Evangelistic Preaching

Proclaiming the gospel to non-Christians who are listening

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• Publisher: 10Publishing
• eBook ISBN: 9781910587287
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Chapter 1

Evangelistic preaching focuses on Christ and Him crucified

‘John did no miracle, but all things that John spake of this man were true. And many believed on Him there. John 10:41–42.’

– The words engraved on the gravestone of evangelist W.P. Nicholson, in Bangor, N. Ireland

When the apostle Paul wrote his evangelistic book, which we call the Letter to the Romans,⁴ he makes the focal point the cross of Christ. Romans 1 describes humanity in the raw; Romans 2 describes refined humanity, then Romans 3 describes religious humanity, but 3:23 concludes that they are all sinful. Then Paul explains how God devised the means whereby we who should be banished from Him might be reconciled to Him. It is through Christ and Him crucified. Every individual and every religion, even atheism, leads to God, because every individual is going to meet God one day! Only Jesus leads to God on the throne of grace; all other religions lead to God on the throne of judgement. After Paul’s explanation of what Jesus accomplished by His death on the cross in Romans 5, Paul examines the consequences and application of His death and resurrection. It is arguable that the whole book of Romans is about Christ, His cross and resurrection, explaining why Jesus was crucified and rose again, what was achieved at Calvary, and its impact and claims on us, the nations and history.

When Paul wrote explaining his method and motivation in preaching – his homiletic – which we read in the beginning of 1 Corinthians, he builds up to the climactic conclusion in 2:2 that he determined or resolved ‘not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.’ A definite Christ and a definite cross led him to that definite conclusion: that in evangelistic preaching he was always going to pave the way to Christ crucified. Interestingly, John Stott, preaching at the Keswick Convention in the year 2000, spoke on the early chapters of 1 Corinthians. His outline of the passage 1:17 to 2:2 had three points:

1.	God’s power through weakness in the evangel (1:17–25)
2.	God’s power through weakness in the evangelised (1:26–29)
3.	God’s power through weakness in the evangelist (1:30–2:2)

Paul later wrote, ‘Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you … For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures …’ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The Greek word euangelizimai means ‘to announce good news’ and is used over fifty times in the New Testament, and the word kērussō meaning ‘to be a herald’, or ‘to proclaim’, is used more than sixty times. Other words used in the New Testament mean ‘to talk’, or ‘to discourse’, or ‘to tell thoroughly’, but all convey how prominent for the early Christians was the work of declaring the good news of Jesus crucified and risen to the people of their generation.

The basics of the gospel message

Examining in detail the sermons preached in the book of Acts (though it is evident that what we have in Acts are sermon outlines or précis, or they would have all been very short messages indeed), every one of them refers both to the resurrection of Jesus and to repentance. There has to be death before there can be resurrection, and there has to be the cross if repentance is to be of any value. Belief in the resurrection made Christian preaching possible, and repentance gave Christian preaching its objective.

The whole gospel is contained in Jesus, and through the gospel we see the very heart of God more clearly than through creation alone. Gospel proclamation has to focus on what God has done through Jesus, and an explanation of the hidden work of Christ on the cross. God laid on Him the sin of the world. ‘For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us’ (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus, the righteous One, died for we who are unrighteous, and His righteousness can be imputed to us. He was made sin; He carried it all on Himself. The blood of Jesus was shed so that we might be justified, redeemed, and reconciled to God. ‘He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world’ (1 John 2:2). Through His death and resurrection we are adopted into the family of God and so may call God our Father. The person of Jesus is the very heart of the gospel. No wonder we often read in Wesley’s Journals words like, ‘I offered Christ to the people for three hours’. It is clear that we cannot overlook or omit the big themes of the gospel and expect to see genuine conversions to Christ.

Jesus spelled out in His final words – reported by Luke in his gospel – what is to be the content of an evangelistic message. We read that Jesus told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem’ (Luke 24:46–47). God’s agenda for the church is that we proclaim to our neighbours and the nations Jesus’ sufferings, His resurrection, the need to repent and the promise of forgiveness. In fact Jesus says that this is what all the Scriptures are about – see verses 44–45. So there is no difference in emphasis between the Old and the New Testament. There are common, central themes, and at the heart of them is the idea of redemption purchased by Jesus on the cross. Salvation and forgiveness of sins are one and the same in the Bible. Whatever else we are doing, if we are not proclaiming Christ crucified and risen, whilst at the same time calling people to repent and believe, we are not preaching evangelistically. Ajith Fernando writing about Matthew 24:14 (‘This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come’), says this verse is important ‘because it presents what should be the most important agenda in the church’s programme: the taking of the gospel to the whole world.’⁵

After Jesus’ great commission in Luke 24, He assures that the Triune God is committed to the gospel being proclaimed to our neighbours (i.e. Jerusalem) and the nations. He says, ‘Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high’ (24:49). So, we have the promise of the Father, the plans of the Son, and the power of the Spirit, working with us (Mark 16:20), as we work with Him (1 Corinthians 3:9).

The priorities of Christian communication

It is noble and good to give porridge to the poor, to save the whale, for street pastors to provide flip-flops for drunken revellers, to teach agriculture and provide irrigation systems for the developing world, to be environmentally friendly as well as to create and serve the community. Such endeavours may even be used to build a bridge to people so that we can tell them about Jesus, but these are not what gospel ministry is about. Of course, kindness and good deeds will characterise the Christian. We want to do good – it comes naturally to the believer (Ephesians 2:10). But the great commission is to go and tell, to preach and proclaim, to warn and welcome sinners as we introduce them to Christ. Topping the agenda of church leaders’ and members’ meetings ought always to be strategically reviewing and planning the programme of fulfilling Jesus’ words before His ascension. It is a priority of the church and of our preaching. There are some helpful seminars today on why churches die. One obvious reason is that evangelism has fallen from the top of priorities for church.

Newspapers recently reported that churches in the last year have provided 10 million ‘man hours’ to local authorities to help them in times of financial cuts. If local councils ask us to run youth clubs and care for the needy, praise God, but only if they are happy for us to present the gospel and speak about Jesus. I read recently, ‘Sometimes people talk as if by renovating a city park or turning a housing slum into affordable, liveable apartments, we are extending God’s reign over that park or that neighbourhood … but the kingdom isn’t geographical. Rather, it is defined relationally and dynamically; it exists where knees and hearts bow to the King and submit to Him … Good deeds are good, but they don’t broaden the kingdom of God.’⁶ The evangelical’s calling is not ‘community’ but Christ in all things having the pre-eminence. If schools, universities or social gatherings do not want us to speak of Jesus, then let us not water down the message, simply to ‘keep our toe in the door’. One of the most devastating criticisms I heard about a well-known preacher who had just spoken at a university CU carol service was, ‘Great communicator … no gospel!’⁷

I remember discussing these issues on a beach mission when I was a teenager. The imaginative team leader made up a parable to illustrate the truth as he saw it. He told the story of a man rescued from drowning at sea. But, in saving the drowning man the rescuer was battered by the waves and beaten against the rocks. Eventually, he was airlifted by a helicopter to a hospital where it was unsure as to whether he would live. Some weeks later the person rescued went to see his ‘saviour’ who was still in the Intensive Care Unit. They talked for a while during which time the hospitalised man offered his visitor a Polo mint. When eventually he left his hospital visit, he bumped into a friend who enquired where he had been.

‘To see someone in hospital,’ he replied.

‘Well, are you going to tell me who it was?’ he was asked.

‘Oh, just a friend!’

‘Well, who?’ he was asked again.

The answer came: ‘Oh … just someone who once gave me a Polo mint!’

Of course, there is something incongruous about that. What is a Polo mint compared with being rescued from drowning, especially when it cost the rescuer so much? The beach mission leader was warning against the danger of sermons and testimonies that are focused on the ‘Polo mints’ of the peace, joy, purpose, friends and sense of well-being we have found since becoming Christians, rather than forgiveness a...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Contents
• Introduction The need for evangelistic preaching
• Chapter 1 Evangelistic preaching focuses on Christ and Him crucified
• Chapter 2 Evangelistic preaching manifests love
• Chapter 3 Evangelistic preaching demonstrates creativity
• Chapter 4 Evangelistic preaching connects with the non-Christian
• Chapter 5 Evangelistic preaching expects results
• References
• Recommended books