The Imperative Indicative

Chapter ten, “The Imperative Indicative,” describes the preaching task in more detail, laying out the concept of the pastor as a man of God, not merely an administrator. While pastors will not neglect attendance at the various meetings of the church, at the hospital bedside, or in the homes of those confined to home, pastors will often neglect the many hours of study, prayer, and preparation needed to handle God’s Word consistently. Neuhaus urges the pastor to discover the indicatives in Scripture, those statements which describe the saints. From that indicative, from the description of us, springs the imperative, that which God commands. In preaching and teaching, this is the message we have. Describing God’s people as God sees them, then exhorting them in light of their identity, is exactly what our people need.