In his letter to the Corinthians Paul declared the priority of preaching in his ministry—“For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel” (1 Cor 1:17). This gospel was the “power of God” leading to the salvation of all who believed (Rom 1:16). Preaching was not a role Paul had chosen for himself. He spoke of being “compelled to preach” and confessed, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor 9:16; cf. Acts 20:24; Jer 20:9). To the Romans he wrote of his