How Important Is Gospel Preaching Anyway?
I hope if you read the above question the thought that came into your mind was, “it is very important!” It seems that many have grown weary of Gospel preaching. There are those who would affirm their faith in the Lord and their desire to go to heaven, but don’t seem all that interested in the proclamation of God’s Word. Has preaching the Word somehow become unnecessary?
Gospel preaching is indispensable to the very existence of the church! The Hebrews writer tells us that it is “impossible” to please God without faith (Heb 11:6). Paul tells us where faith comes from: “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17 NKJV). But notice, please, that that cannot happen without a Gospel preacher who will faithfully preach the Word (Rom 10:13–17). If there is no preacher, then the Gospel won’t be heard, if it isn’t heard, there will be no faith, and without faith man cannot please God. In other words, he is lost. It is necessary for the Gospel to be preached so that the lost might hear it, believe it, obey it, and be saved: “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Cor 1:21; cf. Rom 1:16).
Jesus said: “‘God into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned’” (Mk 16:15, 16). I think that is pretty plain. We must be preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone who has yet to obey it. And there is necessarily a sense of urgency about it because we have something the world desperately needs and without it they will be forever lost.
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