There seems to be too many "peddlers" of God's word. Paul expressed that in II Cor. 2:17. We have moved from the world of "peddling" merchandise out in the open town square in our day and time but there was a time when "peddlers" moved from town to town selling their wares. Many "peddlers" had a reputation for cheating or misrepresentation in order to make a profit. Apparently they had the same type of people with the same reputation in the first century.
The term "peddler" (some versions use the word "corrupt") is the Greek word 'kapeleuo'. It comes from 'kapelos' which means "to be a retailer, to peddle, to hucksterize." In other words, God's word is used to gain an advantage over others.
Sincerity is not high on the list of a "peddler." He is prepared to say anything to 'make a sale.' It's like the story I heard about a fellow who was selling hair restorer. He was asked by a bald-headed man, "Can you prove this is a good hair restorer?" The peddler quickly responded, "Sir, one lady customer took the cork out of the bottle with her teeth and twenty-four hours later she had a mustache!"
Paul wrote to Titus while on the isle of Crete that "there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain." (Titus 1:10-11) It is a sad case but this can describe some of the preaching/teaching in the church.
Paul was absolutely making certain he was not a "huckster", a "peddler" of God's word. "For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God." (II Cor. 2:17) He said "like many".
Today, it seems there are more and more "peddlers of God's word." They try to get things their way, to their advantage while coming across as honest and sincere. Just read II Tim. 3:1-9 and you will see them in the church. They need to be avoided. We need men today of sincerity! We need men that are honest with God's word and not trying to use it to fulfill our wants and thinking. There was a saying about preachers: "When you can't do anything else, preach!" What a sad comentary on preachers. Pray for godly preachers! Pray for godly teachers!
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The other night I watched a British special called "Miracles for Sale". A British skeptic wanted to expose faith healers so he auditioned a bunch of people and then trained the one selected to perform "miracles". It was interesting to see how these people work. One of the items that really interested me was how the British thought they'd have easy access to congregations in Texas. They thought they'd be able to cold call congregations and be able to line up a weeks worth of shows - but everyone turned them down. It was nice to see that these churches at least had enough integrity to not allow some unknown preacher access to the parishioners.
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