The key to gospel preaching is for it to be relevant to people.
Some people think that the word “preach” means
to verbalize the gospel and the verbalizing meets the requirement of
preaching the gospel.
One of the greatest hindrances and turn-offs to people accepting the gospel is the selfish, self-preserving orators who articulate the gospel, some with charismatic bellowing and yelling in judgmental condemning of people’s lifestyle yet, their lifestyle, (which is not open to viewing because of the hypocritical living) is worse than the people’s lives they are judging and condemning.
Verbalizing the gospel without the actual lifestyle of what is verbalized (if what is verbalized is the true gospel) being the lifestyle of the verbalizer is one of the biggest reasons for the rejection of the gospel!
Talking about Christ has less effect on people for Christ than living in Christ while living for Christ.
Preaching by living is painting a beautiful picture of the attributes of God and is more effective than a thousand verbalized words.
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Verbalizing the gospel without living the gospel is paramount to falsifying the gospel. Like Jesus who not only verbalized the gospel but lived it by caring, showing compassion, kindness and love in His living of the gospel.
To many verbalizers of the gospel refuse to enter the brokenness of the people to whom they “preach to”...let me rephrase that...”preach AT”!
The best argument for the gospel is believers: their love, their compassion, their understanding, their kindness and their forgiveness.
But, the strongest argument against the gospel are also “Christians”, who take great pride in their judging, condemning, condescending self-righteous smugness in their complacent consecration, when they are self-righteous in their repressive narrow mindedness causing the true gospel to die a thousand deaths.
Yet, they feel justified, sanctified and glorified because they have verbalized the gospel.
If Jesus were to walk our Sunday-morning-streets today, many churches would not give Him place to verbalize His message because they would disqualify Him because He kept company with sinners and lived among the down-and-outers. Then again I do not believe He would even seek a pulpit in any “church” to verbalize His message...no, no, no...He would live a lifestyle gospel among the down-and-outers...the outcasts of the religious mainstream and His verbalizing of the gospel would supplement His living the gospel.
The mere verbalization of the gospel is ineffective unless the importance of replicating His same concern and compassion for the hurting and alienated in today’s society is our lifestyle also. The gospel must be presented as truly good news! This is possible only when its relational quality is manifested in the lives of believers.
People are not as influenced toward the gospel by how much we know and verbalize as they are influenced by our lifestyle of caring and sharing and loving.
Like Jesus, we must become the "visible expression of the invisible God." (Colossians. 1:15)
The loudness of your living speaks above the yelling of your verbalization therefore, live the gospel so that your verbalization paints a beautiful picture of God’s mercy, grace, goodness and love!
The Gospel Jesus preached...He also lived!
One of the greatest hindrances and turn-offs to people accepting the gospel is the selfish, self-preserving orators who articulate the gospel, some with charismatic bellowing and yelling in judgmental condemning of people’s lifestyle yet, their lifestyle, (which is not open to viewing because of the hypocritical living) is worse than the people’s lives they are judging and condemning.
Verbalizing the gospel without the actual lifestyle of what is verbalized (if what is verbalized is the true gospel) being the lifestyle of the verbalizer is one of the biggest reasons for the rejection of the gospel!
Talking about Christ has less effect on people for Christ than living in Christ while living for Christ.
Preaching by living is painting a beautiful picture of the attributes of God and is more effective than a thousand verbalized words.
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
Verbalizing the gospel without living the gospel is paramount to falsifying the gospel. Like Jesus who not only verbalized the gospel but lived it by caring, showing compassion, kindness and love in His living of the gospel.
To many verbalizers of the gospel refuse to enter the brokenness of the people to whom they “preach to”...let me rephrase that...”preach AT”!
The best argument for the gospel is believers: their love, their compassion, their understanding, their kindness and their forgiveness.
But, the strongest argument against the gospel are also “Christians”, who take great pride in their judging, condemning, condescending self-righteous smugness in their complacent consecration, when they are self-righteous in their repressive narrow mindedness causing the true gospel to die a thousand deaths.
Yet, they feel justified, sanctified and glorified because they have verbalized the gospel.
If Jesus were to walk our Sunday-morning-streets today, many churches would not give Him place to verbalize His message because they would disqualify Him because He kept company with sinners and lived among the down-and-outers. Then again I do not believe He would even seek a pulpit in any “church” to verbalize His message...no, no, no...He would live a lifestyle gospel among the down-and-outers...the outcasts of the religious mainstream and His verbalizing of the gospel would supplement His living the gospel.
The mere verbalization of the gospel is ineffective unless the importance of replicating His same concern and compassion for the hurting and alienated in today’s society is our lifestyle also. The gospel must be presented as truly good news! This is possible only when its relational quality is manifested in the lives of believers.
People are not as influenced toward the gospel by how much we know and verbalize as they are influenced by our lifestyle of caring and sharing and loving.
Like Jesus, we must become the "visible expression of the invisible God." (Colossians. 1:15)
The loudness of your living speaks above the yelling of your verbalization therefore, live the gospel so that your verbalization paints a beautiful picture of God’s mercy, grace, goodness and love!
The Gospel Jesus preached...He also lived!
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