The eighth commandment states “You shall not steal.” When we think about applying this precept, our minds usually go to material possessions. God forbids shoplifting from the department store, robbing banks, committing grand theft auto, stealing a person’s identity, and refusing to give to the church. The more studious will relate it to stealing time at work by showing up late, stretching out your lunch break by five minutes, or surfing the internet on the company’s time. Besides stealing time from an employer, we are guilty of robbing time from God when we skip church, fail to spend time reading the Bible, and do not commune with God through prayer.
While these offenses are serious, there is one application in which we are all guilty, especially as open-air preachers. We are prone to steal God’s glory. What is God’s glory? In this article, I am referring to the definition from the BDAG Greek lexicon. It states, “Honor as enhancement or recognition of status or performance.” It can be translated as “fame, recognition, renown, honor, prestige…” A glory thief steals the honor and praise that God deserves by making himself the object of God’s glory. He promotes having other people give praise and honor to him at God’s expense. One of the best examples in the Bible of this sin comes from Acts 12:20-25. The people of Tyre and Sidon requested a peace treaty with Herod since his dominion supplied them food. On the next day, he gave a speech. The residents responded by saying, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” They gave Herod the glory and praise that is only reserved for God. He did not stop them but accepted it. This sealed his judgment. Verse 23 says, “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.” God sent an angel to kill Herod as punishment for robbing His glory. We must take this example seriously, so that we do not commit the same sin. As open-air preachers, our ministries are public. Through preaching in our communities, interacting on social media, and posting videos on Facebook, there are many temptations to pursue our glory and not God’s. Over the next two posts, I will examine eight ways that we can break this commandment. In this first post, we will cover the following four instances. 1. We rob God of His glory when we accept rather than deflecting praise. Herod gladly received the approbation of the people. If he truly feared God, then he would have stopped the people immediately and said, “Do not praise me, a mere man. Direct your praise to God who created me!” Herod’s pride led to his downfall. For accepting God’s glory, God sentenced him to death. Open-air preachers have many occasions to receive praise too. When a fellow Christian who passes by your preaching stops to thank you, do you immediately direct it to God? When a fellow open-air preacher praises you on Facebook on a video of you preaching, do you deflect it? You could respond online by saying, “I praise the Lord for any good that comes from my preaching and for the gifts He has given me to communicate His truth.” When fellow church members encourage you after you give an update on a specific outreach, do you direct their praises to God? Or do you accept it because your heart is warmed by the praises of men? If this is you, then you are a glory thief. Remember brethren that Jesus Christ is the only one who deserves to be glorified by men. In fact, angels and saints praise Him every second of the day. Revelation 5:11-12 says,“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Whenever you are tempted to steal God’s glory, look with your spiritual eyes to heaven. Observe the multitudes of heavenly hosts who are singing praises to the Lamb. 2. We rob God of His glory when we praise other open-air preachers without referencing God. Points 1 and 2 form different sides of the same coin. We previously reviewed praise from the recipient’s perspective. Now we will look at the one who gives glory to another person. In our first example, Herod could not have received glory if the citizens did not give it to him. The people robbed God of His glory by giving praise to Herod as if he was God. Their disobedience laid a trap for Herod to sin. As advocates for open-air preaching, we can unknowingly set a similar trap for our brothers in Christ. Think back through your words of encouragement or comments on Facebook. Were they man-centered or God-centered? For example, did you compliment a preacher by saying, “You are an excellent preacher!” Or did you say, “I praise God for giving you the gift to preach!” Can you guess which one is God-centered? When we leave God out of a compliment, we subtlety withhold the praise that He deserves for creating and gifting that individual. Revelation 1:6 says, “And made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” God is the one who made us to be kingdom of priests. We did not create ourselves. Second, by centering our honor on man, we fail to remind our brother that he can do nothing apart from the grace of God. This feeds his pride and will puff him up. If you desire to learn more about giving God-centered compliments, I recommend the book, Practical Affirmations: God-Centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God by Sam Crabree. He reviews Paul’s praises to the churches in his epistles as a guide on how we can affirm our brothers without stealing God’s glory. 3. We rob God of His glory when we try to solicit praise from others. John 12:43 states, “For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” Many Jews failed to confess Christ, because they were afraid of the Pharisees. They did not want to suffer synagogue discipline by being put out. In the end, they desired to have the praise of the Pharisees instead of giving it up to obey God. With social media, there are myriads of ways to be a self-promoter. Take an inventory of your heart. Why do you post messages on Facebook about your upcoming outreach? Is it to request prayer? Or are you seeking a “That-a-boy!” from another open-air preacher? When you post a video of your preaching on the street corner, are you trying to witness to your unconverted friends? Is your goal to see Christ glorified? Or are you trying to get people to comment to stroke your pride? Do you want people to think that you are a bold, passionate, fearless, godly preacher? Or are you trying to encourage other men to go seek and save the lost? Brothers, we must remember that our goal is to pursue conversions, so that all people will praise Him. Philippians 2:11 says, “And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” One day, every person from all ages of time will confess the name of Jesus Christ, and this will bring glory to God the Father. Many of these people will be lost. However, God will still be honored on the judgment day. Whenever you are tempted to post a video on Facebook in order to gain praise, think of this verse. 4. We rob God of His glory when we engage in false humility. False humility is the attempt to present a humble, God-glorifying exterior while the prideful self-seeking heart pursues praise for displaying a humble appearance. The Pharisees were experts in this type of behavior. In Matthew 23:27-28, Jesus exposes their false humility. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. The Pharisees practiced outward religious deeds so that they would be praised. Jesus calls them hypocrites since their hearts did not worship God but themselves. Their behavior tried to encourage bystanders to worship them too by praising them for their “religious works.” As open-air preachers, we can commit this sin in two ways. First, we put on a facade of religious deeds. We are tempted to talk in a more Christian way when we are around other believers. We post blog articles talking about the exaltation of Christ and the wickedness of man’s heart while our desires are focused on the flesh. An open-air preacher can even take the advice from point two to praise other men in a God-centered way in order to appear to be godly. While these outward actions are not wrong, it is false humility if the motivation is for self’s glory instead of God’s praise. Second, we sin by speaking poorly of ourselves and our ministries, so that a brother will praise us. Some men are more sensitive to becoming introspective. In their eyes, they can never do anything right. This comes out in their description of their preaching and ministries. They bemoan their speaking abilities. They groan about the fruitlessness of their outreaches. At the end of the conversation they may say, “I can do nothing useful for God.” The brother listening will have compassion for him and will encourage him. However, the open-air preacher may be participating in false humility, so that his brother would commend him. This evangelist may be sincere, but this is a form of pride. The underlining assumption is that they should be better. Yet, the Bible says that we are nothing without Christ. If you are tempted to lament for the purposing of receiving glory, then please repent. This is the behavior of a glory thief. In my previous blog, I exhorted pastors to commit to open-air preaching for one hour a week. I gave the following four reasons to justify my challenge. First, open-air preaching helps a pastor to kill the fear of man. Second, it helps a pastor be a good steward of his preaching gift. Third, it will improve a preacher’s oratory skills in the pulpit. Fourth, it sets an evangelistic example to a pastor’s church members. Now I will add to this list with four additional reasons for making open-air preaching a priority.
5. Open-Air Preaching Forces a Pastor Out of His Christian Bubble The demands of pastoral ministry can force a preacher into isolation. First, there is the necessity to study for sermons and Bible studies. This obligation takes up several hours throughout the week. Then, church administration requires attention to plan events, rewrite the church constitution, order more tracts, and update the church billboard. When a pastor does spend time with people, it is usually with Christians. While Sunday morning services and fellowship meals may have non-Christians, a pastor is usually surrounded by the members of the body. This extends to the most faithful who come to the second service or prayer meeting on Wednesday nights. Besides these responsibilities, a pastor makes visits to the elderly in their homes, hospital rooms, or nursing homes. Do you see how the Christian bubble quickly forms? This leaves minimal opportunities to interact with non-Christians. It will only come through going out to eat, shopping, and attending community social events. How does open-air preaching help to burst the Christian bubble? It ensures that a pastor will consistently have conversations with non-Christians. While open-air preaching is a public declaration of God’s Word, it will result in one-on-one conversations. As people walk by, God uses His Word to bring them to you to ask questions. These providential encounters will ensure that your ministry does not get trapped in the echo chamber of the Christian bubble. In fact, it will expand your ministry to a population who may never take a step into your church. 6. Open-Air Preaching Aids a Pastor in Encouraging Other Christians 2 Corinthians 9:12 states, “For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.” Paul pleaded with the Corinth Church to set aside money to help their brothers and sisters in Christ. Through the overflow of their abundance, they would meet the needs of the Christians in Macedonia. Their sacrificial offering would cause these churches to respond with praise and thanksgiving to God. In the same way, our brothers and sisters in Christ are encouraged to praise God when they walk past a man who is preaching about the Savior who rescued them from their sins. When we go to the streets to preach to the lost, our activities result in causing believers from other churches to give thanksgiving to God. Pastors are responsible for focusing on their local church, but we are in the same body of Christ as believers from other congregations. Our preaching stirs up our brethren to praise the Lord Jesus Christ. Also, it will inspire them to grow in their boldness to witness to the non-Christians in their lives. 7. Open-Air Preaching Provides the Means of Bringing Sinners to Christ Paul wrote Romans 10:14-15, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” In this passage, Paul makes a simple but effective point. An unregenerate rebellious sinner comes to salvation by calling upon the Lord through repentance and faith. However, if nobody has ever shared with them the Gospel, then they cannot call upon Jesus. While they have the general revelation of creation, which reveals God’s existence and power, they do not have this special revelation which only comes through God’s Word. This is what Paul bemoans by writing, “And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” As preachers, we hold to this promise; God brings salvation to a sinner by the preaching of the Scriptures which the Holy Spirit applies to their souls. If this is the means that God has ordained, then we should preach as much as possible. The more Gospel seed that we sow through the open-air, then this only increases the possibility that God will draw the elect to Himself. The preaching of the Gospel is a weapon to save lost sinners from hell. Let us not only use this sword in our pulpits, but may we go to the front lines and wield it to advance the kingdom of God. 8. Open-Air Preaching Allows a Pastor to Preach to More People If you are a pastor of an average size church in America, then your congregation is less than a hundred. Week by week you faithfully preach to the same group of people. While this is a noble responsibility from the Lord, how are we to get people to hear the Gospel if they do not attend our services? How are we to sow the seed of the Gospel into a human heart if the human heart does not sit in our church’s pew? The answer is to preach the gospel outdoors. If you go to a spot with moderate traffic, then you might preach to a greater audience over the course of an hour than you will on a Sunday morning. Last week, I went to the University of Missouri where thousands of students walked by during our outreach. Since I pastor a church with a weekly attendance of 30, then I preached to more souls in an hour on campus than I will preach to in a calendar year at my church. Besides the argument from numbers, think about the opportunity to share the Gospel with a person who has never heard it. With the pluralism in America, it is not uncommon to cross paths with an unbeliever who has never been told about Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins. By seeking the lost, God grants us the occasion to sow a multitude of Gospel seeds to human hearts who have never heard the grace of Jesus Christ. Instead of expecting these people to attend our services to hear the Gospel, go to the people and boldly proclaim it to them! Pastoral ministry is fatiguing. Between sermon preparation, visitations, funerals, weddings, counseling, church programs, and elders’ meetings, a pastor has an overbooked week. This does not include the time that he should spend with his family. As a pastor, I sympathize with your hectic schedule. However, I also know how easy it is for us to prioritize our favorite and most comfortable activities during the week. For many pastors, open-air preaching would be a stretching experience since it requires us to interact with rebellious sinners. In contrast, sermon preparation does not bring you face to face with the fear of man. It is easy to use your other responsibilities as an excuse to avoid committing to this evangelistic task.
This is my exhortation to pastors. Set aside one hour per week to open-air preach in your community. Make a commitment between you and the Lord to go to the same location at the same time to preach the gospel. As pastors, we spend countless hours preparing to preach. Yet, we may only proclaim God’s truth 35-45 minutes a week. By taking up this challenge, you will be an even better steward of the preaching gift which God has given you. Beside this outcome, your time investment in this endeavor will grow you as a preacher and as a fervent pursuer of the lost. Here are my first four reasons for making a commitment to open-air preach regularly. 1. Open-Air Preaching Helps Kills the Fear of Man The pressures of being a pastor can feed the fear of man. A vocational elder depends upon the church for his salary, housing, and insurance. These realities can influence a pastor to seek appeasement when there is conflict in the church. If he gains value and worth from being accepted, then he will try to avoid these hard conversations. He may shy away from the difficult Biblical texts which could upset a section of the church. While this is not common in all pastors, the temptation to fear man due to these circumstances is always present. Matthew 10:28 says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” When a man open-air preaches, he confronts the fear of man straight on. It forces you to die to your reputation. The people will say, “What is he doing? He is crazy!” You must die to being wise. The passers-by will think that you are a fool. When you do it in your own community, then your friends and acquaintances will see you. After you preach to your insurance man on the town square, you will have to look at him in the eye when you go to renew your policy. By weekly confronting this fear, the Lord will use it to grow in fearing Him. 2. Open-Air Preaching Helps You Be a Good Steward According to 1 Timothy 3:2, a pastor must be “able to teach.” If you went to Bible college or seminary, then you have taken several classes on preaching. Besides this, you have honed your homiletical skills by preaching hundreds of sermons. God has gifted you to preach His truth, and He has given you opportunities to become seasoned. In contrast, a lay open-air preacher does not have these advantages. Usually he has not taken any classes on preaching, and he has not had a regular preaching ministry in a church. With your gift in communication, I would encourage you to exercise your skills in proclaiming the gospel on the street corner. 3. Open-Air Preaching Will Improve Your Preaching When I went to seminary, I took three classes on preaching. The professors helped me to develop logical outlines, engaging illustrations, and clear oratory skills. When I started doing pulpit supply, the mechanics of preaching overwhelmed the message which I tried to communicate. I concentrated on being so precise that it took away my effectiveness. I would manuscript my sermons, and then I would try to memorize them thought by thought. This made me stiff and languid in the pulpit. Open-air preaching forced me to move away from a scripted sermon. While I had an outline in my head, I gained the freedom to concentrate on preaching the message of the cross. Some pastors are still tied down to their manuscript and notes. This causes them to have very little eye contact with their congregation. It results in making their sermon unpassionate. Open-air preaching will force these pastors to learn how to preach without a manuscript. It will improve their ability to speak extemporaneously and to connect with people through eye contact. These skills are transferable to your pulpit ministry. If you are a preaching professor, it is my contention that open-air preaching should be required in any entry level seminary preaching class. When preaching seminars combine the sermon outline skills from a class with outdoor preaching, then it brings together logic and fire. 4. Open-Air Preaching Sets an Example to Your Church In several places, Paul exhorts Christians to imitate him (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:6; 2:14;) In Second Thessalonians 3:7-9, Paul commands them to imitate his hard work. While Paul could take financial contributions for being a preacher of the Gospel, he worked in order to give them an example. In the same way, a pastor sets an example to his flock. While you may not publicly call them to imitate you, the sheep will subconsciously look to you. Your strengths will become the church’s. At the same time, your weaknesses will be imitated by the flock. When a pastor makes evangelistic outreach a priority, it sets a good example to his church members. Seeking and saving the lost becomes part of the DNA of the body. Pastor, if your church is weak on evangelism, is it following your lead? If the congregation is afraid of sharing the Gospel with others, has it adopted your fears? If this is the state of your church, then make a commitment to lead. Go preach the gospel on the streets! By asking the congregation to pray for your outreaches, it will keep evangelism on its mind. By being faithful in open-air preaching, it will challenge others to boldly evangelize with you. The sheep will only go to the lost if their shepherd is leading the way. Charles Spurgeon, who is known as the “Prince of Preachers,” did not confine his ministry to the indoors. He preached outside in Scotland, London, and country fields. He even open-air preached a sermon on the doctrine of election to Methodist miners. Despite Spurgeon’s popularity, this facet of his ministry is not well known. Besides preaching under the heavenly sky, Spurgeon exhorted men to follow his example. In his book, Lectures to My Students, he has two chapters on the subject. The first chronicles a brief history of open-air preaching, from Biblical narratives to his contemporary period. The second chapter is an appeal to pastors to preach outside while giving advice on the methodology to adopt.
Unfortunately, most conservative evangelical pastors only preach indoors. They have not broken the threshold to proclaim the name of Christ under the blue open sky. If you are one of these preachers, I encourage you to learn from Spurgeon. See the value in going into the streets to preach Christ crucified. Do not let excuses hold you back. Instead, take up Spurgeon’s call to open-air preach. 1. Biblical Precedent Spurgeon bases his argument to open-air preach on Scripture. He cites the examples of Enoch, Noah, Moses, and Samuel. The prophets proclaimed God’s Word outdoors too. Elijah stood on Carmel, and challenged the vacillating nation, with ‘How long halt ye between two opinions?’ Jonah, whose spirit was somewhat similar, lifted up his cry of warning in the streets of Nineveh, and in all her places of concourse gave forth the warning utterance, ‘Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ (Lectures, 245) Our Savior Jesus Christ delivered most of his sermons outdoors. “Our Lord himself, who is yet more our pattern, delivered the larger proportion of his sermons on the mountain’s side, or by the seashore, or in the streets. Our Lord was to all intents and purposes an open-air preacher.” (Lectures, 245) Spurgeon’s Savior motivated him to preach under the sun. Will it motivate you? 2. Historical Precedent In his chapter, “Open-Air Preaching - A Sketch of Its History,” he refers to American open-air preachers. In America men like Peter Cartwright, Lorenzo Dow, Jacob Gruber, and others of a past generation, carried on a glorious warfare under the open heavens in their own original fashion; and in later times Father Taylor has given us another proof of the immeasurable power of this mode of crusade in his Seven Years of Street Preaching in San Francisco, California. (Lectures, 264) Spurgeon demonstrates his familiarity with God’s work through the outdoor ministry in America. If you have not read Father Taylor’s work, please get it. He documents how God worked to change the culture of Fisherman’s Wharf through his outdoor preaching ministry on Sundays. It testifies to the power of the Gospel to save sinners. If you think that preaching outdoors is strange, then listen to the diary entry from John Wesley which Spurgeon quoted. “I could scarce reconcile myself at first to this strange way of preaching in the fields, of which he set me an example on Sunday.” Wesley always considered the business of saving souls to be confined to inside the church. Thankfully, the Lord quickly changed his view through the encouragement of George Whitefield. Spurgeon commented on Wesley’s feelings by writing, “Such were the feelings of a man who in after life became one of the greatest open-air preachers that ever lived!” (Lectures, 259) 3. No Justification is Needed to Preach Outdoors Spurgeon puts the burden of proof on the pastor who only preachers indoors. “No sort of defense is needed for preaching out of doors; but it would need very potent arguments to prove that a man had done his duty who has never preached beyond the wall of his meeting house.” (Lectures, 266) What argument can be made to limit the preaching of Christ to your church building? Romans 10:14 says, “And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” Pastor, we both know that a sinner is converted to Christ by hearing the glorious gospel. If they do not hear the good news, then there is no possibility that they will be saved. There are no valid arguments to keep the preaching of the gospel to our comfortable pulpits. 4. New Pastors Should Prioritize Establishing an Open-Air Ministry When a pastor takes a new charge, mentors usually give the same advice. Focus on the preaching ministry of the Word. Spend time with the members and show them love. Do not make any significant changes for three to five years. Spurgeon provides an unexpected piece of instruction. “One of the earliest things that a minister should do when he leaves college and settles in a country town or village is to begin open-air speaking.” (Lectures, 275) Spurgeon encourages new pastors to survey the town for a good spot. He gives new pastors suggestions: the market, outside the courthouse, on a wagon in the field, or at a “rustic festival.” (Lectures, 275) Pastor, have you surveyed your town to find an outdoor pulpit? Have you looked at the community calendar to see when the next parade or festival will take place? Are you making open-air preaching a priority in your community? 5. The Gospel is Proclaimed to Newcomers Spurgeon argued, “The great benefit of open-air preaching is that we get so many newcomers to hear the gospel who otherwise would never hear it.” (Lectures, 267) There is a movement in this country to make our church services more palatable for individuals from an unchurched environment. This affects the style, music, content, liturgy, and attitude of the service. Instead of trying to change your service to appeal to the unchurched, go to the streets and preach the Gospel to them. The great commission is one of Spurgeon’s justifications for going outdoors. “We ought actually to go into the streets and lanes and highways, for there are lurkers in the hedges, tramps on the highway, streetwalkers, and lane haunters whom we shall never reach unless we pursue them into their own domains.” (Lectures, 268) Pastor, go to the streets to proclaim the gospel to the outcast, downtrodden, self-righteous, and unwanted in your community. 6. Spurgeon’s Example Spurgeon modeled his advice by having preaching spot in Addlestone. Throughout England we have several trees remaining called “gospel oaks.” There is one spot on the other side of the Thames known by the name of “Gospel Oak,” and I have myself preached at Addleston, in Surrey, under the far-spreading boughs of an ancient oak, beneath which John Knox is said to have proclaimed the gospel during his sojourn in England. (Lectures, 247) While arguing that open-air preaching is less draining on the body than preaching indoors, Spurgeon comments on an occasion in Scotland. I preached in Scotland twice on a Sabbath day at Blairmore, on a little height by the side of the sea, and after discoursing with all my might to large congregations, to be counted by thousands, I did not feel one half so much exhausted as I often am when addressing a few hundreds in some horrible black hole of Calcutta, called a chapel. (Lectures, 270) He did not confine his open-air ministry to the metropolitan places. He went to the country people by preaching in their fields. My country brothers and sisters do not confirm the supposition, and for myself—for I preach more in the country than I do in the town, and often spend three or four days a week in addressing country audiences—for myself I must say that glad as I am to address the assembled crowds in a field or anywhere else, I do not find that the supposition that their having less to do makes them think more of divine things is at all correct. (MTP, 706) Spurgeon demonstrates through his testimony that he is a man who practices what he preaches. An open-air preacher should be a church member because the Bible expects every Christian to be a part of a church. After reading this sentence, some of you may have this thought, “The term ‘church membership’ is not found in the Bible. It is an extra-Biblical concept.” Before I answer this objection, let me remind you of cultural factors. As Americans, we live in a hyper-individualistic society which chooses autonomy and freedom over community and submission. This contrasts with Asian cultures who think of themselves in terms of a group and not as individuals.
Why do I bring this up? I think that our American culture has unknowingly infected many open-air preachers. They argue against church membership so that they can be unaccountable. This leads to isolated individuals who do not have a community to encourage them, correct them, rebuke them, and watch out for them. This results in a Christian without a flock and without a shepherd. They are sheep unprotected from the devil who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Is church membership Biblical? While it is true that the term “church membership” is not found in the Bible, the concept is commanded. The New Testament gives four necessities which cannot be followed without being committed to a local church. 1. Love One Another Romans 12:10 says, “Love one another with brotherly affection.” Paul wrote this epistle to the church in Rome. As a local church, Paul is telling them to love one another. They must show affection towards their brothers and sisters in Christ. In verses 15-16, Paul continued to say, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another.” These believers are living life together and not in isolation. Since Christians still sin, they will need to be reminded to show love and to live in harmony with one another. They must be invested since they will rejoice and will weep with a fellow believer in the body. How can a believer follow Paul’s exhortation if he is not committed to a fellowship of believers? To whom is he commanded to show brotherly love? To whom is he ordered to live in harmony? While he should do this with all Christians, to whom is he especially responsible? How can an individual be rebuked for the sin of omission when they do not do this? Should a Christian in America be rebuked for not weeping and crying with a Christian in Iran whom they have never met? Or should they be corrected for not doing this with the believers in their local church? 2. Christians Are Commanded to Meet With One Another For Worship Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” The author of the letter to the Hebrews warns these Christians to keep meeting together. There have been reports that some people have stopped coming together to worship. By disobeying the Lord, they are failing to serve the body through stirring up one another for good works and encouraging one another. Clearly the local churches knew who were expected to attend the meetings. When they stopped coming, they were disobeying this command. How are the thousands of pastors in America supposed to know who is expected to come to worship on Sunday? How do they know who they should pursue for non-attendance? Without a defined membership, the pastors have no basis to rebuke someone for their sin. Second, a lone wolf Christian cannot justify staying at home by himself since he is not gathering with fellow believers to serve and be served. 3. Church Discipline Requires Church Membership 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 states, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.” Paul warns the church in Corinth about their ungodly reputation. He has received reports that a man is committing sexual immorality with his step-mom. Instead of performing church disciple on the man, the church is condoning it. Notice that Paul is assuming a local congregation with members. In verse 1, the sexual immorality is “among you.” What is the antecedent of you? It is the church in Corinth. Second, Paul commands the church to deliver the man to Satan. When are they to do this? They must perform this action when they are assembled. When the members of the church in Corinth meet, then they will remove the man from the body. How can a person be removed from the body if they are not in the body? Matthew 18:15-20 commands the church to remove membership for an unrepentant sinner. A person must first be a member of the church before they can be removed from that church. Paul assumes that the man belongs to the local church in Corinth. Therefore, his behavior is an ungodly reflection upon the church and the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are a lone wolf open-air preacher, how can you ever be the subject of church discipline if you are not a part of a church? 4. Christians Are Commanded to Obey Their Leaders Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Christians have a responsibility to obey their leaders. The leaders are responsible to watch over their souls, because they will have to give an account. Notice that Christians are responsible to obey their leaders. They do not have to submit to leaders from another church. In the same vein, leaders are not responsible for every Christian. They are only shepherds for the Christians under their care. If there is no church membership, then how does a leader know who are the people for whom he must give an account? When I student taught U.S history in college, the regular teacher gave me a class roster. When the class began, I had to go through the roll and take attendance. Then, I would put the attendance sheet outside on the classroom. During those fifty minutes, I was responsible only for the students in my classroom. The principal would not hold me accountable for the behavior of the students in biology. They were under another teacher’s authority. At the same time, the students were expected to listen and follow my instructions. Since they were in my class, I had the authority. If Mr. Jones allowed his biology class to talk, it did not carry over to my classroom. My rules were different. In the same way, leaders must know who are their responsibility. Christians must know who they are accountable to follow. The writer assumes that every Christian has a leader to whom they must submit. There is no room in Christianity to be leaderless. If you listen to John MacArthur sermons, it does not mean that he is your leader. He is not responsible for your soul since you listen to his messages. He is only responsible for the members of his church. Membership is a covenant between the church, the leaders, and the new member. The church makes a covenant to love and encourage the new member. The leaders make a covenant to watch over the new member and give an account. The new member makes a covenant to love and encourage his fellow church members and to submit to the leadership of the church. If you are a lone wolf open-air preacher, please name me the leader who is watching out for your soul? Who is the leader that will give an account for your life? Who is the leader to whom you are commanded to submit? Who is the leader who has the authority to tell you “No!?” Who is the leader that can confront you for your sin out of love for your soul? If you are not a member of a church, then you are a sheep without a shepherd. New converts to Christianity usually have an unmatched zeal for the gospel. The freshness of their salvation through the precious blood of their Savior propels them to action. Their enthusiasm can lead them to engage people in evangelism. Some veteran street preachers even take the passionate babe in Christ with them for an outreach. Very quickly, this opens the door to their opportunity to step up on the box. While I admire such fervor to preach the gospel in the open air, I must caution against this approach for six reasons.
1. New Converts Need Time to Grow in Character A new believer needs time to grow in the fruits of the Spirit. In Ephesians 4:17-32, Paul addresses the Ephesians on how we should live differently from the unconverted. We must put off the old self and put on the new self. This includes putting off unrighteous anger and corrupting talk. Open-air preaching is a temptation for new converts to respond in unrighteous ways to the mocking, scoffing, and apathy of the non-Christians. A new believer does not know how to respond to cursing with blessing. They have not learned to rejoice when persecuted. If the man struggled with bitterness, wrath, malice, and violence before Christ, then he will need time for the Holy Spirit to sanctify him through the Word. The consequences of him exploding in an ungodly way would be the discrediting of the gospel message. 2. New Converts Need Discipleship In Acts 18:24-28, God gifted Apollos to speak in the synagogues about Christ. In verse 24, we learn that he is an eloquent speaker and competent in the Scriptures. In verse 25, Luke tells us that Apollos received discipleship. Someone instructed him in the way of the Lord. This verb, instruct, means “to teach in a systematic or detailed manner.” Apollos went through a systematic discipleship program on the meaning of the Scriptures. Yet, he still needed correction. In verse 26, Priscilla and Aquila heard him preach, but he needed more instruction. They took him aside and taught him the way of the Lord more accurately. Then, God used him marvelously in Achaia to refute the Jews. If Apollos received detailed and systematic instruction and still needed correction, how much more does a new convert? Most baby Christians have not read the Bible completely. They usually know the basics of the Gospel, but they are not competent in the Scriptures. People saved from nominal Christian backgrounds or other religions usually know very little about the Bible. They need time to learn the Scriptures through their church’s preaching and personal study in order to be prepared to preach the gospel accurately. 3. New Converts Are Students and Not Teachers If a man is not competent to preach on Sunday in the pulpit, then he is not competent to preach on Saturday on the street corner. In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul exhorts Timothy to “preach the word.” The word, preach, in this context means “to publicly announce religious truths and principles while urging acceptance and compliance.” There are only two differences between preaching on Sunday in the pulpit versus Saturday on the street corner. First, in one circumstance the preacher has a roof over his head. Second, it is a different context. On Sunday, it is a worship service to the people of God. On Saturday, it is on the street corner to mostly unbelievers. However, the act of preaching is the same. Both are public declarations of Biblical truth with the desire to see people accept it. When a man stands up on the street corner to preach, he is declaring to the pedestrians that he is a teacher of the Bible. He understands the message and is going to proclaim it for their consideration. A new convert is not at the level of a teacher. He is still a student who is learning the basics of the faith. Imagine if a young man took a French class. After six weeks, he has learned the basics like pronouncing the abc’s, numbers, and rudimentary vocabulary. What if this young man decided to go to the street corner in order to teach people French? The assumption by the crowd would be that he is fluent and can teach. Unfortunately, they would be quickly disappointed since he is a new student to the study of the language. A person may object and say, “Does this mean that he cannot share the gospel with anyone?” No! You are assuming that preaching is the same thing as having a conversation with a person one on one. It is not. In a conversation, a new convert does not set himself up as a competent instructor of the Bible. Instead, he is sharing what he is learning from the competent teacher at his church. Let us go back to the French student. Would it be wrong for him to share with his parents the new words he is learning in French? No, it would not, because he is not portraying himself as a French teacher. Instead, he is sharing privately the lessons that he has learned in class. 4. Teachers Will Receive a Greater Judgment James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” In this context, the word, teacher, means “one who provides instruction.” This does not have to be a public proclamation but can be private. Preaching is always a public teaching activity. Therefore, we can apply this principle to preachers. There is greater judgment for them. We should not encourage a new convert to take greater responsibility before they are able to handle the stricter judgment. They are unprepared spiritually and doctrinally to be held to this greater standard. 5. A New Convert May Not Have the Ability to Preach In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, an elder must have the ability to teach to be qualified for the office. While a person does not have to be an elder to preach, these passages do show that it is a gift from God. There are some men who may have the desire to preach, but they do not have the ability. Either they have poor communication skills in contrast to Apollos or they cannot rightly handle the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15) If a new convert feels the desire to preach, then he should do two things. First, sit under the preaching ministry of his church. By hearing the preaching of God’s Word every week, you will grow in your knowledge of the Lord. Besides this, it demonstrates to him what good preaching looks like. By seeing a gifted man of God preach the Bible with care, it will disciple him to do the same thing. Second, ask for an opportunity to preach at your church or teach in Sunday School. It is wise for you to cut your teeth as a preacher in the local church with a friendly audience. By learning in the church, then it will sharpen your skills in order to preach in the open-air. 5. New Converts Are Prone to Pride In 1 Timothy 3:6, Paul wrote, “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.” This warns churches to avoid choosing a new convert to become an elder. They are particularly prone to becoming prideful. The devil will use the new office as an opportunity to have them fall into his arms. This principle can be applied to preaching as well. The public recognition of preaching can act as a stumbling block to a new convert. They start to think that they are a mature follower of Jesus since they are preaching the Gospel on the street corner and most believers are not. This pride turns into an unteachable spirit and can turn to isolation. Unfortunately, I have seen men err into false doctrine and they refused to be corrected. The open-air ministry puffed up their pride. Even though they thought they were teachers, they became fools. What Should a New Convert Do? I encourage men who open-air preach to take new converts with you. However, see it as a discipleship opportunity. The new convert is coming with you in order to learn. By inviting him to go, it forces the new believer to face the fear of man. Also, the conversations in the car are advantageous moments to discuss spiritual matters. When you go to your spot to preach the gospel, it grants more instruction to the babe in Christ to meditate on these truths. When there is interaction with non-believers, he will witness you demonstrating gentleness while delivering truth. Besides this, he will be exposed to new arguments against Christianity and the appropriate response from the Scriptures. Please see outreaches as discipleship opportunities, but do not push the man onto the box while he is still on a diet of milk. In Philippians 1:15-18, Paul rejoices that the gospel is being preached despite the men’s wrong motives. Some brothers used Paul’s imprisonment as an opportunity to try and rub salt into his open wound. Their motives were selfish ambition. They were competitors against Paul. Now that he was in prison, they could surpass Paul’s influence in the gospel ministry.
In contrast, another group of brothers preached the gospel for different reasons. Their motive was love. Their love for God propelled them to obedience by proclaiming His glorious Gospel. Their love of their neighbor pushed them to bring the good news to lost sinners. Even though Paul rejoiced that the Gospel was being preached with bad motivations, I desire as an open-air preacher to be stirred by love and not envy. Therefore, I have developed a spiritual checklist for the open-air preacher before he goes to seek the lost. May it benefit you as much as it has helped me. 1. Do I fear man or God? “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt. 10:28) 2. Am I afraid of looking like a fool? “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 Cor. 1:18) 3. Do I remember that I was once lost? “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.” (Titus 3:3) 4. Do I love the lost? “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Rom. 9:1-3) 5. Am I prepared for persecution? “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.” (Phil. 1:29-30) 6. Am I prepared to rejoice when I am persecuted? “So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” (Acts 5:39b-41) 7. Am I prepared to bless those who curse me? “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” (Rom. 12:14) 8. Do I remember that teachers are judged more strictly? “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” (James 3:1) 9. Are there any sins that I need to confess? “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) 10. Am I eager to obey the authorities? “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Rom. 13:1-2) 11. Am I ready for the spiritual battle? “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) 12. Are other Christians praying for me? “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Eph. 6:18-20) 13. Have I meditated on the fact that souls are on the path to hell? “‘But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.’” (Rev. 21:8) 14. Am I trusting in my eloquence to save the lost? “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 Cor. 1:17) 15. Do I rest knowing that God has His elect ready to receive the Gospel? “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (2 Tim. 2:10) 16. Do I trust in the power of the Gospel to save sinners? “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom. 1:16) 17. Am I depending upon the Holy Spirit? “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)” (John 6:63-64) 18. Do I love Jesus? “He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.’” (John 21:17) 19. Do I remember that Christ died for me? “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” (1 Tim. 1:15) 20. Am I ready to rejoice when a sinner is saved? “So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:3-7) 21. Do I remember that Jesus is worthy to be preached since the angels are worshiping Him right now? “And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” (Rev. 4:8) 22. Is my goal to glorify God? “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31) “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Tim. 1:17) Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah [1] (Psalm 24:7-10) [1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001). Ps 24:7–10. The open-air preacher’s toolbox has many options. Unfortunately, many men only use the hammer. The blunt object of God’s law is their only tool. These preachers use it appropriately for the self-righteous, but they also wield it on the spiritually weary. They fail to pull out the cloth of Jesus’ love to wipe away the tears of the broken-hearted. As preachers, we must understand our audience. Many people need to stare at God’s law and see their guilt. While others feel the burden of their sin and need to be comforted with the compassion of a Savior who died as a curse on the cross.
This article is a call for open-air preachers to expand their toolbox. Do not only preach sermons about God’s wrath and the condemnation to come. Brother, please add to your repertoire sermons aimed at the broken-hearted. Here are two reasons from the Scriptures. 1. Jesus calls the broken-hearted to come to Him. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus gives a call to the weary. In the previous paragraph, he has pronounced a woe onto the cities for rejecting Him. Then, He thanks the Father for concealing this truth and only revealing it to His children. Then, Jesus shows His compassion. "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (ESV) Jesus reveals four things about Himself which will comfort the heart of the down-trodden. First, He will give them rest. Jesus is the only one who can give spiritual rest. He is the rock in which to find rest. Those who are weary from works-based religion can find relief in Jesus. Those who are tired of their bondage to their addictions can be freed. Second, Jesus is gentle. He is the perfect gentleman. Oh how many women have been betrayed and abused by a man. Yet Jesus is tender. He is the almighty God, but He controls His power by being gentle with the hurting. Third, Jesus is lowly. He is humble. He is not prideful or arrogant. There is a beauty to Jesus’ demeanor which is comforting to the hurting. Fourth, His yoke is light. He will not burden a person with the works of the law. He will not force them into the bondage of religious works and self-righteousness. Instead, He calls them to come to Him. Trust in Christ’s righteousness. The burden of your sinful past is wiped clean through His atonement on the cross. The broken-hearted can be a new creature in Christ by faith in Him. Besides Jesus’ example, Charles Spurgeon exhorted men to preach on the love of Christ Jesus. He gives caution to balance it with the justice of God. We do not preach Christ’s love in isolation, but this should not stop us from preaching about His love. "Preach earnestly the love of God in Christ Jesus, and magnify the abounding mercy of the Lord; but always preach it in connection with his justice. Do not extol the single attribute of love in the method too generally followed, but regard love in the high theological sense, in which, like a golden circle, it holds within itself all the divine attributes: for God were not love if he were not just, and did not hate every unholy thing. Never exalt one attribute at the expense of another. Let boundless mercy be seen in calm consistency with stern justice and unlimited sovereignty. The true character of God is fitted to awe, impress, and humble the sinner: be careful not to misrepresent your Lord. All these truths and others which complete the evangelical system are calculated to lead men to faith; therefore make them the staple of your teaching" (Lectures to my Students, pg. 361) Do not make a false dichotomy in your mind. Preaching on Christ’s love does not mean you have forsaken God’s wrath. Instead, it magnifies the great love of our Savior to die under God’s wrath. It shows the seriousness of our sin and our need for a surety. We can preach the love of Christ to the broken-hearted and still call them to repent. 2. Jesus is the physician for souls. In Matthew 9:9-12, Jesus compares Himself to a physician. Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees came to accuse Jesus. If He was a true prophet, then He would not fellowship with the unclean. Jesus responded by saying, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (ESV) A physician goes to the sick to treat them. He does not go to the healthy. In the same way, the soul physician goes to the ones who know that they are sinners. The self-righteous do not see their need for a Savior. He has an attitude of mercy for these sinners to minister to them. If you are an open-air preacher, then you are a soul physician. You must consider the different souls who are walking by you on the street corner. Many people will be like the Pharisees. They are self-righteous and see no need for a Savior. This is why we preach the law to reveal their wickedness. At the same time, there is another group of people who know that they are sinners. They need the pure ointment of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to heal their soul. They are broken and depressed. They have hit rock bottom and realize their hopelessness. We must preach to these people too. Here are categories of broken people who walk by our preaching. Family A man has received news that his wife is filing for divorce. A wife is grieving the death of her husband. A couple is estranged from their son and do not know where he is living. A married couple has broken off communication with the wife’s parents. A woman finds out that she is pregnant and is not married. A runaway teenage girl feels the guilt for disobeying her parents. Job A man has been fired. He does not know how he will support his family. A woman did not receive a promotion in her company. A middle aged man had a job related accident. He can no longer work. A middle aged woman has started a new job and does not know if she can learn the required computer skills to keep it. Health A doctor told a man that he has cancer. He only has 6 months to live. An older man has to give up driving since he can no longer see. A son has been involved in a car accident and is now paralyzed. A couple has discovered their newborn is blind. Addiction A man has become an alcoholic since his girlfriend broke up with him. A teenager has turned to drugs to bury the pain of a fatherless home. A woman is cutting herself since she hates her body. A man has become a workaholic to forget the memories of being sexually molested as a boy. Religion A recently released convict knows that he is going to hell for his crimes. The Catholic man is weary from doing good works and not having peace of salvation. The Muslim is afraid that his good works will not outweigh his bad. Despair A young man feels like no one cares about him. He is considering suicide. A college girl is broken after being drugged and raped. Remember preachers that your audience is a mixed crowd. Many people need to feel the hammer of the law upon their soul. However, there are some who need a tender and gentle prescription of God’s love in Christ Jesus. What are Four Examples of Using Our Environment as an Illustration in Our Open-Air Sermons?9/15/2016
Preaching is more than chemistry. A preacher does not simply take one part doctrine of God plus one part depravity of man plus one part doctrine of Christ with two parts pleading for repentance and faith to proclaim the truth. While these ingredients are necessary, preaching has artistic elements. God uses illustrations to implant the seed of truth into a sinner’s soul. It creates a mental image which the hearer carries. This makes an object, sound, or event connected with that Biblical teaching. Then, God can use the ringing of a bell in the future as a reminder to them of the truth that you proclaimed on the street corner.
Where should you look for illustrations? Follow Jesus’ example by looking to your surrounding environment. Take the matter that a person is seeing, smelling, and hearing and use it as an arrow to point them to the Gospel. In John 4, Jesus has a conversation with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Jesus sat by the well recovering from his journey from Judea. He is thirsty and hot from sitting in the noon day sun. When the Samaritan woman comes, Jesus asks her for a drink. She responds with astonishment since a Jewish man was talking to her. This went against the cultural protocol. Jesus responds by saying, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” Jesus changes the conversation from physical matters to spiritual. He uses water as an illustration for the living water that our souls desperately need from Jesus. The Samaritan woman does not understand. Jesus responds later by saying, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” Jesus uses the physical water to point the woman to the need for her soul to be spiritually satisfied. A person who drinks from this well will be thirsty again. However, if you drink from Jesus’ spiritual well, then you will never be thirsty again. Your soul will be satisfied in God. Through Jesus’ beautiful word picture, he has linked water, which is necessary for life, with Jesus’ living water which is necessary for spiritual life. Jesus used the water to plead with the Samaritan sinner to come to Him for eternal life. In the same way, we can use our environment as a springboard to illustrate eternal truths from God’s Word. Here are four examples. 1. Sirens During my street preaching experience in Chicago, sirens are a persistent unwelcomed guest to the banquet. Our team would set up at a location which is a few blocks from a hospital. It was common to see an ambulance come blaring its sirens through the intersection. The high pitched sound will interrupt your thought and cause you to stop preaching. Instead of viewing it as a frustrating distraction, you can use it to illustrate God’s truth. First, after the sound has past, respond by saying, “Just as the siren warns you to get out of the way so that you will not get hurt, we are here preaching to warn you of God’s wrath. If you will not head this alarm, then you will be run over by God’s punishment.” Second, use it to point to the frailty of life. “The person in the ambulance did not wake up this morning planning to go to the hospital. In the same way, most people do not plan to die. You could be the next person riding in the ambulance. You could soon be only a breath away from meeting almighty God.” 2. Clock Tower Bell At Truman State University, there is a clock tower in the quad where I preach. It has a bell which rings on the quarter hour once and several times on the hour. Since I am not preaching with amplification, I must wait for the bell to stop ringing before I continue. Here are two ways to use the ringing as an illustration. First, “Just as the bell tells you that it is time for class, the Bible says that ‘behold, now is the day of salvation.’ (2 Cor. 6:2) Now is the time to get right with God while you are still alive.” Second, “Just as the bell tells you if you are late for an appointment, the Bible says ‘it is appointed man to die once, and after that comes judgment.’ (Heb. 7:27) You have an appointment with God on your calendar, and you will not be late. Are you ready to be judged by God?” 3. Advertisement On the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, the city has trash cans set up on the sidewalk. The municipality sells advertising space on the sides. One of the advertisements had Tom Skillings on it. He is the weather man on WGN. It had the caption, “Check out our website to see what you should wear tomorrow.” I used this advertisement to point people to eternity. “How many of you check the weather the next day to see the forecast on WGN? You want to be prepared so that you will not get too hot by having a sweater or be too cold by wearing shorts. You are preparing yourself for the next day. How many of you are prepared for eternity? If you take the time to pick out your clothes, how much more should you take the time to prepare your soul for heaven or hell? Are you prepared to meet God?” 4. Snow Every winter the ground will be covered in a blanket of snow. Use it as an object lesson on sin and the power of Christ to cleanse and redeem filthy sinners. “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;” (Isaiah 1:18) “When the snow falls on the ground, it is pure. It does not have dust, dirt, or foreign matter in it. Over the course of a few days, the snow turns black. See the black snow before your feet on the curb. Who would want to eat that snow? Nobody! Has anyone here ever seen black, filthy snow turned back to being pure and white? Of course not! Nobody has seen that happen! Yet this is beauty of Christ’s sacrifice. All of us are dirty, putrid sinners. We are more disgusting than the black snow. Yet through Christ’s blood we can be cleansed in it of our sins. Then, he removes the dirt to make us white as snow through his righteousness! We can be pure and white as snow through Him!” These are only a few examples. I encourage you to let your imagination run wild in order turn your preaching environment into an illustration of God’s truth. By taking a few minutes of creative thought, you can forever associate the Gospel with an object of God’s creation in an unbeliever’s mind. Then, God may use your illustration to preach to them the remainder of their days. In the previous two blogs, I demonstrated how a sermon can be organized topically or based upon a passage of Scripture. Now I will show you the third arrangement. A sermon can be based upon one verse.
The Bible is plentiful with golden verses which summarize the Gospel message. These verses contain the four main parts of the message: God, man, Christ, and response. Think of this arrangement as preaching a topical message with only one verse. The only difference is that the verse contains the four aspects of Gospel proclamation. I will give three examples of verses that I normally use in the Open-Air. 1. Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” A. Why do we need salvation? i. God is holy. ii. Man is a sinner who is under God’s wrath. iii. Without faith and repentance in Christ, a person will go to hell. B. Can we be saved outside of Jesus Christ? i. No! Jesus Christ’s atonement on the cross is the only way to be saved. ii. Allah, Vishnu, Humanism, and Mary the mother of Jesus will not save you. iii. Are you trusting in Christ for salvation? He is the only way! Point A explains the first phrase, “And there is salvation in no one else.” By defining salvation, the preacher must talk about God’s holiness and man’s rebellion. This is why we need to be saved. Then, you can move to the solution which is faith and repentance in Jesus Christ. In point B, the preacher emphasizes the exclusivity of salvation in Jesus Christ alone. He expounds on the rest of the verse, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” By talking about false religions, it gives the contrast to the truth. This is important considering our audience. In our post-modern culture, many people reject absolute truth claims. We must call sinners to the absolute truth that Jesus is the only name that can save us. 2. 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” A. How many gods are there? i. God is one. ii. Polytheistic religions are wrong. (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Mormonism) B. What is a mediator? i. A mediator is a person who brings reconciliation between two parties. C. Why do we need a mediator? i. Man has sinned against God. ii. Man is an enemy against God. iii. Man punishment is Hell. D. How is Christ the mediator? i. He is the God-Man. ii. He died on the cross as a substitute for sinners which appeased God’s Wrath. iii. You must repent and believe in Jesus to be reconciled to God. E. Can anyone else be a mediator? i. No! There is only one. ii. Mary the mother of Jesus, saints, Muhammad, Buddha, and dead parents cannot mediate for you. In point A, the preacher will explain that God is one. This is based upon “For there is one God…” In point B, the preacher moves to the next section and defines a mediator. In point C, the preacher must explain why a mediator is necessary. At this point, the preacher can preach the doctrine of man’s sin and the consequences. In point D, Christ is exalted as the perfect mediator since He is God and man. Finally, point E gives the negative. Since Christ is the only mediator, you cannot turn to anyone else. 3. John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” A. How can you have eternal life? i. Man must trust in the crucified risen Son. ii. Explain believe: mental ascent, agreement, and trust. iii. Explain eternal life. B. What happens if a person does not believe? i. The person has disobeyed the Son’s command. ii. The law breaker will not have eternal life. iii. God’s wrath will remain on him. He will go to Hell. iv. Believe and Jesus Christ to be saved. Are you believing in Him or rejecting Him? John 3:36 explains the dark and white contrast between believing in Jesus and rejecting Him. In point A, the preacher explains the way of salvation. The glorious Gospel is proclaimed that trusting in Christ’s work on the cross will give you eternal life. In point B, the preacher lovingly warns of the consequences of disobedience. There is no neutral ground. A person cannot be like Switzerland and ride the fence. Christ commands to believe. By not believing, you have disobeyed. This text highlights the preacher’s responsibility to proclaim the doctrine of Hell. It is real and sinners go there. End the message by pleading with sinners to trust in Christ to be saved from God’s wrath. What are the advantages of preaching one verse? This is my preferred method to preaching for three reasons. First, it keeps the preacher on message. By expounding on a small portion of Scripture, the preacher will be more likely to stay away from rabbit trails or secondary issues. Second, the verse gives you the outline to preach. The preacher only needs to take one phrase at a time and explain it. This gives him direction and momentum to the sermon. Third, it will improve your delivery. Since you are concentrating on one verse, you will not have your eyes in your Bible or notes as much. Memorize the verse and preach with the Bible at your side. This will allow you to focus on eye contact and connecting with the hearers who come by. Then, you can preach with the passion and urgency that the text demands. What is the disadvantage of preaching one verse? The one mistake that a person can make is to take the verse out of context. Remember that God did not inspire the verse chapters and numbers. It is a sentence which can be only understood properly by understanding the flow of thought in the book. Be careful that you do not rip the verse out of context to make it say something that was not the original intent of the authors. What is the best way to pick a verse? As you read your Bibles daily, keep a notebook with you. Write down a verse that summarizes the Gospel and captures your heart. A preacher to whom the Holy Spirit has ministered will proclaim the Gospel differently than a preacher who has not had his heart warmed by the verse he is preaching. Brothers, preach the verses that pour gasoline on your evangelistic fires. Preach the verses that makes you want to jump from your knees during your devotion time to find someone to tell of Jesus’ love for sinners. Preach the verses that preach to you! |
Brandon Rhea
Pastor Brandon was born and raised near Springfield, IL. He graduated from Illinois College in 2007 with a B.A. in History, from Moody Theological Seminary in 2010 with a Master of Divinity, and a PhD in Historical Theology in 2021 from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. He is also an ACBC certified Biblical counselor. He is married to Karise with whom they raise Ian, Elizabeth, and Patrick. He is interested in history, especially Charles Spurgeon, and has a heart for street preaching and evangelism. Archives
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