Lesson 22: Preaching the Gospel


	Lesson Twenty-Two Preaching the Gospel In this lesson, we will cover: I. Realizing the Condition of Fallen Man ( Rom. 3:23, 6:23) II. Loving Man and Having the Spirit of the Gospel (John 3:16; I Tim. 2:3-4) III. Practical Steps for Preaching the Gospel A. Praying for lost sinners (Eph. 6:18-19) B. Taking action to visit the unbelieving (Jn. 15:16; Luke 19:13) C. Speaking faith into others (Rom. 10:17) D. Leading others to pray and contact the Lord ( Rom. 10:13) James M'Kendrick's Spirit Of The Gospel God greatly used James M'Kendrick to spread the gospel of His kingdom. "For almost half a century I have traveled over the greater portion of the British Isles, and also visited various parts of Australia, America and Canada, as a Gospel preacher." Concerning the impact of his gospel preaching, M'Kendrick's close friend John Lawson testified, "I am personally acquainted with many of the characters…and with the depth of their experiences, and the mighty moral miracle wrought in their conversion; and I know that, whereas they once stood for all that was sensual and devilish, they are now standing bravely and ably for God and Christ. East and west, north and south, the same definite and abiding results have followed his work, stamping him very clearly as one of God's best gifts to the Church and the world, a pioneer evangelist." "M'Kendrick admittedly did not possess the gift of gospel preaching," writes Watchman Nee. "He merely had the spirit of gospel preaching. Just like you and I, he was an ordinary person. There was nothing special about him." Indeed it was so. M'Kendrick was a simple brother with little education. "I finished my education at the early age of nine years and six months, and then began to work in the coal mines." Watchman Nee continues, "However, since his heart was melted by the Lord's love, he was extremely anxious for the needs of the sinners. Because of this, he could love, and he could weep. He could pray, and he could shout. Due to his deep love for the Lord, he could not refrain himself. The appeal of the need of the lost ones afflicted him day and night." M'Kendrick had a burning heart for lost sinners while living a very uneventful, dull life in the coal-mining villages of Scotland during the late 1800's. The remarkable cause was a spirit of the gospel that he received when he opened himself to the Lord. He was an example of how ordinary people can be used by God for the spread of the gospel. Reference: James M'Kendrick, Seen and Heard Realizing The Condition Of Fallen Man In preaching the gospel, one of the first things to consider is man's fallen condition. We need to realize that fallen man is separated from God. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Furthermore, "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, the fallen man is dead in his "trespasses and sins" (Eph. 2:1). He is one "having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12). In addition, he is in darkness and under the authority of Satan (Acts 26:18). His destiny is to perish (2 Cor. 4:3). Fallen man is also under the judgment of God. He is "guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19). In God's eyes, this fallen man has also committed a particular sin, which is to not believe into the Son of God (John 16:9). It is this sin that causes fallen man to share Satan's judgment and spend eternity perishing in the lake of fire. Loving Man And Having The Spirit Of The Gospel Without a heart to love those who are perishing, none of us would even bother to bring the gospel to them. But we must realize that this love is not our human love. Our natural love has a limit. To rescue the perishing, we need God's infinite love. Only His love is unconditional - His love reaches all men, regardless of whether they are good or evil, slave or free, barbarian or cultured, circumcised or uncircumcised (cf. Col. 3:11). John 3:16, which is possibly the most famous Bible verse, speaks of God's deep love for mankind. This verse states, "God so loved the world." This verse also shows God's accomplishment for redeeming the lost sinners to Himself - "that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16b). We should also recognize that God's love for the perishing ones originates from God Himself. Moreover, God has proven His love to all of us by becoming a man, by living as a man, by dying for our sins, by resurrecting, by ascending, and by pouring Himself out as the Spirit. God accomplished all this so that He could save the perishing. Hence, you need not feel condemned if you do not have much zeal for the gospel. Gospel preaching is not a mere human activity. Your natural zeal will never last. However, if you open yourself to the Lord, you will sense His love towards the unbelieving. You will also be filled with the divine energy to seek out the unsaved. Practically, you may want to consider your own experience, recalling the time when you were pursued by the Lord and then found by Him. You will find that you cannot but be moved by God's love for fallen man. To preach the gospel, we should not depend on the miraculous gift of evangelism. Instead, we should look to the Lord for the spirit of the gospel. The former is merely a God-given gift whereas the latter is much more. It is a burning desire in you that gets initiated when you touch God's deep desire for those who are perishing. "Our Savior God…desires all men to be saved and to come to full knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4). When we touch God in this way, it produces in us both the love for sinners and the energy to reach out to them. History tells us that only a handful of believers have ever had the rare gift of being noteworthy gospel preachers. As believers, we should appreciate such gifted ones if God has given them to us. Most of us, however, will not have such a gift. But every one of us can open our spirit and heart to God. We can touch God's heart for the unbelieving and be filled with His eternal love toward them. Therefore, even if we never receive the gift of gospel preaching throughout our entire lives, we can still have the spirit of the gospel. Practical Steps For Preaching The Gospel Praying for the Lost Sinners To preach the gospel, we need a praying spirit. In our prayers, we can ask God to fill us with His unchangeable desire to save man. At the same time, we can pray for all those who are around us. We must learn to bear them in our heart. Finally, we should pray to claim souls for the kingdom of God - to "turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18b). In addition, we should be alert, watching for opportunities that God may be opening for those whom we have been praying for. We must remember that everyone's life has ups and downs, with good times and hard times. That is why we must watch to know when they are open. Prayer will enable us to discern their condition. Whenever there is an opportunity, we should seize it (Eph. 5:16-Paul's words in this verse, "redeeming the time," can also be translated as "seizing opportunities"). As we begin to take action, we need to pray for the appropriate words to speak to these people. We need to pray especially for the words of grace that speak forth the gospel with life and authority. For instance, the apostle Paul asked the saints to pray that he could open his mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel (Eph. 6:18-19). After praying much to seek the Lord's leading, we will be able to cooperate with God to take action. Taking Action to Preach the Gospel to the Unbelieving To preach the gospel, we need to take action. When God has given you an opportunity to preach the gospel, you should seize it and take action to contact people at the right moment. In addition, you should preach the gospel on a regular basis. Cultivate a habit to go out regularly and contact sinners. The Lord Jesus tells us that He has chosen us to go forth and bear fruit (John 15:16). Furthermore, He charges us to do business until He comes (Luke 19:13). The apostle Paul also points out that we are debtors to both Greeks and Jews - that is, all men - for the gospel (Rom. 1:14). All this indicates that we have to take action in gospel preaching. The more we take action, the more we will be strengthened with the spirit of the gospel. When we take action, we must also trust in what the word of God says. The Lord Jesus tells us that all authority has been given to Him in heaven and in earth (Matt. 28:18). He can therefore charge us to go and disciple all the nations (v. 19a). He also promises that He is with us all the days until the end of this age (v. 20b). Therefore, when we go and preach the gospel, we should lay hold of these promises - the Lord's presence and His authority. Then we will be able to turn people from the satanic darkness into God's marvelous light. We will be able to announce the good news with the Spirit and truth, which sets people free and transfers them out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of the Son of God's love (Col. 1:13). From experience we know that we can develop a skill in gospel preaching if we keep a scheduled time to go out to preach the gospel. It is through practice that we learn to speak to people about Christ. Gradually we will find it natural and easy to preach the gospel. By that time, whenever we preach the gospel, the Spirit of God will flow through our speaking. It is also profitable to preach the gospel with a partner or with a few believers who are desirous to get people saved. When Jesus appointed seventy disciples to spread the gospel, He sent them two by two (Luke 10:1). This way of doing things in twos can bring in manifold impact. According to the Bible, it is possible that "one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight" when God is with us (Deut. 32:30). Additionally, when we take action together, we will be emboldened and not be ashamed of the gospel. Speaking Faith into Others To preach the gospel, we must speak faith into people. No one has faith on their own. For anyone to have faith, faith must first be spoken into them. According to Romans 10:17, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." When people hear the living word of God, they receive the ability to believe. This ability will lead them to faith. Therefore, we have to speak the word of God as faith into people. The apostle Paul asks, "And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" (Rom. 10:14b). Always prepare yourself with a few handy gospel verses. Then you will be able to speak the word of God as faith into people. You will cause them to appreciate and believe the truths of the faith. Your speaking will help them believe what they could not have believed before. This is powerful! Paul the apostle says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16). Leading Others to Pray and Contact the Lord Fallen man is saved only when he has believed in the Lord - that is, he has received Jesus into his heart. He is saved neither by his knowledge of salvation nor by his understanding of biblical doctrines. Furthermore, the Bible never says that before fallen man can be saved he must realize or confess that he is a sinner. The Bible also does not say that fallen man has to repent, otherwise he will go to hell. What the Bible does say, however, is that fallen man must believe in his heart and confess (or call) with his mouth Jesus as Lord in order to be saved (Rom. 10:9-13). We should keep the gospel simple. Remember that after sinners are saved, they have their whole Christian life to learn the divine truths. Thus, it is important that while we are preaching the gospel, we remain alert to lead the gospel contacts to receive the Lord at the right moment. Like a merchant, we must know when to "close the deal." We should avoid speaking too much. It is better to help our contacts to pray so that they would believe in the Lord and be saved. Discussion Questions 1. What is the condition of man when he is apart from God? 2. How much hope do unbelievers have? 3. What kind of love is needed in order to preach the gospel to those who are perishing? 4. How do we have a heart to love fallen men? 5. What is the spirit of the gospel? 6. What is the most important thing to consider when leading others to be saved? 7. How should we go out to visit people with the gospel? Practical Tips Pray to be thrust out to the harvest. Open to the Lord and ask Him to thrust you out into the field as a laborer to sow and reap in the gospel. Let Him empower you with the spirit of the gospel. Practice gospel preaching regularly. Begin to schedule a regular time to go out to visit the lost with a partner. The more you practice going, the more you will feel charged by the Lord for sinners. Always carry some gospel tracts with you. Equip yourself with gospel verses, tracts, or papers to carry the message of salvation to others. No matter where you go, always carry some gospel tracts with you.