“The greatest job on earth “Soul winning”
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” -- Proverbs 11:30.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16)
The search for meaning
The Greek philosopher Socrates made this statement:
"Oh that someone would arise, man or god, to show us God." In the
minds of scholars, here's one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived; and
yet he, himself, had beating in his own breast—and he admitted it—oh that god
could come in a man and show the world god in human form.
Plato, who was one of the great students of Socrates, said, "Unless a god man comes to us and reveals to us the Supreme Being, there is no help or hope." What am I saying? I am saying I don't care who you are, I don't care what nation it is, I do not care what generation it is, there beats in man a desire to see God in flesh. Again, Plato said, "The world will never be set right." Now please listen. Plato did not know about what he was talking, but he almost hit the nail on the head. "The world will never be set right until the perfect man arises who will be persecuted, buffeted, and tied to a stake and so bring a new righteousness." That's Plato talking. he was searching for something for which all men have searched.
Plato, who was one of the great students of Socrates, said, "Unless a god man comes to us and reveals to us the Supreme Being, there is no help or hope." What am I saying? I am saying I don't care who you are, I don't care what nation it is, I do not care what generation it is, there beats in man a desire to see God in flesh. Again, Plato said, "The world will never be set right." Now please listen. Plato did not know about what he was talking, but he almost hit the nail on the head. "The world will never be set right until the perfect man arises who will be persecuted, buffeted, and tied to a stake and so bring a new righteousness." That's Plato talking. he was searching for something for which all men have searched.
God is constantly
initiating and seeking man to come to him. God created us with the intention
that we would know him. He has surrounded us with evidence of himself and he
keeps the question of his existence squarely before us. Hence nobody can really
escape thinking about the possibility of God.
Malcolm Muggeridge, socialist and philosophical author, wrote, "I
had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued." C.S.
Lewis said he remembered, "...night after night, feeling whenever my mind
lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him
whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was
God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant
convert in all of England."Lewis went on to write a book titled,
"Surprised by Joy" as a result of knowing God.
Jesus Christ is the clearest, most
specific picture of God revealing himself to us.
The birth of Jesus in a little town of Bethlehem forever
changed the history of the world and the age old search of humankind. Jesus
birth was not an ordinary birth! The remarkable signal and
subsequent proceedings were the evidence that Jesus Christ is the most unique
personality ever lived in all history. The Old Testament prophets
predicted his coming. The Angel
Gabriel announced His arrival. The Angelic host sang a chorus
for Him. The brightest star marked
His presence. The Wise men came to
worship Him. The Shepherds came to honor Him.
The Priests knew from the Scripture that He was coming. Jerusalem
was troubled at His coming. Simeon, the just and wise man in the
Jerusalem temple took Jesus in his arms and blessed God and said “Lord….my eyes
have seen your salvation…which you have prepared before the face of all people.
Rulers like Herod the king learned of His birth and became fearful and afraid.
Anger filled their hearts. Murder was conspired and executed. Fearful of losing
their power, they sought his death by every possible means. Demons trembled.
Satan became enraged. All hell was allied against Him. But God was watching and
He lived in spite of all.
Jesus is the central figure of all history
and was
the greatest missionary of all time. In fact, He left heaven and His exalted
position there to come down to earth on the greatest mission trip of all time.
His mission was to redeem the earth and save mankind from the fatal results of
Adams fall. He stayed long enough to finish the work of redemption. However,
His coming into the world was not the beginning of Jesus. He was the word that
was in the beginning. He came from eternity. He always was and is eternal God.
He came from glory, the glory that was before the world ever was (John 17:5).
He temporarily laid aside His glory and took a body, through the Virgin Mary,
to live in long enough to die for the sins of the world. Jesus birth was
the incarnation of God on earth, opening the door to new hope and eternal life. Nobody has changed the world the way Jesus has. He was not a man who became God, which is
impossible, but God who became a man. So why did Jesus come to earth as God in human form? .C. S.
Lewis said it well: "The Son of God
became a man that men might become sons of God." God became a man so
that you might become God's child.
Looking unto Jesus, John the Baptist made a
statement to reveal that the fulfillment of all that the law had prophesied of
the promised sacrifice for the sins of man was about to take place, for the One
who was promised was there. Bible declares that “The next day John saw Jesus
coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world!"(John 1:29)
What did John mean by saying, "Behold, (in
the Latin, ecce,) is a note of admiration, of wonderment, of
exclamation. “ Behold the Lamb of God!" There was nothing of greater
wonder ever seen than that God Himself should provide the Lamb for the burnt
offering, that He should provide His only Son out of His very bosom, and that
He should give the delight of His heart to die for us. Angels admire and marvel
at this mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh; they have never left
off wondering and adoring the grace of god that gave Jesus to be the Sacrifice
for guilty men. "John's naming Jesus publicly as the Lamb of God recalls
Isaiah's 'Servant of God' who dies for the transgressions of His people (Is
53:4-12). Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, offers Himself for our deliverance
from sin and death (1 pet 1:18-19)."
What is remarkable to me is the recognition in
John of Jesus, and that tells us about the workings of the Spirit or God's
grace in the world. It is also a reflection of the way faith works, as a kind
of recognition, an immediate trust, a knowing. Jesus does not announce Himself
until He is recognized." And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the
Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not
know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you
see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with
the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of
God." John gives his testimony to the One who has been revealed.
The person of
Christ is a great marvel; how God and man can be in one person, it is
impossible for us to describe. We believe what we cannot comprehend; and we
rejoice in what we cannot understand. He whom God has provided to be our
Saviour is both God and man; He can lay His hand upon both parties, He can
touch our manhood in its weakness, and touch the Godhead in its
all-sufficiency. Study Christ; the most excellent of all the sciences in the
knowledge of a crucified Saviour. He is most learned in the University of
Heaven who knows most of Christ. He who hath known most of Him still says that
His love surpasses knowledge. Behold Him, then, with wonder, and behold Him
with thankfulness.
Napoleon Bonaparte said "I know men and I tell you
that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the
world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne,
and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius
upon force. Jesus Christ founded His Empire on love; and at this hour millions
of men would die for Him."
Throughout history, the influence Jesus
had on the lives of people has never been surpassed. No other great leader has
inspired so many positive changes in the lives of his followers. People who
encounter the risen Christ are totally transformed. Their outlook on life is
altered forever. Staying true to their faith, they do not hesitate to face
hardship, persecution and even death. Many devote their lives to serving
others, minimizing their own needs and desires.”
The Gospel Is the Power of God unto Salvation.
The Bible tells us
what the gospel is in (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 GNT),“ And now I want to remind
you, my friends, of the Good News which I preached to you, which you received,
and on which your faith stands firm. That is the gospel, the message
that I preached to you. You are saved by the gospel if you hold firmly to
it—unless it was for nothing that you believed. I passed on to you
what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our
sins, as written in the Scriptures; that he was buried and
that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the
Scriptures;" The gospel is the good news
that God gave us his Son, so as to obtain for us everything that would be good
for us. Therefore the gospel is the power that gives us victory over temptation
to despair and to pride and to greed and to lust. The gospel alone can triumph
over every obstacle and bring us to eternal joy. Whatever it costs, stand in
it, hold it fast, believe on it, feed on it, savor it, and count it more
precious than silver or gold.
The gospel is the singularly
most important communication of God to man. In Jesus, who is God the Son,
we have the revelation of God’s love and sacrifice that saves us from God's
righteous judgment upon sinners. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the summary
explanation of who he is and what he accomplished for you. The word gospel
literally means "good news". It's good news because it's an answer to
a problem. According to the
Evangelical Dictionary of Theology edited by Walter Elwell, "the gospel is
the joyous proclamation of God's redemptive activity in Christ Jesus on behalf
of man enslaved by sin. It is written in the Scriptures that the gospel of
Jesus Christ “…is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth;
to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16)
Paul wrote
to the Galatians how astonished he was that they so quickly departed from the
gospel that they were taught. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that he
wanted them to only know Christ and Him crucified. Paul praised the
church at Philippi for being partners with him in the gospel. And in what
I think is the most obvious lesson of the importance of the gospel, in Mark
chp. 1 Jesus preaches his first sermon, telling people to repent and believe
the gospel.
Gal 1:6-9 “I
am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace
of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is
another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel
of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to
you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be
accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is
preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be
accursed.
1 Cor. 2:1-2
“ And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to
you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I
decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
Phil. 1:3-5 I
thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine
for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership
in the gospel from the first day until now.
Mark 1:14-15 Now
after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of
God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God
is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
"The importance of the
gospel cannot be overstated. Indeed, it is the culminating concept of the
entire Bible. So as the biblical writers proclaimed this good news to all, so
we in turn proclaim it to our readers. As it says in the most famous of all
Bible passages:”For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John
3:16). In short, the Gospel is the life-altering news that Jesus Christ, the eternal
Son of God, became man, lived a sinless life under the Law, died for sinners
and rose again to reconcile them to himself, eternally victorious over every
enemy that stood between God and man. Now, because of this redemptive work,
there is nothing that separates those who believe from their Creator and all
the benefits that He promises in him. It is not merely a recital of theological
truths and historical events; rather, it relates these truths and events to
situations of every individual believer."
This gospel of the Kingdom shall be
preached in the entire world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the
end come. (Matt. 24:14).
The closing passage
in Matthew's Gospel account sums up how Jesus set out the mission of the Church
down through the centuries: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and
lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
Why the Gospel is
significant.
JESUS
is calling us to preach His gospel of Grace, forgiveness and love to the broken
world. Christ’s Great commission is addressed to all His followers. “Go into
the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). And
again: “Go, therefore, making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all
that I have commanded you; and behold I am with you all days even unto the
consummation of the world” (Matt. 28:19,20). These words were addressed not
only to the Apostles but also to all His followers. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ promised: “Therefore everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also
will acknowledge him before My Father in Heaven” (Matt. 10:32), and “He who
reaps receives a wage and gathers fruit unto life everlasting so that the sower
and reaper may rejoice together” (John 4:36).
“Go home to your
friends and tell them what great things God has done for you” (Mk 5:19)2. “Go
into the streets, highways and byways, and bring them in” (Mt 22:9)
“Go into the village opposite to you” (Lk 19:30)
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15)
“Go into the village opposite to you” (Lk 19:30)
“Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15)
But in order to
fully understand what the Gospel is, it is important to understand why the
Gospel is needed. It is helpful to see the gospel in the context of human
history starting with God's creation of all things, man's rebellion against the
Creator, his subsequent fall into corruption and God's redemption of that which
was lost. Adam, the first man, had the capacity to do every good work the law
required; which men, since the fall, have not. Having fallen headlong into sin,
God cursed Adam with death (Gen 2:17, 3:19-22), and with the removal of His
Spirit (1 Cor 2:14), a penalty he passed on to all his posterity. Man
squandered his stewardship and put himself in the position of a moral debt he
cannot repay. Now mankind's spiritually bankrupt condition and fallen nature,
which is beyond repair, render it necessary that if he is to be restored, the
help will have to come from the outside. That redemption comes from God and
comes in the form of the gospel. This gospel is not something man made up or a
well-informed opinion, but is good news directly revealed from Almighty God
regarding what He has done in Jesus Christ to rescue all those who have called
on His name. Yes, it is a divine rescue, a complete deliverance ... not advice,
not a moral improvement program, nor a philosophy of life, since we need
sovereign mercy, not assistance. The proud, or those who fail to see their
moral impotence to save themselves, will reject this gospel. But this is GOOD
NEWS to the poor and broken hearted, (the spiritual bankrupt who have lost all
confidence in their own efforts) ... So all you poor, broken sinners, abandon
despair and banish your laments because of what God has done in His Son, Jesus
Christ the Messiah to deliver His people from their sins.
The gospel is not about
any merit I have, but is based upon Jesus' Person and merit alone. It is not
what we have done for Jesus, but what Jesus has done for us (Rom 5:19, 2 Cor
5:21, Phil 2:8). Where Adam failed, Jesus prevailed. It is God's promise to us,
not our ability to keep our promise to Him. In the covenant rainbow sign with
Noah, God says He "remembers" never to flood the world again, so
likewise in the covenant in Christ's blood, God "remembers" not to
treat us as we justly deserve for our sins. The mystery of God has been made
manifest in the Person and work of the Son, who, in his wrath absorbing
sacrifice, frees the prisoners, gives sight to the blind, breaks loose the
chains and changes hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. We were once taken
captive to do Satan's will and could not escape using our own resources, but
Christ has set us free. Christ, in His cross work, does for us what we could
not do for ourselves. He lived the perfect life that we should have lived and
died the death we should have died, in order to free us so that we might then
proclaim His Excellencies, make known his gospel and spread justice and mercy
to the poor.
Why preaching of the gospel is imperative.
Jesus himself gave the example: the gospel is the most
important thing that the world needs to hear. His earthly ministry was
very short, and he had no time to waste. But in his very first sermon he
preached the gospel (Greek for “good news” by the way). Recall the words
of the Great Commission: “Go into the entire world and preach the gospel to
every creature.” His first and last words to an audience was the
importance of the gospel. The Apostle Paul wrote about two-thirds of what
we call the New Testament. It is clear on several occasions that he
believed sharing the gospel was the most important use of our time and
energy. The world needs to hear more than anything else that Jesus
saves! He is the way, the truth and the life. God doesn’t just
judge the world, he provides escape from judgment. God doesn’t just hand
out rules; he provides grace because he knows we will all fail at the rules
anyway. Our God is an awesome God, and the only way to come to him is by
believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Soul winning is
the greatest job on earth. Jesus said "For what will it profit a
man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Mk 8:36). The
greatest miracle of Pentecost was not the sound from heaven, the mighty wind,
the flames or speaking in tongues. These were only a prelude. The climaxing event
was the repentant and baptism of 3000 people! Pentecost plunders hell to
populate Heaven!
Woe is unto me, if I preach not the
gospel (1 Cor. 9;16).
Several
years ago a survey was taken among pastors concerning the different duties of
the ministry: such as the administration, teaching, preaching, pastoring, counseling,
and charity, the question was asked to hundreds of Christian leaders,
"What do you think is the most important of these ministries?"
Overwhelmingly the response was, "Preaching."The second question was
asked: "Which occupies most of your time?" To that question the
answer was overwhelmingly, "Administration," and preaching was last
on the list. How tragic! That which we feel is most important is what we do the
least.
The
greatest apostle Paul was always great in everything. If we take him simply as
a Disciple of Christ, he was an extraordinary one, loving his Master more than
others, and seeking more than others to exemplify the grace of God in his life.
But if you take him as an apostle, and as a preacher of the Word, he stands out
pre-eminent as the prince of preachers, and a preacher of the gospel —for he
preached before Agrippa, he preached before Nero Caesar—he stood before
emperors and kings for Christ's name's sake. It was the characteristic of Paul,
that whatever he did, he did with all his heart.
Paul’s
Deep passion and commitment for the preaching of the gospel is reflected in his
own words. He said “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have
become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save
some.(1 Corinthians 9:22) “I am
obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the
foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in
Rome. For I am
not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of
God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the
Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:14-16)
Paul says "I
am under compulsion to preach the gospel, and have no choice. I am ruined if I
do not preach it! I do all that I do for the sake of the gospel in the hope of
having a share in its blessings."
Preaching the
gospel In India is a great challenge I have spent my last 25 years preaching
the ‘Good News’ of the Gospel in several states of central and North India.
Preaching the gospel is a unique privilege and delight. Wet eyes and the bent knees are the need of the hour to reap the harvest
that is right. There is not much time left. The Master is coming soon. Deep
down in my hearts, I feel the need for explicit obedience and vigorous action.
Nothing is important than serving the Lord by proclaiming the gospel with added
fervor.
The challenges in our
Nation are enormous due to persistent poverty,
illiteracy, complex social issues and discrimination, poor infrastructure, weak
governance and law and order problems etc; these problems are well known but
not well understood. Preaching the gospel alone can change the
history and can turn the graveyard in to vineyard believing that “unless the Lord
builds the house they labor in vain who build it.” (Psalm 127:1).
The
word 'preach' has a three-fold meaning: - First it means to tell the Word
by mouth. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?
And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can
they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach
unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those
who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14-15)
”But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”." (Acts 1:8) - Second it means to live the Gospel. (We all can do that even if we cannot speak). "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”!" (John 13:34-35) - Third it means to demonstrate or to manifest the Gospel. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 chapter clearly tells us how to demonstrate the Gospel.
Now, listen to
Jesus: "Let us move on to the neighboring villages so that I may proclaim
the gospel there also. That is what I have come to do."Both Paul and Jesus
had given most prominent, predominant and preeminent place to preaching the
gospel.
St
James said “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the
truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will
save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”(James
5:18-19)
When
John Knox left Scotland, the country had deteriorated morally and spiritually.
Finally John Knox decided to return to Scotland. It is said that on every
street corner the word was being spread, "Knox is coming! " The
entire country was filled with electricity because the preacher was returning.
Scotland needed Knox. England needed Spurgeon. America needed Moody, India
needed William Carey / Mother Teresa and now our Nation need preaching again!
In Isaiah 61:1, Isaiah called himself a preacher. In Luke 4:18 Jesus was a
preacher. In II Peter 2:5 Noah was called "a preacher of
righteousness." In Ecclesiastes 1:1 Solomon was called "the
Preacher." In I Timothy 2:7 Paul said that he was "ordained a
preacher." In Mark 1:14 we find that Jesus came to Galilee "preaching
the Gospel." In Matthew 3:la we find, "In those days came John the
Baptist, preaching." In Jonah 3:2 Jonah was admonished to preach to Nineveh
the preaching that God bade him to preach. Acts 8:4 says, "Therefore they
that are scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word." In Acts
14:1 we find that they "so spoke" that multitudes believed. Oh, how
we need some "so-speakers!" Preaching is exactly that. It is
"so-speaking."
For
when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to
preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 1 Corinthians 9:16
I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both
to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager
to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. For I
am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that
brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to
the Gentile Romans 1:14-16
Our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ promised: “Therefore everyone who acknowledges Me
before men, I also will acknowledge him before My Father in Heaven” (Matt.
10:32), and “He who reaps receives a wage and gathers fruit unto life
everlasting so that the sower and reaper may rejoice together” (John 4:36).
Twice
God told Ezekiel: "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of
Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from
Me" (Ezekiel 3:17, 33:1-9).
In more ancient
times, watchmen were appointed for sentry duty, an essential post for the
protection of a tribe or nation. This group of men was charged with alerting
their fellow citizens about hostile military movements. The watchmen's presence
constituted an early warning system that often saved lives. Theirs was an awesome
responsibility.
Ezekiel's role was
to articulate a warning from God to Israel about the very unpleasant
consequences of their unacceptable moral behavior. In discharging this solemn
and sacred duty today, it is no easy task to be both an effective tool in God's
hands and simultaneously be sensitive to the more positive spiritual needs of
the nation.
But to foolishly
neglect this awesome responsibility because of national hurt feelings or fear
of disturbing a country's spiritual sleep would be an unconscionable betrayal
of biblical duty with unpleasant consequences for the watchman.
Ezekiel wasn't the
only Hebrew prophet to occupy the role of a watchman. For God had also told
Isaiah: "Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he sees" (Isaiah
21:6).
The Church's role
to alert people of their sins and the consequences of those sins is not only a
message found in Ezekiel and Isaiah, but also in Jeremiah, Daniel and the 12
Minor Prophets. It is discovered in Christ's Olivet Prophecy, Paul's prophetic
warnings and the book of Revelation. The words of Paul in Colossians 1:28
compel us to "preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."
compel us to "preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."
Isaiah 58:1
sums up the essence of this particular aspect of the overall gospel message: "Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." Remember that sin is the transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4).
sums up the essence of this particular aspect of the overall gospel message: "Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." Remember that sin is the transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4).
The preacher’s task is more important
than that of any other.
Christ's
gospel constitutes more than the recorded life of a good man and a personal
savior. It includes the news that the living Jesus Christ, ascended on high, is
literally returning to this earth and into your life. It is the good news of
the coming Kingdom of God. It is the only lasting hope for a troubled world.
Yet there remains a crucial element of warning within the scope and spectrum of
the overall gospel message. This important dimension is described within the
context of Jesus' Olivet Prophecy in Matthew 24."And this gospel of the
kingdom will be preached in the entire world as a witness to all the
nations, and then the end [of this age] will come" (Matthew 24:14).
The preacher’s task is
important because, by using God’s word, he proclaims good tidings about Jesus
Christ. Jesus described the nature of his work when in Luke 4:18 he quoted from
Isaiah 61:1-3. He declared that his work was to preach good tidings to the
poor, to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, to give
recovery of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
Isaiah had also said of him that he would give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy
for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
Did you notice that with
this language the work of Jesus is described as turning desperate conditions
into wonderful ones? So it is also that biblical preaching is uplifting.
Biblical preaching announces good news about Jesus Christ, and
what he has done for the good of all humanity. Gospel preachers have a positive
message to meet all the sorrows of a sin filled world. Such preaching produces
joyful results.
Biblical preaching
understands the human predicament that in Adam, all have sinned, that sin has
separated everyone from God, that no one can justify himself before God, and
that without Christ everyone is doomed to suffer the penalty of eternal torment
and separation from God. Biblical preaching understands that in spite of sin,
God loves the world and wants everyone freed from sin, that he therefore gave
his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of
those who believe and obey him, and that believers may not only be saved from
eternal torment and separation from God, but may also live eternally with God.
In this sin filled world,
what profession could be more useful, more noble, or more meaningful than that
of preaching this good news about Jesus Christ? Isaiah
indicated that the work of Jesus resulted in believers being “trees of
righteousness.” Isaiah called them “the planting of the Lord.”
The preacher’s task is more
important than that of any other. The physician heals, but his healing of the
physical body has only temporal importance whereas preaching has spiritual and
eternal significance. Jesus could heal the sick better than any physician, but
he left healing to preach (Mark 1:30-38). The lawyer’s task is to deal with the
law, but a lawyer’s concern with law is generally for time, not for eternity.
Moreover, a lawyer’s concern pertains to the physical not the spiritual
realities of life. Law and medicine are two of the most honorable professions
in any society, but preaching is more worthy of the best of human talents and
energy than either of them, or of any other profession.
Name any other profession,
such as being a school teacher, a counselor, a politician, a business man or
woman, or whatever other profession you wish, and preaching is more significant
because preaching turns sinners into saints, and gives guidance to life not
only for time, but also for eternity. Preaching is the work of bringing
humanity and all human endeavors into alignment with God and his word. What
other work can be more important than that?
Every Christian young man,
who is thinking about what he shall do in life, should consider being a
preacher. Every Christian young woman should consider that her life may be more
productive in the Lord by being married to a preacher. All Christian parents
should want their children to be preachers and teachers of the gospel. Every
church should encourage their young to be preachers and missionaries. Christian
parents and churches would do well to assist their youth in preparing to preach
and teach the gospel throughout the world.
"I
am under compulsion to preach the gospel, and have no choice. I am ruined if I
do not preach it! I do all that I do for the sake of the gospel in the hope of
having a share in its blessings."
That
was St. Paul. Now, listen to Jesus: "Let us move on to the neighboring
villages so that I may proclaim the gospel there also. That is what I have come
to do."
Both
Paul and Jesus sure place a lot of importance on preaching the gospel. They
make it sound like it’s their most important job. Did you ever think that maybe
it should be important to us, too? Should we be going around preaching the
gospel? (Not just people like me in these funny clothes, but all of us?)
In Luke 4:18, when Jesus is quoting Isaiah, he
said "He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor." And in
Luke 7:22, he says "Go, tell John what you have seen and heard: ... the
poor have the gospel proclaimed to them."
Of
all the times "gospel" is mentioned in the New Testament (103 times
in the KJV), only four times does it say anything about just what the
gospel message is. Here are those four passages:
Matthew
24:13-14: "The one who perseveres to the end will be saved. And this
gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world."
Mark
1:14: "Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: ‘This is the
time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe.’"
(These
first two are from Jesus. The last two are from Paul.)
Romans 1:16: "I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is
the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes."
1 Corinthians
15:1-6: "I want to make quite clear to you, brothers, what the message of
the gospel that I preached to you is: that Christ died for our sins, that he was
buried, that he was raised on the third day, and that he appeared ..."
Now, if we put all
these together, we get a gospel message something like this: "The kingdom
of God is arrived; Christ died for our sins and was raised. Repent and believe.
If you persevere, you will be saved by the power of God. Gospel is the power of
God for the salvation of everyone who believes."
Gospel
is the power of God and Preaching gospel is truth set on fire. Preaching is
demolition of error. Preaching is doubt's healing balm. Preaching is the Holy
Spirit's amplifier. Preaching is the Saviour's projector. Preaching is fact on
fire and truth aflame. Preaching is worship's entree. Preaching is the
adornment of the Bible. Preaching is the power of God unto salvation. Preaching
is revival's forerunner. Preaching is the church's heart. Preaching is doctrine
clothed in excitement. Preaching is love's smile. Preaching is sin's greatest
adversary. Preaching is frustration's funeral. Preaching is doubt's
demise. Preaching is fear's failure. Preaching is depression's death.
Preaching is disappointment's decline. Preaching is faith's food.
Preaching is profundity delivered in simplicity. Preaching was the first thing
done by the Mayflower pilgrims. Preaching is the mender of broken
relationships. Preaching is the healer of broken hearts. Preaching is the
revival of broken dreams. Preaching is Hell's greatest enemy Preaching is the
sinner's best friend. Preaching is the saint's dinner. Preaching is
genius with a halo. Preaching is fire in the pulpit that melts the ice in
the pew.
Preaching
saved Nineveh, ignited Pentecost and turned the Judean wilderness into a
Baptist revival.
It was preaching that saved Scotland under John Knox. It
was preaching that spared England under Whitefield, Wesley and Spurgeon. It was
preaching that spared America under Moody and Billi Graham, and it is preaching that
will save Every Nation. I Corinthians 1:21, "It pleased God by the
foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." It was preaching that
inspired 3000 people join the church on the day of Pentecost. It was preaching
that saved Nineveh. May God take us back to old-fashioned, Spirit-filled,
Christ-honoring, sin-hating, soul-winning, Bible preaching! It is the hope of
the church! It is the hope of the nation! It is the hope of the world!
