Spiritual Cupbearers and the Pulpit’s Task
Rick Renner

Rick Renner is a highly respected Bible teacher and leader in the international Christian community. Rick is the author of the bestsellers Dressed To Kill and Sparkling Gems From the Greek 1 and 2, which have sold more than 3 million copies combined. Rick’s broad understanding of the Greek language and biblical history opens up the Scriptures in a unique way that enables readers to gain wisdom and insight while learning something brand new from the Word of God.

Today Rick is the senior pastor of the Moscow Good News Church and the founder of Media Mir, the first Christian television network in the former USSR that today broadcasts the Gospel to countless Russian-speaking viewers around the world via multiple satellites and the Internet. He is also the founder and president of Rick Renner Ministries, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and host to his TV program that is seen around the world in multiple languages. Rick leads this amazing work with his wife and lifelong ministry partner, Denise, along with the help of their sons and committed leadership team.(Note: The following is an adapted excerpt from Rick’s newest book How To Keep Your Head on Straight in a World Gone Crazy, which is scheduled for release in September. Go to renner.org for more information about how to obtain this timely book.)

We are living in the middle of an amazing outpouring of the Holy Spirit that the devil would like to derail. Most spiritual leaders are giving their very best to navigate these tumultuous times and to know how to minister in a world that seems to make less sense every day. However, some are sadly deviating off the solid path of God’s eternal truth as they try to become more “relevant” to the world around them. This downward trend is often not intentional, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is occurring within the ranks of the modern-day Church.

It’s crucial that each of us determines to do our part to protect and uphold the plan of God being fulfilled on the earth in the days ahead. With that in mind, it would benefit us to delve deeper in the Word to see what more the apostle Paul stated about deception and error at the end of the age and the Church’s responsibility to combat its infectious spread.

In this article, we’ll discuss briefly what Paul wrote in Second Timothy 4:2-5 regarding God’s antidote for the end-time rise of deception: knowing and declaring truth in its purest form possible.

First, let’s consider that when the New Testament was still being written, poisonous error was being comingled with truth. I thought about this again recently when I read a historical account of a woman who gradually poisoned her entire family by mingling small traces of poison into their daily food and drink over a prolonged period of time. The regular doses of poison were so small and well-disguised in her beautiful meals that the family didn’t know they were swallowing poison. As they sat around the table eating food that they thought had been lovingly prepared for them, they were unknowingly ingesting a toxic substance that, over a long period of time, proved to be fatal.

This illustrates the danger of mixing truth with even traces of error. At first, small amounts of error can be tolerated without lasting harm if the believer soon returns to a steady diet of healthy spiritual fare. However, if the spiritual food containing even small amounts of error is consistently ingested over a long period of time, that error will begin to sicken believers and can eventually prove to be spiritually “fatal”—leading to the shipwreck of their faith (see 1 Timothy 1:19).

Similarly, the Early Church was being fed hazardous teachings by men who had been lured off course by seducing spirits. Paul therefore urged Timothy never to relinquish his God-given assignment to deliver the pure Word of God whenever he stood in any public forum to speak into people’s lives.

A Revival of the Bible

You wouldn’t have to look any further than Paul’s epistles to Timothy and Titus to realize that this pressure to modify the faith had been around since the very inception of the Church (see 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; 3:1-8; Titus 1:11-14). Satan cannot destroy the truth, so he attempts to minimize it by diluting the message and diminishing it, making it seem as if the Gospel is on equal footing with other ways of thinking. This is why we must take a firm stance on the eternal integrity of Scripture and resolve to receive nothing, believe nothing, and follow nothing that we can’t find solidly proven in the Bible.

In this late hour at the end of this age, it is of paramount importance that spiritual leaders accept responsibility to speak truth and to call the Church back to the authoritative voice of the Scriptures. If the Bible is even unintentionally depreciated, both society and the Church will drift into destruction. Therefore, it is imperative that we return to the Word of God and experience a revival of the Bible.

Making all of this even more significant is the vacuum being left in the absence of numerous key Christian leaders who for years have carried the torch for the authority of the Bible and boldly declared it to society. These stalwart pillars in God’s Kingdom are getting older, are retiring, or have died in recent years. The dearth of strong leadership that’s been created by their departure is very real, and the vacancies they have left must be filled.

The Body of Christ needs quality spiritual leaders who are willing to pick up the torch and boldly declare God’s Word to an end-time generation as the absolute, dependable, infallible, reliable, unchanging Word of God. This is truly the responsibility of every person called to a leadership position in this hour. Each must be diligent to safeguard biblical truths and provide God’s people with spiritual food that will produce long-term, healthy results.

Anyone who has children knows that babies tend to put everything in their mouths. As a parent, I’ve pulled bugs, toys, even trash out of the mouths of our sons when they were young. As babies, they were prone to put everything in their mouths that their hands could grab.

Likewise, the Church is filled with people who ought to be spiritual adults by now, but they are still spiritual infants because they have not been exercised by the Word of God (see Hebrews 5:12-14). For this reason, there are large numbers of believers who, like infants, have put a lot of spiritual poison into their spiritual mouths that is not safe for consumption. Not only will the mixing of truth with false doctrine weaken their foundation and minimize their ability to produce fruit that is eternal, it could also eventually pull them so far off course that it leads them to shipwreck in various areas of their lives. 

In these last days as seducing spirits with doctrines of demons try to infiltrate the Church, it is imperative that spiritual leaders accept the responsibility of guarding God’s flock. Their first and primary charge is to provide the people with a strong scriptural foundation to hold them secure. Second, they must stay alert to recognize and remove toxic elements believers have “put in their mouths” before they ingest the error and allow it to lead them off track, away from the sound teaching of Scripture.

Spiritual Cupbearers—Who Are They Today?

All of this makes me think of cupbearers in ancient times, who were either officers of high rank or highly trusted servants whose charge was to taste the drink served at the tables of prominent individuals to whom they were assigned. A food taster had a similar role regarding the food prepared for the individual, and often the cupbearer and the food-taster roles were combined into the same position.

Although the settings for such meals were fabulously designed and beautifully executed, and the food and drink were of the finest quality, the fact remained that those with sinister motives could clandestinely mix the rich fare with concealed poison. Because of this, a highly trusted man who was willing to risk his life to protect such an individual was appointed as “cupbearer.” His responsibility was to personally sample the food or drink himself before it was served to see whether it was safe or unsafe for consumption.

After consuming a portion of the food or drink to be later offered the person of prominence, these professional tasters were observed to see how they fared. If the food or drink had negative results, it was withdrawn from the menu and tested to determine what ingredients had caused ill effects to the cupbearer—or to determine if poison had been possibly mingled with it.

If a cupbearer fell ill or died, this news was brought to the attention of those who prepared the food to see what they had mingled into the food or drink to produce such serious or even catastrophic results. Although the cupbearer had been negatively affected, his heroic willingness to sample the food and drink before it was served to people at the table spared the lives of those who would have ignorantly consumed the sickening or deadly ingredients.

Roman history tells us that the Roman Emperor Claudius died in 54 AD—most likely as a result of eating poisonous mushrooms that had been secretly inserted into his meal at the order of his wife, Agrippina, who was the mother of Nero. Because Claudius’ cupbearer/taster never fell ill from eating the mushrooms before they were served, it was widely believed he failed to sample the food before serving it. Others speculated that he possibly mingled the poison into the food himself.

Of course, every person who gets sick or who dies from consuming deadly food or drink isn’t always intentionally poisoned. Sometimes poisoning occurs unintentionally because ingredients were not inspected before adding them into the mix to make sure they were not tainted in some way. But food poisoning can typically be prevented. If the kitchen is made sanitary, if spoiled ingredients are removed from the mix, and if the menu is tested before being served, most cases of poisoning can be avoided.

Let’s apply this analogy to the Church in this hour. We have seen that the Holy Spirit prophesied in First Timothy 4:1 that seducing spirits with doctrines of demons will attempt to lure believers off track as the age comes to a close. The word translated “doctrines” in this verse is the Greek word didaskalia, a word that portrays information that has been masterfully designed and packaged to make it attractive and appealing to listeners.

In First Timothy 4:1, Paul used this word to tell us that at the end of the age, seducing spirits—working through people who are themselves deceived—will masterfully package error in such a way that it will be attractive and appealing to many Christians. If Christians living in the last days truly comprehended that they were consuming poisonous spiritual food, they certainly wouldn’t consume it. But because the error will be so masterfully presented, many believers will buy into teachings of seducing spirits. That is clearly what the Holy Spirit prophesied in First Timothy 4:1.

This brings me back to the example of cupbearers. In these last days when toxic spiritual influences abound, it is imperative that spiritual leaders remember that there is no one more prominent, noteworthy, or beloved in God’s eyes than His blood-bought people. Therefore, what His ministers offer the saints for their spiritual diet is of paramount importance. 

There is no greater violation of duty that a spiritual leader could commit than to serve poisonous spiritual fare that produces a sickening or fatal result in Christ’s beloved Church. Hence, it is essential that spiritual leaders are willing to first sample the food they’re about to offer to know if its effects are going to be positive or negative.

As end-time leaders, we must be able to provide assurance to those seated around the table that the spiritual food we present is safe and fit for consumption. We must show from the fruit displayed in our own lives that the spiritual fare we offer will produce long-term, healthy results, empowering people to live a life that’s pleasing to God.

Important Questions for Spiritual Leaders to Ask

James 3:1 tells us that those who have spiritual influence will be more strictly judged for what they endorse or present as truth. For this reason, it is wise for spiritual leaders to deeply ponder the content of what they endorse or teach. It is their holy duty to think through a teaching all the way to its logical conclusion before they package and present it to those who listen to them. It is wise for them to ask:

• Is this teaching really biblically based?
• Is this teaching in agreement with the whole counsel of Scripture?
• Is this teaching something I would want my children to consume?
• Is this teaching balanced, or is it possibly a well-packaged diversion?
• Does this teaching comingle someone’s opinion with truth in a way that could weaken a believer’s character, skew that person’s path, or affect the quality of his or her spiritual foundation?
• Is this teaching going to impact people to walk in faith?
• Does it inspire others to bear fruit for God’s glory by standing firm on His Word and His promises while drawing nearer to Him?
• Is this teaching aligned with the whole of Scripture, or does it diminish Christ’s sacrificial work or mislead in a direction God never intended?
• Is this teaching going to help produce stable, godly Christian character and practices in the lives of those whom I influence?

Every word, every phrase, and every nuance that is spoken in a public forum by a spiritual leader is significant to God. We can see just from the witness of this one scripture, James 3:1, why it is so important for Christian leaders to never forget that words have consequences.

‘Death in the Pot!’

In Second Kings 4:38-41, we find a remarkable story concerning a group of men who were studying under Elisha to be prophets. The Bible tells us that Elisha commanded these younger prophetic disciples to go into the field to collect ingredients to make stew, and one of the young prophets inadvertently gathered ingredients from a wild, poisonous vine that looked very similar to a vine that produced good fruit. Because he was unskilled at choosing ingredients, the young prophet unintentionally gathered deadly fruit and mixed it with other healthy vegetables in a pot of stew.

To the untrained eye, the berries the young prophet collected looked delicious—but if ingested in large quantities, those berries would result in violent vomiting, terrible ulcerations in the bowels, and finally death. An experienced farmer would have known the difference between the healthy berries and deadly berries. But because of the young prophet’s inexperience in selecting ingredients, he accidentally selected the poisonous variety and mixed the berries into a pot full of otherwise good vegetables. This produced a deadly brew that could have proven fatal to those who consumed it.

When the young prophet returned with large quantities of freshly picked berries, he shredded the poisonous fruit into a large pot; then he mingled it together with meat cut into small pieces and mixed it all together with vegetables. Finally, he put the pot on the fire to cook, and a stew began simmering that contained hidden death. There is no indication the young prophet intended to hurt anyone. He was simply incapable of selecting correct ingredients due to a lack of experience.

Once the stew was ready, the young prophets poured it into basins and served the others. But Second Kings 4:40 (AMP) says, “So they served it for the men to eat. But as they ate the stew, they cried out, ‘O man of God, there is death in the pot.’ And they could not eat it.”

Those eating the stew recognized the bitter taste and knew it was deadly, so they cried out, “Death is in the pot!” To remedy the problem, Elisha said, “…Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot” (2 Kings 4:41).

The word “meal” in this verse refers to “wheat.” In Scripture, wheat is sometimes used to represent the Word of God. We can therefore see symbolically in this biblical account an example of how dangerous spiritual error can be insidiously mingled into a pot of otherwise good teaching. Those who mingle the poisonous ingredient into the mix may have done so inadvertently, as did the young prophet in this instance.

As a result of spiritual immaturity, a lack of experience, or insufficient Bible knowledge, Christian leaders may mingle poisonous influences into teachings that otherwise would be beneficial to hearers. Some do it unintentionally because they are not mature enough to discern the sometimes-subtle danger of certain spiritual ingredients. That was true of that inexperienced and perhaps very sincere disciple of Elisha, who did not understand that the ingredients he had chosen had long-term, fatal consequences. Thus, he inadvertently prepared a deadly concoction.

To bring correction to the deadly brew, Elisha knew that they needed to add significant amounts of wheat into the stew to remedy the situation. This is symbolic of what happens when the Word of God is brought into a situation to counteract the effect of poisonous doctrines that are not healthy for consumption. When the “wheat” of the Word is injected in large doses into an otherwise dangerous situation, those life-giving words of truth have the power to nullify the poisonous influence and turn the situation around. The Word of God—scriptural truth injected into situations by the power of the Holy Spirit—can reverse any ill effect of spiritual poison, whether intentionally or unintentionally introduced, that has negatively impacted God’s people.

According to James 3:1, those with spiritual influence over others will be held accountable for what they say, what they endorse, and what they serve to saints who are gathered at their table. This is another reason why leaders need to understand doctrinal ingredients and make sure they are bringing forth truths from God’s Word that produce life and not death. No true spiritual leader wants the saints to cry out, “Death is in the pot!” when he or she teaches them!

Those in spiritual leadership must see themselves as responsible for what is brought to the table. Like spiritual cupbearers, leaders must know with certainty that no tainted ingredients are being mixed into the pot that might bring eventual harm. Even more, they must be willing to sample the spiritual food themselves to provide assurance to the saints gathered at the table that they can eat with a sense of safety.

That is the way it should be whenever Christians “sit around the table” to listen to the spiritual leaders who teach them. The people should be able to trust that the leaders God places over them will offer only safe spiritual food that helps lead them into spiritual health and potentially protects them from deadly harm.

The Pulpit’s Principal Task

This issue of spiritual diet has always been one of great importance for those who are charged to speak the Word of God to others. This is why Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2). Before we proceed into the non-negotiable doctrines of the Christian faith that remain true today worldwide, I would first like for us to examine the meaning of Paul’s words in this verse.

The word “preach” is a translation of the Greek word kerusso, which means to proclaim, to declare, to announce, or to herald a message. In this context, the word actually described the actions of a kerux, who was the official spokesman of a king. It was the job of the kerux to announce with clear and unquestionable articulation the desires, dictates, orders, policies, or messages that a king wished to express to the people. Because this spokesman was dispatched to speak for a king, he was required to be accurate, precise, and faithful to the message the king wanted to express.

Those who act as God’s spokesmen today are charged to speak His Word accurately, precisely, and faithfully in the way He wants it to be expressed. To make sure we know what public spiritual leaders are supposed to preach, Paul wrote that they are to preach “the word.” In Greek, the “word” is a form of the Greek word logos, which means word and refers to the written word.

Making this even stronger is the fact that Paul used a definite article before the “word.” This unmistakably means that Paul was telling Timothy—and other Christian leaders—that the text he was to preach from was the Word of God. This categorically means the principal task of every spiritual leader is to deliver the written Word of God—the Bible—when they speak on God’s behalf in any public forum.

In Ezekiel 3:1-3 (NKJV), we see a guiding scriptural principle that all spiritual leaders should take to heart in light of this core truth that they are entrusted with the task of speaking on behalf of God. Ezekiel wrote, “Moreover He said to me, ‘Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll [i.e., God’s message], and go, speak to the house of Israel.’ So I opened my mouth, and He caused me to eat that scroll. And He said to me, ‘Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.’ So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness.”

This passage was meant to demonstrate that God expects His messengers to fully digest every part of what He desires to say before imparting His message to others. For a messenger to hear God’s Word and deliver it without first tasting and digesting every part of it himself is strictly forbidden. This includes both the pleasurable parts and the bitter parts—for example, both the commendation and the correction. Before God’s spokesman can deliver that message in power to others, he must study and seek the Lord to become as intimately aware as possible of the nuances of its intended meaning.

This divine expectation places great responsibility upon spiritual leaders who are called to preach frequently in public settings. Considering the myriad distractions of modern life, it can be a real challenge for them to find time to fully devour and digest the words God gives them to impart before their next meeting. As a result, many sermons are delivered without the power of the Holy Spirit, even though they are delivered in a professional and timely manner. A spiritual leader must fill his inner being with the word he has received from Heaven to impart and allow it to affect him completely. Only then can he step into the pulpit and publicly deliver that message from God with authority and power.

One who preaches a message that he hasn’t first internalized can be likened to a chef who heartily recommends a dish he has never even tasted. Such a chef may know all about the cuisine he is recommending. He may possess all the right ingredients to produce that dish, and he may even know how to cook and prepare it for others. But if he has never actually tasted that dish himself, everything he knows about it is merely head knowledge. He cannot truly speak about that food with authority because he hasn’t had a tangible, firsthand experience with it. 

This explains why so much preaching and teaching in the Church today lacks the power of the Holy Spirit. Feeling the pressure to produce spiritual meal after spiritual meal, ministers rush to their Bibles and take out scriptures—like recipes pulled from a cookbook—to cook up something new and different. Trying to keep up with the schedule, they rush from the kitchen to the table to serve meals they have never tasted themselves. And because they rarely take the time to digest these truths on their own, they merely dish out sermons that may be interesting but are rarely life-transforming.

An individual entrusted to speak on God’s behalf must let God’s Word go down deep into his belly—his spirit man—that he might be changed, corrected, and nourished by it. Such a leader must swallow the entire message given to him with no right to eat of it selectively. As Christ’s appointed representative, he must put aside his own feelings and thoughts so the word can be fully ingested, assimilated, understood, and then delivered in power. There is no doubt that certain parts of these messages will be hard to swallow; nonetheless, one of the requirements of spiritual leaders is to digest all that God’s Word says.

This should be taken to heart by anyone who is called to publicly preach or teach the Word of God. It clearly and accurately states that one cannot powerfully bring forth spiritual truths that he hasn’t been filled with himself.

Those who preach and teach are required to study, pray, and prepare to teach the Word of God. Once preparation is complete, they then depend on the anointing and inspiration of the Holy Spirit as they speak from their spirits and souls—processing, elaborating, and incorporating human experience to convey what God has shown them in the Scriptures. God’s spokesmen are expected to be a prophetic voice to the Church. As such, these leaders must stand strong on the side of truth, even if the spiritual atmosphere has changed and the modern Church does not agree with the truth they are commanded to speak.

The example given in Ezekiel 3 plainly means each spiritual leader is to read the message, meditate on it, and deliver it just as Jesus expects. God’s message may contain truths that are corrective and therefore possibly unpleasant to hear, difficult to consume, and painful to digest. But there is a supernatural, anesthetizing effect of the Holy Spirit when He speaks difficult truths to His people’s hearts. His correction does not discourage, condemn, or leave them in a downtrodden condition. Instead, He speaks truth in a way that protects and soothes as it corrects so that the end result is comfort, encouragement, hope, and strength.

As spiritual leaders, we must speak God’s principles—even those difficult to hear—with the anesthetizing effects of the Holy Spirit to help listeners receive the correction without feeling like they are being bludgeoned by truth. He expects us as His spokesmen to deliver His message as He intends and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We cannot pivot away from the infallible, incorruptible Word of God for even a moment. We must stay dedicated to correct interpretation and to teaching and preaching that is done in the power of the Holy Spirit. This instruction is vital for us to grasp, especially in a day when people are slowly departing from the sound teaching of doctrine. Regardless of what others do, we must determine that we will remain clear channels for truth.

The Highest Level of Spiritual Warfare

In Second Timothy 4:2, Paul continued, “Preach the word; be instant.…” The word “instant” is a translation of the Greek word ephistemi, which is a military word that means stay at your post. It’s significant that Paul used a military word when he commanded Timothy—and all public spiritual leaders—to preach the Word. The truth is, when a Christian leader declares God’s Word in a public forum, it is the highest level of spiritual warfare.

The Bible is sharper than any two-edged sword (see Hebrews 4:12). Within the covers of the Bible are all the answers for every problem man could ever face. The Bible can bring new life to hearts, establish order to confused minds, and refresh souls that are being rocked by emotion.

When God’s Word is decreed from a person’s mouth that is connected to a believing heart, that Word has a life-changing and yoke-destroying effect.

• It penetrates the hearts of people who are in sin.
• It sets people free who are in bondage.
• It shines a light so brilliant that darkness is expelled.
• It heals the body and delivers the mind.
• It brings peace to children and families.
• It breaks strongholds and transforms the mind.
• It changes destinies!

The Bible provides light for the path ahead, freedom for the mind, strength and resolve for the will, healing for the body, and vision for a bright future. There is power in the Word of God that even the devil cannot deny!

That’s what spiritual leaders are called to preach!

It is therefore no wonder that Satan tries to stop the preaching, teaching, and ministry of the Word. Satan hates God’s Word to be declared on the earth because he knows that mental, emotional, and spiritual strongholds are demolished when it is proclaimed in power! This is why Paul admonished Timothy and all spiritual leaders in essence, “Stay at your post, and keep preaching God’s message as He intends for it to be preached!”

Here’s How To ‘Watch Thou’ and Keep Your Head on Straight!

As Paul wrapped up his warning to Timothy in Second Timothy 4:3 and 4, he told the younger minister, “But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” (v. 5).

The phrase “watch thou” is translated from the Greek word nepho, which means to be sober or to think straight and not like a silly drunk. It pictures clear thinking. But the Greek grammar is not a suggestion; it is a command.

That means this is a command to think straight or to think soberly and clearly. By using this word, Paul was commanding every spiritual leader to think reasonably concerning what he is communicating to those who listen to him.

The divine requirement is clear: We who are leaders within the Church are to be sober-minded, thinking straight with clear judgment as we fully examine what we are publicly endorsing or teaching. Again, since we will be more strictly judged (see James 3:1), it is imperative that we use our minds to think through what we embrace, endorse, and communicate to others.

The phrase “endure afflictions” is important because it tells us that when we keep our heads on straight as so many others are going astray, we may have to put up with some opposition. At the very least, there will be those who accuse us of being relics of the past. We may be told that we are narrow-minded, stuck on old notions while the world is moving ahead, or that we’re too “Word-bound” in these changing times.

The phrase “endure afflictions” is a translation of the Greek word kakopatheo, a compound of the words kakos and pathos. The word kakos describes something evil or foul, whereas the word pathos depicts hardship or suffering, or the putting up of emotional or mental hardness. Paul here told Timothy—and those who speak for God in the end of the age—that they must prepare and undergird themselves with the understanding that not everyone will appreciate their Bible-based stance.

Although Paul was addressing Timothy directly, he was also writing to anyone who speaks for God, which includes not only spiritual leaders, but every believer as well. Paul was specifically targeting those who would be alive at the end of the age—to us. His message was to last-days believers who would witness an epidemic of nonsense in the world around them—a strange season when delusional thinking would try to creep into the Church in unprecedented measures.

But besides those who veer from truth, there will also be a different group of believers who emerge at the end of the age. This latter group will hold fast to the ageless Word of truth, regardless of consequences or opposition, and proclaim its timeless teaching. Let’s make sure that this is the group we belong to. In spite of the difficulties you and I may endure for proclaiming the Bible as utter truth, we must nevertheless stand firm, with our feet solidly planted on the integrity of God’s Word.

Never forget that when the Bible is taught correctly, it has a sobering effect on people. It helps them keep their thoughts in line with God’s truth, to bear fruit to His glory in the circumstances of life, and to remain stable and secure in times of uncertainty.

We’re in the very last days that the Holy Spirit prophesied about, warning us that during this time, some leaders would go astray in their doctrine. Therefore, it is imperative that we resolve to provide trusted teaching to those in our spiritual care. Additionally, we must pray diligently for other Bible teachers to rise up who will feed the pure Word of God to those whose hearts are crying out for it. It’s the pulpit’s task as well as the task of every believer in these last of the last days.