The word “urgent” is defined as “compelling or requiring immediate action or attention; imperative; pressing” (dictionary.com). This is exactly the feeling Paul seemed to have regarding preaching. About Saul, later to be known as Paul, the text says, “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20). Both the NKJV and the ESV use the word “immediately.”

Why did Paul have such unquestioned urgency about his work? When he wrote to the Corinthians, he said, “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16). Two things seem to stand out here. First, Paul believed it was necessary for him to preach the Gospel and second, he felt condemned if he did not. Regarding the first point, while defending himself before King Agrippa Paul recounted the events that happened when Jesus appeared to him on Damascus road. He said the Lord told him, “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:16–18). He had been chosen by Jesus and commissioned by Jesus and hence it was compulsory for him to courageously carry the message of Jesus to the masses.

Regarding the second point, Paul now realized that without Christ he would have stood condemned. He had been a blasphemer and a persecutor but he had obtained mercy (1 Timothy 1:13). He goes on to tell Timothy “Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting” (1 Timothy 1:16). For Paul to refuse to preach was for him to squander the great gift of mercy given to him by God and to cause perhaps others to be lost because they could not see the pattern of God’s great mercy pictured in Paul. Concerning the word “woe” used by Paul, in “Vincent’s Word Studies” comments on Jude 11, 1 Corinthians 9:16 is mentioned. Vincent’s says in this passage “the word is not used as an imprecation, but almost as a noun.” Indeed, it would be a tragedy for Paul, and for millions of others, had he not felt the urgency to preach the word of God!

Near the end of his life Paul wrote to Timothy and saying, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:1–2). Though the KJV uses the word “instant” in this passage, the ASV uses the word “urgent”—”be urgent in season, out of season.” Ellicott says it is “…best to understand this rather difficult word as an injunction to Timothy to be earnest and urgent generally in the whole work of his ministry.” (Ellicott, Charles John. “Commentary on 2 Timothy 4:1”. “Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers.” http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ebc/view.cgi?bk=2ti&ch=4. 1905.). Paul seems to indicate that not only did he believe his own work to be urgent, but that Timothy, and every other preacher of the Gospel, should share his sense of urgency. A great question for every Gospel preacher to ask himself each day is this, “Do I on this day possess the unquestioned urgency about my work that Paul felt about his?” If we could all answer in the affirmative, what a difference that would make in the spread of the Gospel today!