Every December this question is debated: Should parents tell their kids that Santa Claus is real? Throughout this debate, two arguments have been made in opposition to this question. First, Santa is not real. If you tell your kids that he is, then you are lying to them. This action breaks the ninth commandment. Second, Santa Claus steals the glory which is due to Jesus Christ. The kids look forward to presents from him instead of marveling at the incarnation of God to save sinners. The result is that Santa’s shadow puts the Light of the world in the dark.
While these arguments are persuasive, I want to present a third reason. Promoting this tradition deifies Santa Claus. The incommunicable attributes that belong to God alone are given to an imposter. Santa Claus’ character eerily resembles God’s attributes. To make my case, I will examine a classic Christmas song, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Since it has been a popular song for generations, the song has informed many about Santa’s qualities. I will compare the lyrics to the Scriptures to evaluate how Santa has been deified. As you will see from my conclusions, it is unwise and idolatrous to promote the myth of Santa in your home since it takes the attributes of the one true God and bestows them to a fictional character. 1. A Book with Names This classic song contains the following phrase, “He’s making a list. Checking it twice.” Santa has a list separating children who are naughty from the kids who are nice. The Bible alludes to a book with names contained in it too. Revelation 21:27 says, “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” A person must have their name in God’s book to enter into everlasting life with the Lord. 2. Omnipresent “He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you are awake.” The song teaches that Santa is omnipresent. He sees a child as he sleeps in his bed. He knows the hour that the child goes to sleep and the moment when the boy wakes up. This cannot be explained away based on having the north pole elves. Santa is the one who sees the child. Therefore, he must be everywhere to see every child simultaneously. Second, Santa has the impossible task of visiting every house in the world in one night. How can he visit possibly seven billion people if he did not possess the attribute of being everywhere at the same time? When we turn to the Bible, it teaches us that only God is omnipresent. Psalm 139:7-10 reinforces the point. 7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. By promoting the Santa myth, a person should use this Psalm to describe Santa. No one can flee from Santa’s presence. As a result of buying into the Santa narrative, we take away the unique quality that God alone is omnipresent. 3. Omniscient Santa knows everything about everyone. The next lyric in the song states, “He knows if you have been bad or good.” Since Santa is omnipresent, then he knows all the details of our lives. On this basis, he determines if a person has been bad or good. Santa must have an extraordinary mind to keep track of the infinite bits of data for the entire world population. He must have a god-like ability to keep tract of the actions for every person for 365 days. In a parallel manner, God is omniscient. Hebrews 4:13 says, “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” God observes everyone’s thoughts, words, and deeds for the purpose of judgment. A person does not risk losing a present, but they could lose their soul in the Lake of Fire. 4. Total Depravity This Christmas song teaches a theology of man. “So be good for goodness sake!” It assumes that children have the moral ability in them to be good. Therefore, do it! In theological terms, the song promotes Pelagianism. A child does not need to cooperate with grace (Semi-Pelagian) or be the object of irresistible grace (Augustinianism) to be good. The Bible advocates the opposite understanding. Romans 3:10 states, “None is righteous, no, not one.” Titus 1:15 shows that man is defiled. He is not inherently good. “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.” Promoting this myth only reinforces the great deception that all men are good. 5. Prophetic Return Every year Santa Claus returns to town from out of the clouds. “Santa Claus is coming to town.” Santa’s prophetic return is foretold year after year. While we know the date, a child does not know the hour. But he can be assured that the old man with a white beard will come if the boy has been good. God promises that Jesus Christ will return too. Matthew 24:44 declares, “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” In the Santa myth, we prepare by being good throughout the year and by providing milk and cookies by the Christmas tree. In contrast, the Bible warns us to prepare for Christ’s second advent by coming to Him in faith and repentance. 6. Salvation This Christmas jingle teaches salvation by faith plus works. A child must believe that Santa is real. If he does not believe, then he will not be on the nice list. However, the salvation of Christmas presents is not based upon faith alone. A child must be good. Faith plus good behavior provides presents for the child. If a child is naughty by pouting and crying, then Santa will not visit his house. Paul instructs us from Ephesians 2:8-9 that salvation is based upon faith alone. “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” God’s ways are antithetical to the idolatrous religions of man. Every false religion requires human merit to obtain everlasting life. By encouraging a child to embrace the Santa myth, a parent is unknowingly instilling a salvation by works system into their child. 7. Motivation for Obedience The motivation for obedience in this Christmas classic is self-centered. If a child obeys, then he will get presents. The child does not love Santa for his character and worth. Instead, a child loves Santa in direct correlation to the value and quantity of his gifts. In Christianity, our primary motivation is God-centered. Our motivation is love. We respond to the love that God has shown to us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins. Romans 5:8 says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus died for us despite our rebellion and hatred towards Him. As 1 John 4:19 explains, “We love because he first loved us.” We respond to Christ’s initiation of love by loving Him for who He is and what He has done. After reading this list, some of you may still hold reservations. You may be thinking, “You are taking the Santa tradition too seriously. It will not do any harm. It is a fun game. It makes Christmas more exciting.” If I still have not convinced you, then let me make one final appeal. Does celebrating Santa cause your child’s heart to rejoice in Santa more than Jesus Christ? Is there more love and excitement for St. Nick? Does your child value Santa’s presents more than Christ’s gift of eternal life? If this is the case, then your child is worshiping Santa as if he is god. The deified Santa rules in your child’s heart. The Scriptures teach that our hearts should be set on God alone. Psalm 9:1 says, “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” What better day than Christmas to sing praises to God with a whole heart and not half-heartedly! What greater occasion to recount Jesus’ Christ’s atonement for sinners! 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. The terrors of hell are so great that it can be difficult to fathom. Most of us know that hell is a place of pain, punishment, and fire. However, I have found that my knowledge of hell is too abstract. I have had an orthodox understanding which has been hazy. I see the light through the fog but the tangible aspects of hell are hidden. This has had a negative consequence upon my orthopraxy since the terrors of hell do not seem as real.
Thankfully God relates to our finite minds by using earthly circumstances to describe eternal matters. In John 5:1-17, Jesus heals an invalid. He had been in this condition for thirty-eight years. Yet, Jesus cures the man by commanding him to pick up his mat and walk. After the invalid talks to the Jewish leaders, Jesus sees the healed man again. In verse 14, Jesus says, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” Jesus tells the man to sin no more. He gives the key to the passage. The invalid had been crippled for thirty-eight years due to his sin. Now Jesus warns him to repent. Why? If he does not, then he will endure something much worse. What could be worse than being an invalid for thirty-eight years? If the healed man died in his sins, then he would go to hell. The punishment found in hell is exponentially greater than anything the invalid has experienced. In verse 14, Jesus gives a key to better understanding the stark realities of hell. By comparing physical affliction to the suffering of hell, it will give us more insight. 1. An illness will end. Hell is eternal. A person who is suffering an illness can find comfort in knowing that it will end. Either a cure will be administered, or they will die. This will free them from the pain caused by their affliction. In contrast, hell will never end. Matthew 25:46 says, “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” The agonies of hell will go on forever and ever. There is no end. A rebel under the wrath of God cannot look forward to annihilation. Their place in eternity is sealed. 2. Illness has a hope of a cure. Hell is irrevocable. Even if a person has an incurable disease, there is still hope that a cure may be found. If they can stay alive and deal with the pain for a few years, researchers may develop a drug or procedure which would heal them. There is no hope for a cure in hell. In Luke 16:26, we learn that the rich man cannot cross from hell into heaven. Lazarus the poor man cannot go from heaven to hell in order to serve his old master. A person in hell has no hope of going to heaven. They are stuck. Once they enter hell, it is irrevocable. 3. A sick person can receive comfort. Hell is lonely. A person in the hospital can have family and friends visit. They can receive cards and phone calls to encourage them. However, hell is the opposite. In Luke 16:24, the rich man requests for his servant Lazarus to come from heaven to give him a drink. His request is denied. He is alone in hell. He cannot receive visitors, cards, or calls from friends or family in heaven. He must endure the greatest imaginable pain alone: the infinite wrath of God. 4. A sick person can receive medication. Hell does not have pain medicine. If a patient is experiencing extreme and unbearable pain, then a doctor can give pain medication to reduce or eliminate it. In serious cases of head trauma, doctors will put a person into a medical coma so that they will be unconscious. This will spare them from suffering. Hell does not offer pain medication. The full pain of God’s wrath pierces the flesh and soul of every person. There is no pain block. God does not provide Advil or Aleve. A person is not put unconscious in order to avoid it. Instead, a sinner is completely awake. He feels the full brunt of God’s wrath in every molecule of his body. 5. A sick person can still have pleasure. Hell is without pleasure. A sick person can still enjoy a warm bed, a delicious meal, a television show, sleep, or company. This is not the case for the person in hell. Revelation 14:10-11 says, “He also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” Hell is absent of pleasure. It is a place of torment where God’s wrath is poured out on lawbreakers. A person in hell will not even get a drop of water to cool their tongue from the fires. They will never again experience one momentary feeling of pleasure. 6. In a hospital, the patients can be friends. In hell, everyone is an enemy. When a person is under care, they can form friendships with the other patients in their hospital room. There are stories of people becoming best friends after meeting there. However, hell does not have friendships. Since hell has no pleasure and friendships are pleasurable, then there are no friendships in hell. Also, in hell, God pulls back His restraint over man’s depravity. Man reaches his potential for selfishness and nastiness. Everyone is an enemy. No one is a friend. The pain is so excruciating that the rich man from Luke 16 begs for Abraham to send someone to warn his family. Luke 16:27-28 says, “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’” Some people believe that they will have a party in hell with their friends and family. This is foolish talk. The torment is indescribable. Once a person is there, they will be like the rich man and beg for Abraham to warn their family. 7. A sick person can still be healed by Jesus. In hell, it is too late to be spiritually healed by Jesus. On this side of eternity, we pray to God to bring healing. Jesus still answers our prayers by miraculously healing a person or by working through doctors, nurses, and medicine. This does not translate to hell. We cannot pray for Jesus to spiritually heal a sinner in hell. It is too late. The Gospel is no longer offered to them. God has not promised to regenerate and forgive a person who has been condemned to hell. The time to embrace the grace of Jesus Christ has passed. Friends, I hope that these truths will do two things. First, may it make the circumstances of hell more real. I pray that God will use it to help us feel the terrors and hear the screams. May we not live as if hell is not real. Second, may it motivate us to apply the balm of the Gospel to the sinners who are on this side of eternity. Jesus asked the invalid in verse 6, “Do you want to be healed?” May we imitate Christ by going to the spiritually dead and sharing the only cure for their condition: The Gospel of Jesus Christ. 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. A holiday is an opportune time to open-air preach. The celebrations are usually accompanied with outdoor festivities. Halloween has trick or treaters going from door to door. Veterans Day has a parade. Thanksgiving has Black Friday with long lines outside of stores. These activities get souls out into the public marketplace. As an open-air preacher, God has given you an occasion to preach to them.
As Jesus used the well water to transition to a conversation about eternal life in John 4, we can use a holiday to share the Gospel. In this blog post, I am going to list Scripture references which would fit with each appropriate holiday. 1. Halloween/Reformation Day Since I do not participate in Halloween celebrations, I prefer to use it as an educational opportunity on the reformation. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle Church in Germany. Historians commemorate it as the beginning of the reformation which created Protestantism. Luther came to defend the doctrine known as justification by faith alone. Galatians 2:15-16 is an excellent text to highlight this point. “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (ESV) 2. Veterans Day Many communities have a parade on November 11th to honor American veterans. This day originally was called Armistice Day. At 11:00 am on 11/11/1918, World War I ended. In 1954, the government set aside the day to honor veterans from all wars. Since the day is a federal holiday, the public schools are usually closed which can boost parade attendance. Since the parade honors service, this theme can be used while preaching. One of the best verses which communicates this theme is Mark 10:45. Jesus is the ultimate servant. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (ESV) Luke 7:1-10 gives an example of a soldier who has faith in Christ. The centurion comes to Jesus in order to have Him heal his servant. Starting in verse eight, the centurion expresses his faith in Jesus’ ability to heal. “For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.” (ESV) 3. Thanksgiving Day The historical roots of Thanksgiving are religious. In America, the Pilgrims set aside a day to thank God for His provision. Americans did not start celebrating the holiday on the same day until Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation in 1863. Before this time, the states celebrated on different days. Since this is a day to thank God, open-air preachers can use this fact to ask penetrating questions. “Have you thanked God today? Or do you complain against Him? Do you use God’s goodness to repent of your sins? Or are you continuing to rebel? Are you using your mouth to praise God or to curse Him?” Here are two texts in which you can preach. “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4) “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:4) 4. Christmas Day Since the Scriptures are all about Christ, there are a multitude of Old Testament prophecies and New Testament texts which we can preach about our Savior’s birth. Let me focus on two. First, Isaiah 9:6-7 teaches us the attributes of the Messiah. He is God and King. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” (ESV) Second, the birth narrative from Luke 2:8-20 explains why Jesus’ birth is important. Verse 11 says, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Christ came to save people from their sin by dying on the cross in their place. Every person who repents and believes in Jesus will be forgiven. |
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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