20 Mar, 2025 Reviving the Art of Gospel Preaching
An encouragement and challenge to our local church preachers
In this blog we want to inspire and encourage God’s people to wholehearted communication whenever we have opportunity to share the gospel.
If the art of Gospel preaching has been lost – this article has some keys to reversing the trend.
Let us renew our commitment to faithfully proclaiming the not only the gospel message as a content – but that message communicated as a relational call for a response without which a person remains truly and unequivocally lost!
Reviving the art of GOSPEL PREACHING
Might the key to revival on our gospel preaching be in reviving of the vision of our hearts?
Acts 2:40 says this…
“With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, Save yourselves from this corrupt generation”.
- How often do we ‘plead’ with audiences to consider Christ like Peter did?
- How often do we warn audiences of the peril that awaits if they reject Christ?
- While diplomacy and gentleness are good things, might we have lost our gospel vigour as Kiwi Christians?
Charles H Spurgeon articulated this same point as follows:
“Preach, for instance, as you would plead if you were standing before a judge, begging for the life of a friend, or if you were appealing to the Queen herself on behalf of someone very dear to you. Use the kind of tone in pleading with sinners that you would use if a gallows were erected, and you were to be hanged on it unless you could persuade the person in authority to release you. That is the sort of earnestness you need in pleading with men as ambassadors for God”.
(The Soul Winner, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Pg 94)
- At the heart of this, might our ‘fear of man, have become greater than our fear of God?
- For a different thought – might our ‘fear of man’ have become greater than our SIGHT of those who do not know Christ?
In Matthew 9:35 it says Jesus ‘SAW’ the crowds…
- This was not referring to his sight of their physical form. He instead ‘saw’ their spiritual condition (‘harrassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd’).
- Can we SEE the desperate spiritual need people have for a connection with God through Christ – which ‘the gospel’ is the explanation of?
- Or might we have become so fearful of being misunderstood or even judges for trying to ‘scare people into the faith’ that we shy completely away from any ‘pleading’ or honestly expressed passion – as if we no longer believed our own message?
These are challenging questions!
If we are going to see a ‘reviving’ coming to gospel preaching, here are three small pieces of teaching that might be quite vital to this.
RESOURCES TO SHARE THE GOSPEL:
The gospel message has a SPECIFIC content
While compelling gospel preaching is about a lot more than a list of propositional truth statements it remains that the gospel message itself has a core and specific content.
That content needs clear definition – because the gospel hasn’t been preached without it!
The core tenants, or points, of the gospel could be worded in various ways. For one easy approach based on Peter’s preaching in Acts 2 and 3 consider these 5 words:
An alternative outline could be
Sometimes a Christian or leader might THINK they have communicated the gospel because they talked about Jesus – when in reality they have only communicated a part of the message, while possibly failing to actually communicate the message itself.
You haven’t COMMUNICATED if it wasn’t said with HEART!
Beyond its necessary ‘content’ the gospel is also a personal message. A message is about more than words. It is sometimes only actually communicated to a person when done so with comprehension of the compelling love story it is – while also of its sobering gravity! Our sincerity in the way we say our words has a lot to do with how others comprehending them. For example, if walk through a room quietly saying just once, “There is a fire. You should get out.” …none might believe me.
To consider some balances – on the one hand the gospel really is a ‘legal contract’. Theologically this is called substitutionary atonement. Christ died for us, in our place. This is a theologically true analogy.
However, it is also a love story – with an act of great personal sacrifice purposed to enable a restored relationship. As is written in the new Easter gospel booklet’s text – it’s not only a ticket to a movie with popcorn (a positional transaction). It comes with an obligation to go to the movie while eating the popcorn (a relationship that needs engaging with, and a Lord who needs obeying).
In summary of the paradox or balance this brings to gospel preaching:
Heart without truth is irresponsible
- This definitely happens. Many ‘gospel preachings’ in churches never actually share the content that is the gospel / good news.
Truth without heart isn’t really the message – even though God’s Spirit can still anoint truthful words that we state with very little comprehension of their compelling urgency.
- Imagine a person saying “I love you” with no meaning.
- While the words are right, their meaning might be lost to the person hearing them.
RESOURCES TO EQUIP MEMBERS TO SHARE THE GOSPEL:
Pulpit + Small Group A simple and clear four-week pulpit and small group resource titled “Gospel Equipping”
Online Article Specifically on Peter’s gospel preaching in Acts 2 & 3
5Min Video + Discussion To equip members
Printable PDF Article 1-page long for pastors
I suggest it the lowest of all possible standards that a church leader would ENSURE that EVERY single member could communicate the core gospel message in simple words within about 30 seconds to 1 minute – after which they could be equipped to share a short story (testimony) and/or ask a question. This requires only the most basic leadership ability. It stands as an ongoing indictment to our churches, their leaders and our denominational leaders that most churches have not achieved this most simple of measurable ‘standards’. With maturity, someone in each movement could take responsibility to change this – and succeed in doing so. It just requires a CHOICE!
Here are FIVE keys to an effective evangelistic message
In summary of an article (which you can read in full here if you like):
1. Prayer and faith are necessary
If we don’t believe for a harvest the mystery is that we might not get one.
2. Non-believers must be present
It isn’t automatic that this happens. There is leadership, promotional
and people skills involved.
3. A certain content needs covering
Just talking about Jesus isn’t enough. The gospel has a specific content.
4. A connection with the audience is necessary
It is the communicators job to actually communicate – which requires
a sense of ‘connection’ and also heart. Merely stating truth isn’t enough.
5. A clear challenge and response opportunity is necessary
If a response hasn’t been called for, we haven’t communicated the gospel!!
If an extra point were to be added to first of the 4 (or 5) point ‘gospel’ outlines above, beyond giving evidence it should be ‘asking for a response’ (aka, ‘choice’ in the second outline). While a given preaching might seem to have the core gospel content – but hasn’t become the gospel message until there is a call by some means for a response!
EASTER GOSEPL INVITATION/WITNESSING CARD DOWNLOAD
The CHALLENGE
- There is always an urgency with the gospel. We must be spiritually awake.
- Times and seasons change – and do not last forever.
For application:
- When did you last plead with people to know Jesus? How might you do this? (What might this sound like? How might doing this be worded?)
- Might some of us have lost our actual belief in the gospel – leaving us unable to communicate it in a compelling way?
- Might some of us have lost our ‘sight’ of the lost multitudes and their condition, leaving us unable to speak in a compelling manner?