Preaching Christ Is Still Needed, Urgently!

“God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshippers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose.” – John Piper[i]

“We know what it means to fear the Lord and so we try to persuade others”, declares the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:11. If you consider yourself a member of the body of Christ yet you know you cannot confidently say, even to yourself, that, “I know what it means to fear the Lord so I try to persuade others”, then, please take the time to seriously review your life to see where you have gone wrong. The fear of God is something that will not allow you to sit comfortably as you watch people perish in their sins. Indeed there has never been a better time for us to be witnesses for Christ than it is today. We live in a day where,

• Occult practices are spreading fast in our society,
• Men boast about how many bottles of alcohol they can drink before getting drunk and how many girls or women they have slept with,
• Immorality is celebrated everywhere – on television, on streets, in magazines, etc.
• Indecency is now something to be proud of instead of something to be ashamed of. The sense of shame is being lost. Both young and adult women see clothes not as things to use for covering their nakedness, but instead as things to be used to attractively expose those parts of their bodies that they are so proud of, thereby playing on the sexual sensitivities of men.

A lot of us Christians feel uncomfortable living in these times, and rightly so because many of the things going on today do not glorify God but like the Apostle Paul notes “… where sin increased, God’s grace increased much more.” Romans 5:20. These are the times to which God has called us as Christians. Christians who have ever lived in history were always called to one central task: Preaching the Good News about Jesus Christ.

In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about the deadly disease, HIV/AIDS. Some well-meaning people in an attempt to prevent the youth from being immoral tend to talk of this disease as if it is the ultimate tragedy in life. The youth, however, have been quick to realize that they can have sexual pleasure and still escape HIV/AIDS through the use of condoms. And so we see more youth having sex today than ever. The point to note here is that, the ultimate tragedy in life is not in sickness or in dying young. The ultimate tragedy is in living a long healthy life without using it for God’s glory. This realization should drive every believer in Jesus Christ into action. We must at all times be ready and willing to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with people around us; we must be looking for opportunities to talk to people about the Saviour.

In 1 Peter 3:15-16, the Apostle Peter exhorts us saying, “But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honour Him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, but do it with gentleness and respect.” Please note two things about this verse. Firstly, Peter assumes that our lives would be lived in such a way that people will ask us about the hope that lies within us.  If we are going to be effective witnesses for Christ, then our lives must be in line with the word of God. It was D. De Haanwho said, “The best translation of God’s Word we will ever read is found in the servants of the Lord who live that Word in deed.” This is so true! Some people may never open a Bible to read. Some do not even know how to read at all! For such people our lives and our words as believers may be the only Bible they will ever read.

Secondly, Peter reminds us of the hope that Christians have. As believers in Christ we have a hope – the hope of going to Heaven after death and being with Christ forever. Apostle Paul also says that “If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world.”[ii] Just as Heaven is real, hell is also real. Hell is a place prepared for the Devil and his angels and also all who rebel against God.[iii]

The revivalist, Leonard Ravenhill in his book Why Revival Tarries, tells the story of a man by the name Charlie Peace who was sentenced to death in England for a capital offence. Minutes before his execution, a reverend minister was reading the Bible to him. Charlie Peace asked him a very simple yet relevant question, “Do you believe in Hell?” The Minister replied, “Yes”. To this, Charlie Peace responded with a profound statement which ought to engage every believers’ attention: “If I believed what you and the Church of God say that you believe, even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would walk over it, if need be, on hands and knees and think it worthwhile living just to save one soul from an eternal hell like that.”[iv] Does this not make you want to stop and think? If what we believe about Heaven and Hell is true, then ought we not to be more active in sharing Jesus Christ with people? 

Helpful Tips for Effective Witnessing about Jesus Christ

• Know the scriptures and stay true to the right interpretation of it. Do not twist scripture under any circumstance for your convenience. Try and get the right scripture that suits the situation. This therefore requires careful study of the bible.

• Always make Christ the focal point of your witness. He is the reason why we witness.

• Be Prayerful. Cultivate the habit of having a heart to heart talk with your father in heaven as many times in a day as possible. Talk to him in your own words. This way you know what you are saying. Speak honestly and with respect, reverence and thanksgiving in your heart.  Communicating with God helps to know the direction he wants us to take. Talk to him when things are going well and continue doing the same when things are not going well. Keep as close to Him as possible and He will make you an effective witness to the world.

• Your speech must be interesting. I do not mean go around telling jokes even when you need to be serious. You can crack a clean joke if it will help your cause. In Colossians 4:5-6 Paul advises, “Be wise in the way you act toward those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity you have. Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone.” Also, you must be sensitive to the questions of the person you are witnessing to. The Gospel is offensive to most people so do not worsen the situation by being arrogant and uninteresting. If the person has questions, listen to him attentively and answer appropriately. Let him know you are interested in him as a person and not just interested in preaching your message.

• Be adaptive yet uncompromising. There is no one-size-fits-all kind of evangelism. People are different and they receive the gospel in different ways. Be sensitive to the individual, his beliefs, culture etc but do not compromise any part of the gospel message either in your words or deeds.

• Avoid the habit of using undefined Christian jargon, clichés or biblical terms which a non-Christian  may not understand. Make your witnessing simple and easy to understand by defining these terms. Try using everyday language to explain biblical terms and expressions; this will help make the gospel relevant to those you talk to. But of course you can only do this if you understand the terms and expressions yourself. So make sure you understand them.

• Stay true to yourself. Do not fake a smile or any other emotion. When you are genuine, it shows even in your eyes and your whole countenance. People sense it when you are pretending and they will not like to be around you.

• John Stott gives a helpful advice when he tells us to try to achieve a balance in the use of words like, “We”, “I” and “You”. “We” and “I” are usually appropriate in speaking as a fellow man. “You” is often most appropriate in speaking as God’s spokesperson. Christian theologian, John Stott, advises us to “Speak both as a fellow-learner/sinner and as a prophet. Somehow, you should communicate that you have much to learn and a long way to go in your own walk with God. This helps people to identify with you and is a way of communicating God’s grace. But having done this, you also need to boldly proclaim God’s Word and call on people (as God’s mouthpiece) to respond to it.”[v]

• Do not hesitate to talk about your own journey to Christ. Testimonies are powerful witnessing tools. Be careful not to exaggerate it or fake it. God knows how to use even your ‘small’ testimonies to affect people’s lives. Do not make promises God has not asked you to make.

• Show compassion but do not patronize. Allow the individual to talk and try to understand his struggles. Make him aware that God knows his struggles and wants to help. Jesus said in Matthew11:28, “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.”

• Emphasize repentance. There is no salvation without repentance.

• Be Confident (not arrogant) and determined and know that God is at work in you as a believer. Do not be ashamed to show your passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Be abreast with trends in the culture of the community. Read newspapers, observe the lyrics of the latest popular music, fashion, language etc to find ways of making the gospel relevant yet not compromising it.

• Do not force conversion. Yours may be sowing a seed for someone else to harvest. Most Christians want to see instant conversion all the time and when it is not happening they want to force it. No! Conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit – he is the one who works on a person’s heart and mind.

• Talk about the cost of rejecting Christ – Hell forever; and the benefits of accepting Christ – Heaven forever.  Note: Do not hide the cost of following Christ, speak clearly about it. It is a great disservice to cover up the cost of following Christ. Jesus himself encouraged people to count the cost before following him.

It is worth noting that the Christian life is not a life without struggle. When Jesus calls you he bids you to come and die to yourself and that is not easy at all. We are trying to surrender our will to God and it is not comfortable letting go of our selfishness and autonomy. Christianity is not a fairy tale where one ‘lives happily ever after.’ Of course there is happiness but it is not the kind that the world gives. We struggle, physically and spiritually, but we are not alone; we have the Holy Spirit who strengthens us and gives us peace and joy even in difficult times.