By engaging in God-centered preaching and pastoral ministry, we will redirect people’s natural inclination to focus on self and lead them to turn their eyes upward to contemplate and worship a holy, loving, and righteous God. 

Pastoral ministry is exceedingly demanding and requires us to tackle a large number of tasks, such as preaching, administration, counseling, and many more. Preaching, in particular, is an enormous challenge and serious responsibility, as pastors must weigh what, when, and how to preach, among many other questions that confront them in their ministry. In the present series, I will discuss ten major doctrines that every pastor should address, starting with the doctrine of God. How does the doctrine of God inform a pastor’s ministry?

Why God Matters

It is hard to think of a doctrine that matters more than the doctrine of God. A. W. Tozer said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” God is the Alpha and Omega. He is the eternal, infinite, self-sufficient God, one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. God is the Creator, revealed in the Old Testament as Israel’s covenant God who redeemed his people from bondage in Egypt and gave them the law at Sinai. He is the “I am” who is without rivals; there is no other God (Exod 3:14; Isa 45:5).

All creation is oriented toward God. He is the sovereign ruler of the universe and worthy of all glory and praise. Thus our preaching, like our praying, should be theocentric rather than anthropocentric. As Jesus taught his followers to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9–10; cf. Luke 11:2). Jesus’ followers should “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added” to them (Matt 6:33).

7 Truths to Teach about God

Developing a theocentric focus in our preaching is crucial for providing a proper theological framework for our congregation. Starting with God will be vital in helping the people in our church think rightly about God and relate rightly to God. While the following list is far from exhaustive, here are seven suggestions regarding how pastors can help their congregation think more about God and think about God in light of biblical revelation.

1. Consider not merely God’s works, but also his being.

Counteracting our natural tendency to view God from our self-centered human perspective, pastors should consciously seek to redirect and reorient people’s thoughts to God’s person and character, even apart from any of his works. God is an awesome person, a beautiful, majestic being. We cannot fully comprehend our eternal God, but we can pause in wonder at such a glorious, mysterious, infinite being. That’s certainly the right place to start, and to return to often.

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