“Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know Him through human wisdom, He has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.” (1 Corinthians 1:21 NLT)
What comes to mind when you think of “preaching”? The word Paul used above that is translated “preaching” means: “that which is proclaimed by a herald or public crier, a proclamation by heralds of God or Christ.” Remember, originally, especially as new converts were being made and Jewish resistance continued to increase, much of Paul’s and other’s preaching was public or one on one.
Like today’s “street preachers”, they “proclaimed” the Gospel message to whomever would listen, often, as today, at the risk of injury or death. Why would they put their own health and safety at risk to share with others the message of the Cross? Because His message is life or death; heaven or hell! There are literally eternal implications for those who need to hear the Gospel message.
The most compelling reason for anyone to “preach”, to share our faith in Jesus is because the Lord Jesus asks us to share. Paul Washer had it right when he wrote: “Saving fallen humanity through the preaching of the gospel is not just a calculated strategy of God, but His supreme delight.” And please don’t misunderstand, preaching saves no one! However, hearing is the vehicle, as without hearing the Gospel, how can anyone believe? Paul wrote in Romans 10:17: “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.”
Another misconception when someone hears the term “preaching” is that only “Preachers” preach, but as Paul used the term, he had reference to everyone who was a believer. Every saved person has a responsibility to share their new life, but the sad truth is, even many so-called “preachers” today don’t share the true Gospel of salvation in Christ alone by faith alone. Mark Dever nailed it when he wrote: “A church confused about the gospel is worse than worthless. It is a blocked emergency exit. It’s an elevator to hell.
It can’t be stressed enough that sharing our love for and faith in the Lord Jesus isn’t simply “a nice thing to do,” it’s as critical as throwing a life preserver to a drowning person. People who are lost, unsaved, still trapped in their sin and shame, who have no hope of eternal life in Jesus are destined to a Christless eternity in hell unless and until someone like me or you gets over ourselves and shares the Good News of Christ’s loving sacrifice on their behalf with them.
Who in your spheres of influence is lost? They’re not hard to spot, the tricky part is, sometimes they shield their lostness in a cloak of confidence. When I was in high school one of the most popular boys in the school asked me to give him a ride. He was at least a grade or two ahead of me, so I was almost in awe of the opportunity to be of service to him.
He was friendly, but aloof, went into the store, came out and I dropped him off with the usual courtesies. The next day he drove his parents’ car into the river and drowned himself! What if I’d been able to get over myself and ask him if he was doing okay? What if I’d been less concerned about myself and more concerned as to whether he knew Jesus?
Lord of Heaven’s Armies, please give me/us sensitivity to the needs of those around us. Open our hearts to You and build into us a greater longing to be Your instruments of life to those who are walking in death. Enable us by Your grace, to open our mouths that You might fill them with words of life for those who are perishing. We love You and we want to honor and please You by obeying Your directives to reach those in our spheres of influence to Your honor and their eternal good. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!”
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 