For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
To preach is to lift up Christ Jesus as Lord instead of oneself, and to take the low place of serving others for His sake. Such preaching keeps the cross, the plan of salvation, and the life and ministry of Christ as its continual theme rather than seeking authority, reputation, or preeminence. Self-exaltation, self-indulgence, and display hide Jesus, blind minds to the gospel, and harm the work, so self must be put out of sight behind Him. To be servants for His sake is to represent Christ not by words only but by a heart touched by grace, ministering in meekness and love with every influence used as a trust from God. The power of this work is not from the frail human vessel but from God by the Holy Spirit filling the heart, speaking through the life, and stamping the likeness of Christ upon souls.
Words and Surrounding Context
Christian preaching is proclaiming Christ Jesus as Lord rather than proclaiming the preacher, with the preacher taking only the place of servant to others for Jesus' sake so that hearers see Christ and self is not placed between them and Him. This ministry is received by mercy and renounces hidden dishonesty, craftiness, and deceitful handling of God's word, commending itself by openly manifesting the truth to every conscience before God. It belongs to the ministry of truth that rejects deceit and makes the gospel's light known.
It gives the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God, with God shining in hearts to give the knowledge of His glory seen in the face of Jesus, as the same God who commanded light to shine out of darkness. This is set against the blinding of unbelieving minds by the god of this world, which shuts out that light, and the verse holds a whole volume for study on that contrast. Worldly, ambitious thoughts likewise keep spiritual eyesight lost so people do not see the treasures of God's Word, while self-indulgence and self-exaltation blind people to the gospel and keep Christ from entering and abiding within. The gospel's light reveals the glory of God in Christ rather than hiding it under Satan's blinding shadow.
This treasure of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is held in weak human earthen vessels so that the excellency of the power may be seen to be of God and not of people. It endures trouble without being distressed, perplexity without despair, persecution without being forsaken, and repeated exposure to death. Bearing about the dying of Jesus in the body, it lets the life of Jesus be made manifest and visible in mortal bodies. God shining in the heart gives that light of the knowledge of God's glory in Jesus Christ.
It belongs to the party of light and truth, distinct from the world's principles of dishonesty and injustice, between which there can be no fellowship for those seeking Christ's righteousness.
Preaching Christ as Lord
True preaching does not aim at exalting the preacher or gaining authority, reputation, or preeminence, but proclaims Christ Jesus as Lord and takes the servant's place toward others for Jesus' sake. It keeps the cross of Calvary continually before hearers, making Christ, the plan of salvation, and Christ's life and ministry its enduring theme and hiding self behind the cross. Paul's ministry among the Gentiles followed this pattern, presenting Jesus as the sinner's only hope rather than exalting himself. Exalting Christ and the cross leads perishing souls to recognize the crucified Son of God as the one who saves them, whose death shows their value and whose life was the ransom for their redemption, teaching salvation itself.
It means making Christ the unerring Pattern by continually studying His life, His character, and His manner of teaching in order to direct perishing souls what they must do to be saved. Those who preach stand in the same relation to Christ that Christ stood to the Father, and must copy Him in ways and habits, keeping the Lord Jesus ever before them, learning in His school, practicing His ways, and catching His Spirit. They keep their eyes less on men and study no other man's ways, attitude, manner of teaching, or manner of address. By this preaching of Christ the light of the glorious gospel shines instead of being hidden by blinding shadow, with all excellency of power seen to be of God and not of themselves, giving far greater power and efficiency and removing imperfection from the work.
Dependence and faith in Christ Jesus are made the woof and warp of every sermon, the very sum and substance of every discourse, woven into every appeal and the substance of every prayer, thus revealing Him in whom hopes of eternal life are centered. The gospel reveals Christ as the image of God, and its light gives the knowledge of God's glory in Jesus, grasped by faith that works through love and purifies the soul. It gives the people the bread of life in plain, simple Bible language about what they must do to be saved, rather than theories and doctrinal subjects only, making known the hidden, unsearchable riches of the grace of Jesus Christ by digging for hidden treasures of precious knowledge not yet possessed.
Self-promotion hides Jesus from those who need Him, while love for the Saviour shown in the life speaks through faithful servants who declare the whole truth to awaken those dead in sin to their need of power from above. Self in all its perverted forms, self-indulgence, self-exaltation, hard hearts, unappreciative minds, and blinded eyes harden the heart, shut Jesus out from abiding within, blind people to the gospel, and leave them unconverted. Where self rules the gospel stays hidden to the lost, and professors of truth die greater sinners than before they believed, while preaching Christ lets the light of the glorious gospel shine and makes known the light of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. When personal self-interest and the preacher's own personality stand between the people and the light, the message is obscured and the work is harmed, so self must be put out of sight and hidden behind Jesus that truth may shine clearly and guide those who hear.
To turn a sermon into an exhibition of self, lifted up and drawing eyes to himself by manner, display, and loud voice, is to preach self instead of Christ. Such preaching has not the right ring, shows the absence of the Spirit of God, and its influence is not unto salvation. Entrusted by mercy with the sacred work of Christ, ministers do not shape faith and teaching to suit the desires of hearers nor hold back truths essential to salvation to make teaching more attractive. They present truth with simplicity and clearness while praying for conviction and conversion of souls, bringing conduct into harmony with teaching so that truth commends itself to every conscience. They magnify the grace and mercy of God that sustains them in difficulty, affliction, and danger, keep the leading points of faith and the landmarks of God's guidance clear rather than promoting personal ideas or withholding truth, and, being fallible and liable to be moved by ambition, passion, or envy, take no credit belonging to God but lead people to rely on Jesus and seek personal experience with God.
Servants for Jesus Sake
To preach is to take only the low place of servant to others for Jesus' sake, proclaiming Christ Jesus as Lord and promoting nothing of self. It is to come to people under the full influence of the meekness and lowliness of Christ and to grow up into His stature, in humility and distrust of personal sufficiency, since ministry is entrusted by God and depends on His ability. The power and glory belong to God and not to the human messenger. When this is done, power attends the labors, and impressions of Christ are stamped on minds and characters by association, working deeper and deeper until they make an abiding place and change the soul after His likeness.
To be servants for Jesus' sake is to preach Christ by representation and not by words only, putting self out of sight. It is to have the heart wholly on the Lord's side, touched by grace with love for souls and seeking to be His representative in intercourse with fellow men, with a constant labor of love to minister. Every particle of influence is an entrusted talent from God to be improved and increased in efficiency, with God presiding over thought, word, and deed. These are the best sermons, a bright and shining light through religion in the home and religion in business, giving religious character to all business relations, showing kindness and refusing exaction and oppression that dishonor truth and dishonor Jesus. Christian workers take no glory for themselves but treat learning, talents, and property as entrusted to them as stewards of Christ's grace, like servants awaiting their master's orders, ready to follow wherever providence leads, as messengers and lights in darkness with hearts in harmony with Christ. Their hearts throb in unison with the heart of Christ, and doing the will of Him who called them is their meat and drink. Consecration brings reward and lays obligation at every step, requiring putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision for the flesh, living as men of earnest prayer whom the Lord strengthens for work, counting neither talents nor possessions as their own but as stewards of the manifold grace of God.
The true shepherd and missionary shown by the verse preaches not himself but Christ Jesus the Lord by precept and example, and makes himself servant for Jesus' sake. Such workers are not self-centered, do not faint at self-denial, will work anywhere and in different capacities, take up the work right at hand and do it as for Jesus and then reach forward for other lines, lift the standard of truth in cities and highways, and feel the burden of caring for the flock of God. It calls each member to stand in his place to represent the life and character of Jesus Christ and to reveal the high and holy character of the church. It forbids inactivity in religious service and requires those who handle the work to be wholly and entirely earnest, with earnestness, perseverance, and untiring energy. Such earnest work through the grace of Christ carries the triumphs of the cross to the very gates of the city of God and is rewarded with success.
It means learning all the truth possible in order to unselfishly impart sacred light to those in darkness of error to help, bless, and save perishing souls, letting light shine in good works. This unselfish, loving labor bears fruit in many souls brought into the kingdom of God and gives the faithful worker heavenly treasure, making him heir of God and joint-heir with Christ to eternal glory. Parents and gospel ministers are to represent Christ's character in their homes, serving those entrusted to them under God's rule.
Power From God Alone
The sufficiency for ministry does not lie in the minister himself or in his own ability, but in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit filling the heart and bringing every thought into obedience to Christ, and it is this that makes the work fruitful. The one who proclaims Christ Jesus as Lord and takes the place of servant for Jesus' sake lives by faith with the will placed under God's will and Christ abiding in the soul, finding happiness not in possessions or in what he is in himself but in oneness with God's will. This requires daily learning so that truth sanctifies the soul and labors correspond with professed truth, shown in patience, kindness, courtesy, meekness and lowliness instead of harshness, severity and domineering ways, with God shining in the heart to give the light of the knowledge of His glory in Jesus and with bearing the dying of Jesus in the body so that the life of Jesus is made manifest. Such self-effacing service is joined with humility and distrust of personal sufficiency, for ministry is entrusted by God and depends on His ability.
When the Holy Spirit moves the speaker, words of warning, reproof and appeal come with power from God and not from the speaker himself. Love for the Saviour shown in the life speaks through such a servant, while self-promotion would hide Jesus from those who need Him. Power then attends the labors, and impressions of Christ are stamped upon minds and characters by association with him, working deeper and deeper until they make for themselves an abiding place and change the soul after the likeness of Christ. God works through faithful servants who declare the whole truth in this way to awaken those dead in sin to their need of power from above, and their work bears His approval.
Ministers have no power of their own to reach hearts and need divine aid, so they must lead people to rely on Jesus and to seek a personal experience with God. The minister is fallible and may be moved by ambition, passion or envy, and therefore must not take to himself credit that belongs to God. Teachers and ministers who learn from Christ speak words received from God rather than words of self-praise, for their power comes from God and their work is to magnify His character and give Him the glory. Human plans and self-exaltation can eclipse the Saviour, so His messengers are to work in love and meekness reflecting His humility.
The power in the work comes from God and not from the human vessel, since the minister is a servant who proclaims Christ and not himself. People should value and respect a minister for his service without idolizing him or giving him the glory and affection due to God. The minister must not stand between people and Jesus, for Christ should be clearly seen and exalted above the messenger.
The minister must therefore keep humble and plead for the presence of the Holy Spirit in ministry, because nothing can be done without its aid. He is a steward of the grace of God and a servant of the church for Christ's sake, so no selfishness is to be mingled with the work. Self is to be covered by praying for the garment of Christ's righteousness.
Faithful Ministry in Practice
The verse holds instruction with precious lessons for every believer, to be taken personally and applied to the individual life. It calls all who teach in the church to examine themselves before God and to humble their hearts, so that they may meet what God requires of them. True preaching exalts Christ Jesus as Lord and not self, with the preacher taking the place of servant for Jesus' sake, and this requires the work of grace carried forward in the heart by not refusing to be acted upon in harmony with believed truth, for truth must sanctify the soul to be of benefit. It means learning daily in the school of Christ and manifesting the Spirit of Christ in all labors, so that labors correspond with professed truth in patience, kindness, courtesy, meekness, and lowliness instead of harshness, severity, and domineering ways. The preacher's sufficiency is not in himself but in the presence and agency of the Holy Spirit, whose gracious influence fills the heart and brings every thought into subjection to Christ, giving the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and making the life of Jesus manifest through bearing about the dying of the Lord Jesus in the body.
This service calls for temperance in all things, pure habits of eating and drinking, a sound and vigorous mind, and a life that sets an example of piety, so that God can use the minister to communicate with the church and the world. Ministers who preach self instead of Christ contribute to the church's spiritual decline. Everyone who speaks in the church must present none of self but all of Jesus, presenting lessons from the life of Christ with hearts filled with the love of God to edify others. Such speaking says nothing that savors in the least of self-exaltation or strife for supremacy, raises no questions that cause dissension, and does not try to sermonize.
Christ's messengers are to work in love and meekness, reflecting His humility, because human plans and self-exaltation can eclipse the Saviour. Teachers and ministers who learn from Christ speak words received from God rather than words of self-praise, their power comes from God, and their work magnifies God's character and gives Him the glory. The Waldensian missionaries exemplified this by advancing the truth through directing people to God rather than to themselves, with the light of truth exposing error and threatening Rome's supremacy. The verse is fittingly spoken as greeting and encouragement to believers assembled in conference for the work of ministry, since preaching is centered on Christ Jesus as Lord rather than on self, with the preacher taking the place of a servant to others for Jesus' sake.
To preach is to lift up Christ Jesus as Lord instead of oneself, and to take the low place of serving others for His sake. Such preaching keeps the cross, the plan of salvation, and the life and ministry of Christ as its continual theme rather than seeking authority, reputation, or preeminence. Self-exaltation, self-indulgence, and display hide Jesus, blind minds to the gospel, and harm the work, so self must be put out of sight behind Him. To be servants for His sake is to represent Christ not by words only but by a heart touched by grace, ministering in meekness and love with every influence used as a trust from God. The power of this work is not from the frail human vessel but from God by the Holy Spirit filling the heart, speaking through the life, and stamping the likeness of Christ upon souls.
Words and Surrounding Context
Christian preaching is proclaiming Christ Jesus as Lord rather than proclaiming the preacher, with the preacher taking only the place of servant to others for Jesus' sake so that hearers see Christ and self is not placed between them and Him. This ministry is received by mercy and renounces hidden dishonesty, craftiness, and deceitful handling of God's word, commending itself by openly manifesting the truth to every conscience before God. It belongs to the ministry of truth that rejects deceit and makes the gospel's light known.
It gives the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God, with God shining in hearts to give the knowledge of His glory seen in the face of Jesus, as the same God who commanded light to shine out of darkness. This is set against the blinding of unbelieving minds by the god of this world, which shuts out that light, and the verse holds a whole volume for study on that contrast. Worldly, ambitious thoughts likewise keep spiritual eyesight lost so people do not see the treasures of God's Word, while self-indulgence and self-exaltation blind people to the gospel and keep Christ from entering and abiding within. The gospel's light reveals the glory of God in Christ rather than hiding it under Satan's blinding shadow.
This treasure of the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is held in weak human earthen vessels so that the excellency of the power may be seen to be of God and not of people. It endures trouble without being distressed, perplexity without despair, persecution without being forsaken, and repeated exposure to death. Bearing about the dying of Jesus in the body, it lets the life of Jesus be made manifest and visible in mortal bodies. God shining in the heart gives that light of the knowledge of God's glory in Jesus Christ.
It belongs to the party of light and truth, distinct from the world's principles of dishonesty and injustice, between which there can be no fellowship for those seeking Christ's righteousness.
Preaching Christ as Lord
True preaching does not aim at exalting the preacher or gaining authority, reputation, or preeminence, but proclaims Christ Jesus as Lord and takes the servant's place toward others for Jesus' sake. It keeps the cross of Calvary continually before hearers, making Christ, the plan of salvation, and Christ's life and ministry its enduring theme and hiding self behind the cross. Paul's ministry among the Gentiles followed this pattern, presenting Jesus as the sinner's only hope rather than exalting himself. Exalting Christ and the cross leads perishing souls to recognize the crucified Son of God as the one who saves them, whose death shows their value and whose life was the ransom for their redemption, teaching salvation itself.
It means making Christ the unerring Pattern by continually studying His life, His character, and His manner of teaching in order to direct perishing souls what they must do to be saved. Those who preach stand in the same relation to Christ that Christ stood to the Father, and must copy Him in ways and habits, keeping the Lord Jesus ever before them, learning in His school, practicing His ways, and catching His Spirit. They keep their eyes less on men and study no other man's ways, attitude, manner of teaching, or manner of address. By this preaching of Christ the light of the glorious gospel shines instead of being hidden by blinding shadow, with all excellency of power seen to be of God and not of themselves, giving far greater power and efficiency and removing imperfection from the work.
Dependence and faith in Christ Jesus are made the woof and warp of every sermon, the very sum and substance of every discourse, woven into every appeal and the substance of every prayer, thus revealing Him in whom hopes of eternal life are centered. The gospel reveals Christ as the image of God, and its light gives the knowledge of God's glory in Jesus, grasped by faith that works through love and purifies the soul. It gives the people the bread of life in plain, simple Bible language about what they must do to be saved, rather than theories and doctrinal subjects only, making known the hidden, unsearchable riches of the grace of Jesus Christ by digging for hidden treasures of precious knowledge not yet possessed.
Self-promotion hides Jesus from those who need Him, while love for the Saviour shown in the life speaks through faithful servants who declare the whole truth to awaken those dead in sin to their need of power from above. Self in all its perverted forms, self-indulgence, self-exaltation, hard hearts, unappreciative minds, and blinded eyes harden the heart, shut Jesus out from abiding within, blind people to the gospel, and leave them unconverted. Where self rules the gospel stays hidden to the lost, and professors of truth die greater sinners than before they believed, while preaching Christ lets the light of the glorious gospel shine and makes known the light of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. When personal self-interest and the preacher's own personality stand between the people and the light, the message is obscured and the work is harmed, so self must be put out of sight and hidden behind Jesus that truth may shine clearly and guide those who hear.
To turn a sermon into an exhibition of self, lifted up and drawing eyes to himself by manner, display, and loud voice, is to preach self instead of Christ. Such preaching has not the right ring, shows the absence of the Spirit of God, and its influence is not unto salvation. Entrusted by mercy with the sacred work of Christ, ministers do not shape faith and teaching to suit the desires of hearers nor hold back truths essential to salvation to make teaching more attractive. They present truth with simplicity and clearness while praying for conviction and conversion of souls, bringing conduct into harmony with teaching so that truth commends itself to every conscience. They magnify the grace and mercy of God that sustains them in difficulty, affliction, and danger, keep the leading points of faith and the landmarks of God's guidance clear rather than promoting personal ideas or withholding truth, and, being fallible and liable to be moved by ambition, passion, or envy, take no credit belonging to God but lead people to rely on Jesus and seek personal experience with God.
Servants for Jesus Sake
To preach is to take only the low place of servant to others for Jesus' sake, proclaiming Christ Jesus as Lord and promoting nothing of self. It is to come to people under the full influence of the meekness and lowliness of Christ and to grow up into His stature, in humility and distrust of personal sufficiency, since ministry is entrusted by God and depends on His ability. The power and glory belong to God and not to the human messenger. When this is done, power attends the labors, and impressions of Christ are stamped on minds and characters by association, working deeper and deeper until they make an abiding place and change the soul after His likeness.
To be servants for Jesus' sake is to preach Christ by representation and not by words only, putting self out of sight. It is to have the heart wholly on the Lord's side, touched by grace with love for souls and seeking to be His representative in intercourse with fellow men, with a constant labor of love to minister. Every particle of influence is an entrusted talent from God to be improved and increased in efficiency, with God presiding over thought, word, and deed. These are the best sermons, a bright and shining light through religion in the home and religion in business, giving religious character to all business relations, showing kindness and refusing exaction and oppression that dishonor truth and dishonor Jesus. Christian workers take no glory for themselves but treat learning, talents, and property as entrusted to them as stewards of Christ's grace, like servants awaiting their master's orders, ready to follow wherever providence leads, as messengers and lights in darkness with hearts in harmony with Christ. Their hearts throb in unison with the heart of Christ, and doing the will of Him who called them is their meat and drink. Consecration brings reward and lays obligation at every step, requiring putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision for the flesh, living as men of earnest prayer whom the Lord strengthens for work, counting neither talents nor possessions as their own but as stewards of the manifold grace of God.
The true shepherd and missionary shown by the verse preaches not himself but Christ Jesus the Lord by precept and example, and makes himself servant for Jesus' sake. Such workers are not self-centered, do not faint at self-denial, will work anywhere and in different capacities, take up the work right at hand and do it as for Jesus and then reach forward for other lines, lift the standard of truth in cities and highways, and feel the burden of caring for the flock of God. It calls each member to stand in his place to represent the life and character of Jesus Christ and to reveal the high and holy character of the church. It forbids inactivity in religious service and requires those who handle the work to be wholly and entirely earnest, with earnestness, perseverance, and untiring energy. Such earnest work through the grace of Christ carries the triumphs of the cross to the very gates of the city of God and is rewarded with success.
It means learning all the truth possible in order to unselfishly impart sacred light to those in darkness of error to help, bless, and save perishing souls, letting light shine in good works. This unselfish, loving labor bears fruit in many souls brought into the kingdom of God and gives the faithful worker heavenly treasure, making him heir of God and joint-heir with Christ to eternal glory. Parents and gospel ministers are to represent Christ's character in their homes, serving those entrusted to them under God's rule.
Power From God Alone
The sufficiency for ministry does not lie in the minister himself or in his own ability, but in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit filling the heart and bringing every thought into obedience to Christ, and it is this that makes the work fruitful. The one who proclaims Christ Jesus as Lord and takes the place of servant for Jesus' sake lives by faith with the will placed under God's will and Christ abiding in the soul, finding happiness not in possessions or in what he is in himself but in oneness with God's will. This requires daily learning so that truth sanctifies the soul and labors correspond with professed truth, shown in patience, kindness, courtesy, meekness and lowliness instead of harshness, severity and domineering ways, with God shining in the heart to give the light of the knowledge of His glory in Jesus and with bearing the dying of Jesus in the body so that the life of Jesus is made manifest. Such self-effacing service is joined with humility and distrust of personal sufficiency, for ministry is entrusted by God and depends on His ability.
When the Holy Spirit moves the speaker, words of warning, reproof and appeal come with power from God and not from the speaker himself. Love for the Saviour shown in the life speaks through such a servant, while self-promotion would hide Jesus from those who need Him. Power then attends the labors, and impressions of Christ are stamped upon minds and characters by association with him, working deeper and deeper until they make for themselves an abiding place and change the soul after the likeness of Christ. God works through faithful servants who declare the whole truth in this way to awaken those dead in sin to their need of power from above, and their work bears His approval.
Ministers have no power of their own to reach hearts and need divine aid, so they must lead people to rely on Jesus and to seek a personal experience with God. The minister is fallible and may be moved by ambition, passion or envy, and therefore must not take to himself credit that belongs to God. Teachers and ministers who learn from Christ speak words received from God rather than words of self-praise, for their power comes from God and their work is to magnify His character and give Him the glory. Human plans and self-exaltation can eclipse the Saviour, so His messengers are to work in love and meekness reflecting His humility.
The power in the work comes from God and not from the human vessel, since the minister is a servant who proclaims Christ and not himself. People should value and respect a minister for his service without idolizing him or giving him the glory and affection due to God. The minister must not stand between people and Jesus, for Christ should be clearly seen and exalted above the messenger.
The minister must therefore keep humble and plead for the presence of the Holy Spirit in ministry, because nothing can be done without its aid. He is a steward of the grace of God and a servant of the church for Christ's sake, so no selfishness is to be mingled with the work. Self is to be covered by praying for the garment of Christ's righteousness.
Faithful Ministry in Practice
The verse holds instruction with precious lessons for every believer, to be taken personally and applied to the individual life. It calls all who teach in the church to examine themselves before God and to humble their hearts, so that they may meet what God requires of them. True preaching exalts Christ Jesus as Lord and not self, with the preacher taking the place of servant for Jesus' sake, and this requires the work of grace carried forward in the heart by not refusing to be acted upon in harmony with believed truth, for truth must sanctify the soul to be of benefit. It means learning daily in the school of Christ and manifesting the Spirit of Christ in all labors, so that labors correspond with professed truth in patience, kindness, courtesy, meekness, and lowliness instead of harshness, severity, and domineering ways. The preacher's sufficiency is not in himself but in the presence and agency of the Holy Spirit, whose gracious influence fills the heart and brings every thought into subjection to Christ, giving the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and making the life of Jesus manifest through bearing about the dying of the Lord Jesus in the body.
This service calls for temperance in all things, pure habits of eating and drinking, a sound and vigorous mind, and a life that sets an example of piety, so that God can use the minister to communicate with the church and the world. Ministers who preach self instead of Christ contribute to the church's spiritual decline. Everyone who speaks in the church must present none of self but all of Jesus, presenting lessons from the life of Christ with hearts filled with the love of God to edify others. Such speaking says nothing that savors in the least of self-exaltation or strife for supremacy, raises no questions that cause dissension, and does not try to sermonize.
Christ's messengers are to work in love and meekness, reflecting His humility, because human plans and self-exaltation can eclipse the Saviour. Teachers and ministers who learn from Christ speak words received from God rather than words of self-praise, their power comes from God, and their work magnifies God's character and gives Him the glory. The Waldensian missionaries exemplified this by advancing the truth through directing people to God rather than to themselves, with the light of truth exposing error and threatening Rome's supremacy. The verse is fittingly spoken as greeting and encouragement to believers assembled in conference for the work of ministry, since preaching is centered on Christ Jesus as Lord rather than on self, with the preacher taking the place of a servant to others for Jesus' sake.