself and to your teaching; hold to that, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:14-16)

Paul exhorts Timothy to use the gifts that the Lord has given him to do the work the Lord required. We know from other scriptures that Timothy was an evangelist. We also know that Timothy had received the Holy Spirit. So Paul may have been recommending that Timothy made sure to exercise those two gifts to do his assigned ministry.

But the warning is well noted for us today also. And particularly those words that followed Paul’s exhortation to Timothy.

He says in verse 14 not to neglect the gifts he was given. Likewise we should not neglect the gifts that the Lord has given to us, whatever they may be. In these times there are many gifts that we can all use to help and encourage the people of God. You may be able to strengthen, encourage, comfort, or lift up those who are suffering. And these gifts are just as important, perhaps more so, than some of the more spiritual gifts like prophecy, miracles, and so forth. If you claim to be a Christian, then by doing such things to help your brethren you do practice what you preach.

Paul, in verse 15 told Timothy to devote himself to these things and to practice these duties. When we devote time and effort to things and when we practice things regularly, we get better at them. We gain confidence to be able to do the things we practice and to which we are devoted. It then becomes easier to practice what you preach because you learn by doing.

And then in verse 16 Paul tells Timothy to hold fast and take heed to what he is teaching and doing. Basically he is telling Timothy not to waver from the truth of the gospel. Hold fast to that truth and test yourself to make sure you are holding to the truth. By testing yourself you can practice what you preach and know that what you preach is what you are doing.

Does the modern church “Practice what you preach?”

In many cases I would say sadly that the answer to this question is, “No.”

Recently I have travelled to a number of churches and listened to sermons and the way they go about “doing church,” and I have been shocked. Most of the churches I have visited barely look at the scriptures in the Bible.

How can a church call itself “Christian” and not use the words of the book given to us to learn about Christ? How can you practice what you preach when you are not learning the truth in the first place?

I have seen sermons based on philosophies and writings of men, and even based on scenes from animated Disney movies (not even Bible stories).

What is being preached are empty words. And it is obvious that the congregations are suffering as they recognise the lack of bible instruction and are starving for the spiritual food that comes only from teaching the words of Jesus and the scriptures.

So, if you are going to call yourself a “Christian,” then you had better find out what the truth of Christianity is and practice what you preach.

Don’t call yourself a “Christian” and then preach philosophy, deceit, new age teachings, the need for prosperity, and other false doctrines. Find out what Jesus and the Apostles taught and teach and preach that. Learn how to live in it too so that you can practice what you preach as well.

The time is short. The Lord is coming soon and then He will deal with the hypocrisy of this world.

But don’t you be caught in the wrath of God. Go to Jesus and go to the Bible and learn so that you too can practice what you preach.

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