“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?

On July 9, I started this series as a call for others to join me in praying for an extraordinary work of God.

In the last three posts on this subject (July 26, August 6, and August 22), I identified three characteristics that were present during the season of revival recorded in Nehemiah 8-10. The public proclamation of God’s Word preceded His work. A sense of overwhelming grief over of their sin prepared the people for life change. And the invitation to worship God by recounting His faithfulness in the past led the people toward the resolve to life differently.

Ultimately, however, this and other great works of God are entirely dependent on the Holy Spirit. So I close this series with a prayer and I plead with you to continue praying with me for God’s extraordinary movement in our lives and churches.

God, in the Name of Your Son Jesus and by the power of Your Holy Spirit, breathe afresh in our hearts…

Send men to Your churches.

• Men who love Your bride, the church…
• Men who want to serve her…
• Men who won’t beat her with words…
• Men who won’t abandon her when she looks ugly…
• Men who embrace her as an instrument for Your glory in the world…
• Men who hold firmly to Your word…
• Men who love Your word…
• Men who feed on Your word…
• Men who know Your word better than they know sports…
• Men who trust Your word more than creativity…
• Men who study Your word more than they watch television…
• Men who will quote Your word more than movies…
• Men who labor at preaching and teaching…
• Men who preach Your word with humility and courage…
• Men who obey Your word with zeal…
• Men who won’t listen to the applause of the crowd…
• Men who hate their lives enough to lose them…
• Men who will lead us to rebirth and renewal…

Show me the depth of my sin.

• Show me how much I love myself…
• Show me when I mistake the freedom of Your boundaries for captivity…
• Show me when I trust my intuition more than Your word…
• Show me how I crave earthly pleasure…
• Show me when my pursuit of You is marked by laziness…
• Show me how I fear the future…
• Show me when I measure security in terms of money in the bank…
• Show me how badly I yearn for worldly recognition…
• Show me the depth of my rebellion…

Remind us of Your faithfulness…

• Remind us of how You rescued us from sin…
• Remind us of how You healed our wounded hearts…
• Remind us of how You pursued us while we fled from You…
• Remind us of how You died for us before we loved You…
• Remind us of how You freed us from the bondage of sin…
• Remind us of how You delivered us from our slavery to sin…
• Remind us of how You protected us from ourselves…
• Remind us of how You have sustained us from day-to-day…
• Remind us that without You we have no hope…

God, change our lives for the sake of Your Name, Amen.

On June 17, I presented part one of this series in which I wrote…

“Unless the Church redefines how she understands and uses this medium, television preaching may (in the long-run) do more harm than good for the spread of the gospel.”

I return to the subject today to present two final reasons televised preaching poses a threat to worldwide evangelism.

Televised preaching places too much emphasis on the gifts of the communicator.

The gospel message is simple and powerful. Any person who receives God’s salvation is equipped to share it. In fact, the most effective witnesses are often the individuals who have most recently tasted this gift. As remarkable as many communicators are, the gospel is not an instrument for highlighting man’s ability and televised preaching often fosters the exaltation of communicators.

Televised preaching provides a medium for sharing the gospel that is not reproducible in every context.

Effective televised preaching breeds dependence on a televised preaching. For example, when a person living in a remote part of the earth is saved through a televised sermon, the only tool for evangelism he knows is a video sermon. In modeling television evangelism we have provided him a life-changing message in a form that will often impede his spiritual development. Without accompanying discipleship through personal investment persons reached by televised preaching might equate it with evangelism.

Like any technology, video can be a useful instrument for broadcasting spiritual messages and a catalyst for spiritual formation. I am not arguing that the Church should jettison video technology or calling for a boycott. Ridiculous extremes are too prevalent and ineffective.

The church must recover the biblical commission for evangelism and make a clear distinction between our use of video technology as a means for spiritual formation and the illusion that televised sermons will reach the world for Christ. Televised sermons can NOT fulfill the Great Commission. Disciples have been and always will be made through personal investment.

On June 17, I presented part one of this series in which I wrote…

“Unless the Church redefines how she understands and uses this medium, television preaching may (in the long-run) do more harm than good for the spread of the gospel.”

I return to the subject today to present the two more reasons televised preaching poses a threat to worldwide evangelism.

Televised preaching robs legitimate missionary endeavors of necessary funds.

Every dollar spent producing a televised sermon is a dollar taken from legitimate disciple-making endeavors throughout the world. The multi-million-dollar television production that supports many of these “ministries” could fund thousands of missionaries. The half-baked pleas offering a cheesy trinket in exchange for a monetary gift or seed included in these broadcast “ministries” disgraces the gospel and diverts resources from more effective ministry efforts.

Furthermore, the poor stewardship of televised preaching ministries is growing as the production costs of these programs increase. The obsession with production quality contradicts the argument that television is simply a medium for communicating a gospel that is simple and powerful. The message of the gospel is not enhanced by increased graphical creativity; rather these expensive elements distract from the gospel’s simplicity and rob even more money from legitimate missionary endeavors.

Televised preaching does not plant churches.

The first disciples used one primary technique to fulfill Jesus’ Commission: plant churches. From Jesus’ ascension to the close of the New Testament, the first missionaries would enter a town, share the gospel, and start a local church. Televised preaching ministries are incapable of following the most basic New Testament pattern for spreading the gospel.

Follow our money and you will always find our treasure. From our spending it seems many have forgotten that disciples have been and always will be made through personal investment.

On June 17, I presented part one of this series in which I wrote…

“Unless the Church redefines how she understands and uses this medium, television preaching may (in the long-run) do more harm than good for the spread of the gospel.”

I return to the subject today to present the fourth reason televised preaching poses a threat to worldwide evangelism.

Televised preaching ignores the connection between the witness of a believer’s life and evangelism.

God uses His interaction with people to draw others to salvation. Conversion does not generally take place in a vacuum even though it can. The Israelite nation was set apart to show the world that Yahweh is the true God. From His interaction with them, the other nations would know Him. The New Testament reinforces and strengthens this tie.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16).

And the Apostle Peter later wrote, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:9-12).

Both passages present a simple truth: God’s work in the life of an individual believer is an instrument for evangelism. Television ministry eliminates this instrument and ignores the fact that disciples have been and always will be made through personal investment.

On July 9, I presented part one of this series in which I wrote…

“The Bible and church history bear witness to the fact that particular people in particular places have experienced extraordinary movements of God.”

and

“Because I long to see this type of abnormal movement, I want to draw attention to one such season from the Old Testament and invite you to join me in pleading with God to bless us in this way.”

I return to this subject today to highlight one characteristic present during the season of extraordinary revival recorded in Nehemiah 8-10.

The public proclamation of God’s Word preceded the season of renewal among the Israelites. As the 50,000 or so people gathered in the city square, a team of men preached from the Book of the Law.

Ezra the priest, with the help of thirteen men from Israel, read from the scrolls containing the first five books of our Old Testament from “daybreak to noon,” and the people stood to listen. Helping them as they read, thirteen other men were scattered throughout the crowd translating these words and explaining them to the people.

This act of reading the Scripture and explaining it to the people is the definition of preaching. More specifically, the twenty-seven member team read God’s Word, made it clear, and gave the meaning so the people could understand and obey it (Nehemiah 8:8). Little wonder God moved. He was exalted as His Word was proclaimed.

To their own detriment, however, many churches have jettisoned biblical preaching in favor of talks on contemporary issues. We should not be surprised that so many churches fail to see God’s extraordinary work. When man’s ingenuity is exalted, we cannot expect to see God’s power.

God, we ask You to lead men all over the world today to take up Your Word, read it, explain it, and apply it to the lives of their listeners. And we plead for to bring a season of extraordinary renewal and rebirth through the faithful preaching of Your Word.

On June 17, I presented part one of this series in which I wrote…

“Unless the Church redefines how she understands and uses this medium, television preaching may (in the long-run) do more harm than good for the spread of the gospel.”

and

“If our commitment to discipleship wanes as the fascination with televised preaching grows, this approach will harm the spread of the gospel.”

On July 5, I provided a first reason for my conclusion and today I expound upon a second reason televised preaching poses a threat to worldwide evangelism.

Televised preaching restrains personal responsibility in evangelism.

When we believe the world is being reached through the airwaves, we concede to a separation between the “evangelist” (a term I use most loosely here) and the lost person. This separation inevitably clouds our perspective of lost-ness both near and far.

The perception that widespread broadcasting of sermons in America is reaching our communities for Christ tempers our urgency to share the gospel individually. Furthermore, the perception that television ministries are reaching hundreds of countries around the world eases our burden for the millions of people who die without hearing the name of Christ.

We must never forget that even where the gospel can be heard through technology, we still have a responsibility to ‘GO’ and share. Often televised preaching ministries dampen our resolve to share the gospel personally by causing us to forget that disciples have been and always will be made through personal investment.

On June 17, I presented part one of this series in which I wrote…

“Unless the Church redefines how she understands and uses this medium, television preaching may (in the long-run) do more harm than good for the spread of the gospel.”

and

“If our commitment to discipleship wanes as the fascination with televised preaching grows, this approach will harm the spread of the gospel.”

I return to the subject today to present the first reason televised preaching poses a threat to worldwide evangelism.

Televised preaching is incapable of completing the Great Commission.

In commissioning the disciples for the worldwide spread of the gospel, Jesus said…

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20

The Great Commission calls for conversion AND disciple-making. The apostles were charged to make disciples, which includes explaining and properly administering baptism and providing comprehensive instruction regarding His teachings. Television communication is intrinsically incapable of completing the first task and insufficient at completing the second.

Even the most gifted communicators cannot baptize via television. Furthermore, even the most well-rounded and theologically-sound teaching ministries cannot model obedience. At the end of the day, the best televised preaching can do is lead a person to faith (and I do not diminish this work), but it cannot make a disciple.

Unless a person accompanies the gospel, we have no assurance that disciples will ever be made because disciples have been and always will be made through personal investment.

“So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” Romans 1:15 (ESV)

The entry for June 9 entitled Finally, Some Good News articulated the gospel. That explanation provides a context for the following…

Remember the good news? Remember the wonderful story? We call it the gospel. The gospel is a true, universal, foundational, messy, ugly, beautiful, sad, glad, confusing, ordered, terrifying, surprising, amazing, life changing story. This story must be told. Yet too often the story goes untold. Paul’s words in this verse leave at least two challenges.

First, he must have had a list of people with whom he wanted to share. The people in Rome were on this list. The word ‘also’ implies they were in a category with other people.

Second, he was eager to share the gospel. Many adjectives could be used to describe my attitude about sharing the gospel. I’m not sure eager would be very accurate.

Do you have a list like Paul? Is it embarrassingly short? Might you ever use ‘eager’ to describe your desire to share with them?

God give us a burden for our friends who need good news. God make us eager to share this amazing story with them.