The Preacher as LoverIf Cupid the world's god of love fires arrows, how much more do we as preachers of the gospel fire arrows? His arrows are of a distinctly sensual nature, our arrows are of a distinctly spiritual nature. His arrows cause his target to have infatuation and lust, our arrows wound the sinner so the savior may heal. His arrows cause his targets to believe the lie that they are in control and that they are in love. Our arrows effectively show our targets that they are in spiritual bondage and that they love only themselves. In the example of Christ, the preacher loves the people to the truth. More than love based on mere acceptance, affirmation, or relationships; the preacher strives to exhibit the unconditional love of Christ. When people don't show up to the bible study, when he is gossiped about, or when the newspaper slanders him. He counts it all worthy, if only he might proclaim and live out the majestic love of God found in the glorious gospel. Everything else becomes meaningless if he can simply love God and love people. In his failure to do it perfectly, he falls to the feet of Christ on the cross and holds on. It is his only justification for his failures, nay, his sins against the sheep and against the shepherd. He may wish the words and actions of his past to be gone, but they remain. But they are forgiven. The preacher is a lover because God is a lover of "whom He will have mercy on". And for God's glory, this wretched hater of God was turned into a lover of God. This same simple truth is the reason the preacher continues. He has drank the water and he no longer thirsts. He has eaten the bread and he no longer hungers. He has known the truth and he can not but proclaim Him. Note well that what the preacher says is born out of love. It is not a love by which hard things are ignored, tough conversations are not had, and discipline is denied.

Again, the preacher seeks to be like Christ and hits hard with the perfecting love of Christ. Be wary of denying his claims when you know they are true and his holy life is putting your life to shame. He is not interested in tidbit theology or platitude puffiness which wastes precious time. There is no play, movie, novel, or story that is as full of truthful love as what he speaks throughout the week. This message has consequences that make many quake, implications that involve the tearing down of churches that do not accord with it, and has the power of God behind it. His life and doctrine meet together as two great kings of two great kingdoms allying themselves against any fools that dare fight them. Would you stop a man born of God, saved by Christ, empowered by the Spirit, and following the single greatest commission ever issued? Even if you would you could not. He is not there to coddle the sinner into giving money and to calm the christian into spiritual complacency. Instead, he is there to awaken the sinner to life and to mature the Christian into a soldier who would rather kill himself than not charge Hell through the preaching of the gospel.

Finally, the preacher's love is to be a overflowing love. The musician writes music and lyrics out of the overflow of the experiences of life. When we "live and move and have our being" in Christ alone, we deeply and consistently meditate on true love of Christ for His sheep. When we think of Christ's love towards us, we want to give back to Him. The preacher knows how to give. He is to obey Christ and "feed my sheep". And how are we to feed the sheep? By giving them the "milk and meat". The milk is the gospel and the basics of the faith, it must never be lost, assumed, looked down upon, or forgotten. The meat is everything "profound, perfect, and mysterious", it should be differentiated from the milk, but proclaimed as well. So how do we acquire milk and meat for others? We must first have it for ourselves. There is a supreme satisfaction in preparing a meal and eating it with others. And this is how our love ought to overflow, it begins with our own desires. Do we truly desire to change our heart to be more like Christ? If we do and present our lives as a sacrifice for all to see then others will see Christ through us. But, it starts with us as Christians. We must now more than ever feast on the milk and meat so that our own love of the food will cause us to cook for others. How many people share their newborn children's photos because they have such an abundant love for their son or daughter. How much more must we have for Christ, savior of our souls and redeemer of our lives.