“For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

1 Corinthians 1:17 (ESV)

As Paul expresses his disappointment at divisions in the Corinthian church, he teaches an important truth about preaching. He reminds them that his purpose while in Corinth was to preach the gospel, not baptize (which was at the heart of their divisiveness).

The first part of this sentence might seem odd at first, but the second part of the sentence provides the explanation. At first glance you might be asking… “If baptism is an important part of New Testament Christianity, why would Paul brag about his minimal participation in the baptism of new believers?” His goal was not to diminish baptism as much as it was to elevate the gospel. He was emphasizing the priority of preaching the simple message of the gospel.

This verse presents two important truths to digest.

Preaching the gospel must be the primary task of gospel ministers. And by ‘gospel ministers’ I mean those men who are called by God and set apart by the church for the ministry of the Word as pastors, missionaries, church elders, and the like.

At least two applications emerge for our churches. First, any man who aspires to this calling and does not love to “preach the gospel” must reevaluate what exactly he feels called to do. Second, any church that encourages or allows her pastor to veer from this task as his primary focus must revaluate her understanding of the role of ‘pastor.’

Preaching that depends on eloquent wisdom removes the cross’ power. The gospel plus anything (wisdom, creativity, novelty, etc.) makes the gospel less about the cross and more about the something else. When a ‘sermon’ springs from a creative element or a contemporary idea or the preacher’s intuition then what we hear is not powerful to save. Because when the cross is not the central element of the message, our message is simply not the gospel.

At first these talks might seem effective at drawing a crowd or “Christianizing” a community, but we must not trade immediate effectiveness for eternally significance. The Bible is clear: only the gospel (grounded in the cross) is powerful to transform lives!

So we’re left with a question… If the goal of Christian ministry is life transformation, why do our sermons contain so much ‘wisdom’ and so little ‘gospel’?

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV)

While the high tide of the seeker-sensitive movement is fading, many churches seem infatuated with attracting unbelievers through “relevant” preaching. They look like desperate salesmen trying to lure unbelievers inside with advice about contemporary issues. While I applaud their apparent evangelistic motivation, I fear they misunderstand the biblical concept of “relevant” preaching.

What does it say about “preaching” when thousands of unbelievers flock to hear the sermon? This verse leaves only two options. Either we are witnessing a remarkable movement of God or we are not preaching “relevant” sermons. The masses may visit occasionally and appreciate our zeal, but over the long-term they will either embrace Christ or grow tired of hearing the gospel. To the lost this message is ridiculous.

“Relevant” preaching is NOT using biblical passages to inform people about issues of great significance to them. Despite the cultural timeliness of offering financial principles in the midst of a waning economy, we cannot accept this as “relevant” preaching. Even though marriage in our generation is a complete joke to vast segments of the population, we must not confuse marriage advice with “relevant” preaching. While better employees would improve workplace environments, we must not receive tips for success as “relevant” preaching.

At the most basic level “relevant” preaching produces sermons that expose the meaning and real-world significance of a biblical passage. I am not arguing for disconnected biblical lectures or theological treatises as often our sermons will address issues like finances and marriage. However, for preaching to be “relevant” it must allow God’s word to reveal the truth people NEED to hear, which is only found in the gospel.

When preaching consistently and straightforwardly presents the gospel, unbelievers will either respond in faith or consider it foolish for two reasons.

First, the gospel rightly preached attacks human ability. It calls people weak and powerless. It tells people they are hopeless God-haters. It calls us to surrender and selflessness. People who are separated from God want no part of this message.

Second, the gospel rightly preached attacks human wisdom. It calls people stupid and unwise. It points to our inability to comprehend the greatest mystery of life. It calls our smartest thoughts dumb. It contradicts our sense of intelligence.

The message of Jesus Christ crucified for sin is ridiculous to the world. So if the world consistently applauds our preaching it must not be very relevant after all?