The
Preaching of the Gospel Requires Words
Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words …
This saying, usually attributed to St. Francis of Assisi,
has become extremely popular over the last few years. You’ve probably seen it
on t-shirts, bumper stickers, and the like. It is popular for several reasons.
For one, it is a catchy saying that basically means, “don’t preach to me; do
something for me.” We like that. In our culture where anything and everything
goes, no one wants to be “preached at.” And the quickest way to feel better
about ourselves is to think about the good we do for others. So we have a nice
catchy little phrase that basically means, “I don’t need preaching; I need you
to do something for me.” There are a couple of problems with this saying, however. Number one, there is no record of St. Francis ever saying it. St. Francis was a member of a preaching order. It was not uncommon for him to preach up to five times a day. He understood the power of the spoken word and utilized it. The saying doesn’t fit with St. Francis’ lifestyle. [1]
Besides all that, the most troubling thing about this saying is that it is simply not Biblical. The gospel means the “Good news.” It is the story of Jesus' birth, life, death, resurrection, and second coming. It is the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world to save us from our sins. Jesus' final commandment to his disciples was to “Go and teach all nations.” The word “teach” in this instance could also be preach. It is a word that means proclaiming with words. It takes words to transfer a thought from one person to another. The preaching of the gospel always requires words.
I understand the thought behind the aforementioned
saying. As Christians we are commanded to love one another. If we see a brother
or a sister with a need, and we can help, we are supposed to do what we can
(James 15:16). But this is not preaching the gospel; neither is it the primary
purpose of the church. The purpose of the church is to preach the gospel and
tell people how to be saved.
If we do good deeds for people they may feel good
about us. They may even say something like, “I know those people are real
Christians.” But have we really accomplished anything if we haven’t told them
how to be saved? After all, this is the most important thing isn’t it? The
salvation of the eternal soul.
I believe Christians should be the most friendly,
helpful people on earth. We should always be willing to lend a hand in time of
need without expecting anything in return. Truthfully, we as the church could
(and maybe even should) do more for our communities and families in need. We cannot, however, buy into the line that we are the church
because we do good deeds. We are the church because we have been born again and
called out of the world to be a separate people, committed to living a holy
life dedicated to the service of our God. This is what makes us the church.
We have a story to tell. It may be a little
different for each of us but the fundamental message is the same. It is the
story of how we were once lost in sin. Then someone preached the gospel to us.
We responded and were born into the family of God. Now we strive to tell
everyone else how they can be a part of this family. This is the gospel
message. You must be born again!
When was the last time you told your story to
someone else? Don’t be afraid to tell someone what God has done for you. This
is the way the church has been replicated for 2,000 plus years. One person
tells another and then and then another about his relationship with Christ. This
is, in its simplest form, the preaching of the gospel.
Tell someone about Jesus today! And use words! They
are powerful!
Sincerely,
Rev. Sullivan Jones
[1] "Preach
the Gospel, and Since It's Necessary, Use Words by Ed Stetzer." Ligonier
Ministries. Accessed June 08, 2016.
http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/preach-the-gospel-and-since-its-necessary-use-words/.