Preaching the gospel of Christ is a Divine responsibility of immense
proportions. Preachers are obligated, to God, to preach the gospel
message and this clearly reveals the enormity of such a responsibility,
since God is the highest and ultimate authority all must answer to. No
other position on earth has, directly related to it, the eternal destiny
of the souls of men as does the preacher.
The apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians stated,
"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for
necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the
gospel!" (1Cor.9:16). Paul clearly understood the
responsibility placed upon him as a preacher of the gospel and necessity
of accomplishing this and so should the preacher of today. He was
blessed to be God’s spokesman to the Gentiles (Rom.11:11). Paul was
indeed thankful for this blessing bestowed upon him. After further
consideration of this Paul says, "And I thank Christ Jesus our
Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into
the ministry…" (1 Tim.1:12).
Paul declared he was the chief of sinners, yet he received mercy.
Therefore, it was incumbent upon Paul to preach Christ to those who
might believe his message so that they too would have the opportunity to
be saved by grace (1 Tim.1:16). Knowing he was saved by the grace of God
Paul felt the need to declare that same message of grace to all that
were lost. He even went so far as to pronounce a "woe" or a
"curse" upon himself if he did anything less than preach the
gospel of Christ, whereby, grace comes.
The same is true today for any preacher who desires to be God’s
spokesman and who desires to stand up for the cause of Christ. At the
heart of the matter is the heart of the preacher. It simply is
impossible for one to articulate the immense love of God unless the
preacher himself is cognizant of the grace that is found in Christ (2
Tim.1:9). In other words, the preacher must appreciate the necessity of
the grace of God in his own life before he can preach about the need for
it in other’s lives. The desire to preach is predicated upon one’s
love for God, His grace, the truth of His Word, His kingdom, His people
and love for the souls who remain strangers to God. Love, therefore, is
the motive for preaching.
Within my heart is a burning desire to reach out to people with the
love of God by preaching to them the cross of Christ. However, this was
not always so. After being baptized into Christ I did not remain
faithful to Him. Admittedly, I loved the world more than Jesus and His
kingdom. However, my father passed away in 1990 and this traumatic event
was the impetus for me to focus my attention on spiritual matters rather
than on worldly things and myself. I began reading my Bible with great
passion, becoming more familiar with it and with my God.
While maturing, I began to realize the hopelessness of so many people
due to their refusal to submit to the Lord’s will and to have a
relationship with Christ. I saw the significance of the soul of each
human being. Instead of seeing a mere individual, I saw an eternal soul
in need of salvation. The love for souls created within in me the desire
to share the good news of Jesus Christ and His grace and mercy.
My love for God, His word and His church has grown and, of course, my
love for lost souls. Like Jesus, I do not want anyone to perish but for
all to come to repentance. Like Jesus, it is my desire for all to be
saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. I am convinced that the
best hope for our world, our country and our communities, is in the
abundant life that only Jesus can provide. I found this out for myself
and now want to share this joy, the joy of Christ, with everyone in need
of His mercy.
As a preacher of the gospel I believe I have been entrusted with the
faith that I must share with others. As Paul said, "Woe is me if
I preach not the gospel." It is my desire to be under Divine
obligation to preach Christ because it is the most important message for
every soul and because the One who saved me desires that I preach it to
others. I have been reconciled to Jesus Christ and, therefore, feel the
great need to preach the same message of reconciliation, of hope, of
mercy and of grace to all that are willing to hear.
God saw a great importance attached to preaching and ordained it as
the primary means of saving lost souls. From Noah, in the book of
Genesis, to the beloved apostle John, in Revelation, preaching was the
means by which men were to be saved. Men by their own wisdom or devices
will never come to know God without hearing the message preached. The
apostle Paul makes this clear to the Romans, "How then shall
they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher?" (Rom.10:14). Paul spoke of this same
importance by saying, "For the message of the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us being saved it is the
power of God…" (1 Cor.1:18). A preacher must know that the
only hope lost souls will ever have is through the loving proclamation
of the gospel in a way that shows concern and compassion for those in
need of forgiveness and hope.
Fundamental to loving souls is the idea that there may not be much
time to reach them. I believe there must be a sense of urgency in our
preaching today. There are many souls separated from God because of sin
and they are facing a certain pending death. Once this happens, and it
could happen at any moment, it is too late and beyond the help of any
preacher. The Hebrews writer says, "And as it is appointed for
men to die once, but after this the judgment." A preacher once
said, (and I’m not sure who), "We preach as a dying man to
dying men." This is the right attitude a preacher must have in
his preaching. Preachers must reach other souls and let them know that
they do not have to die a second death and be separated from God for an
eternity. We must tell them how they can avoid this and how they can
have a relationship with Jesus, now, before it is too late.
Directly related to the concern for souls and the urgency in reaching
them is the fact of knowing that the gospel can change the lives of lost
souls. The preacher must have the appropriate faith and confidence in
the power of God’s message to save souls. Paul tells us that the
gospel "is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
believes…" (Rom.1:16). Without the preaching of the gospel,
salvation would certainly never be made known to lost souls as they
would be absent the only "power" to change their lives. The
Word of God, or the gospel, is certainly not a "dead letter"
as so many today claim. The Hebrews writer actually tells us that the
Word, "…is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"
(Heb.4:12). Since it is this powerful, then it must be preached. Of
course, one must understand that it is the gospel of God that is
powerful and not the preacher. However, the preacher must always preach
powerfully and truthfully, but the true power lies in the Divine
message, the gospel.
Not only should the preacher understand the power of the gospel to
change lives, he must also believe his hearers have the individual
ability and capacity to change, if they are willing. God’s plan for
the saving of the world was in designing a plan (the Word) that would
lead people to believe in "the Man" (the Christ), God’s Son,
who is the One who actually has the power to save.
The gospel message is designed to change lives but the force behind
the method of preaching is to bring about the necessary change in the
individual, implying the ability of the hearer to respond. The Bible
illustrates this point well. On the day of Pentecost the preaching of
the message saved three thousand souls. First, it was the gospel message
that "cut to the heart" and motivated the people to
change their minds (Acts 2:37). Second, it was the personal will and
determination of the people to understand their serious predicament and
accept the message of Peter as true (Acts 2:41). The Bible plainly
teaches that "Whosoever will," or whoever desires so, may and
can be saved. All around us are signs of people who are lost and
alienated from their Creator. Preachers, however, must believe in the
ability of their hearers to change their lives, minds and hearts as they
hear and obey the gospel.
The love for God and for souls is necessarily built upon the preacher’s
love for God’s Word. The preacher must have faith in the Bible if he
is going to have any effectiveness. One is only as credible as his
message. If a preacher doubts any portion of Scripture, then his message
will ultimately fail. The preacher must believe the Bible to be the
inerent Word of God and he must believe every word of it is inspired.
The apostle Paul wrote Timothy, "All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be
complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2
Tim.3:16-17). This is such a fundamental belief that any man who claims
to be a preacher and does not believe in the inspiration of God’s Word
has no credibility with man or God. The preacher must be convicted of
the truth of God’s Word.
In writing of conviction, Thomas Holland says, "The second of
these essential characteristics of God’s man is conviction. Paul
reminded Timothy that he was to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ
(2 Tim.2:3). The Christian soldier must fight the good fight of faith (1
Tim.6:12). God’s man must be convicted of the reality of sin , that
people are lost in sin, that the gospel is God’s power to save men
from the guilt, power, and condemnation of sin" (Preaching
Principles and Practice, pg. 32).
Paul taught the preacher’s manifesto as found in his second letter
to Timothy. He wrote, "I CHARGE you therefore before God and the
Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His
appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out
of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching"
(2Tim.4:1). A preacher must preach the Word because he is charged by God
to do so. God has commanded him! A preacher should also be aware of the
solemnity of this "charge" because the Word of God is the very
means by which a soul can be saved. James writes, "…and
receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your
souls" (James 1:21). Of course, if one is going to be saved he
must have faith because it is impossible to please God without it
(Heb.11:6). But the only a way an individual will ever gain faith is
through the Word (Rom.10:17). By preaching the Word the preacher is
giving the hearer the opportunity to acquire faith in God from His Word
and the opportunity to submit to the will of God and be saved. I believe
that this is the only thing a preacher can preach. He must not preach
science, politics, theories, philosophy, jokes and magazine articles.
Rather, the preacher’s mission is simply, "Preach the word."
Another aspect of this charge to preach is that the preacher must do
so "in season and out of season." That is, he must do
so when the hearers are willing to listen and are attentive and when
they are not. We live in a time much like it was in the day of the
prophet Isaiah. People are very hard to satisfy and are extremely
critical of not only the preacher but, unfortunately, the message.
Postmodern thinking has made preaching against error and sin
distasteful. Many people are longing for grace but not necessarily
truth. They are longing for mercy but turn their heads at the suggestion
they need to repent. The people of today are telling preachers the very
same thing that was told to the prophet Isaiah, "…Do not
prophesy to us right things; prophesy deceits. Get out of the way, Turn
aside from the path, Cause the Holy One of Israel To cease from before
us" (Isaiah 30:10-11). The preacher needs to stand for truth
and to preach it in love but he must never compromise the truth so that
others might not be offended. Paul reminded Timothy to stand firm during
such times and not to let people get the best of him. He told him,
"Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let
no one despise you" (Titus 2:15).
The preacher ought to demonstrate his love for God’s Word by making
sure to speak it clearly. The inspired Word is a revelation from God.
The purpose of preaching is to make known the mind of God to others. A
preacher needs to make sure what he is speaking is the truth and then
articulate it in a manner that is easily understood by all. An unclear
or vague message is not a successful sermon because it has not edified;
it has not caused reflection or introspection on the part of the
hearers. The audience of the preacher may not necessarily agree with
what the preacher may have said but there really is no excuse for his
hearers not understanding what he has said. The book of Nehemiah says,
"So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and
helped them to understand the reading" (Neh.8:8). Jesus spoke
clearly when He spoke to people and so should we.
Today we live in the age of instant communication and instant
information, therefore, the preacher must sharpen his skills.
Personally, I believe television has hurt the attention spans of people,
especially those who are younger. This means that preachers must work
harder to keep the attention of those they are trying to reach.
Preachers should try to use different methodologies of presentation.
With the advent of computers, perhaps it might be wise to learn how to
use Power Point Presentations. Computers and programs are certainly
areas a preacher should familiarize himself with.
Finally, a preacher should desire to share the Word of God with
everyone. We should gain great pleasure in training others to know God’s
Word better and to ultimately know their God better. Studying the Bible,
spreading the good news, touching people’s lives, seeing lives change
and training others in the Word is the greatest joy in my life.