As the famous saying goes: “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”
When we look at the example of the early church, we find that the task of preaching was not only reserved for the apostles or leaders, but that everyone was given the responsibility and privilege of preaching the good news to the world. In Acts 8, we see Philip preaching:
That day a severe persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison. Now those who were scattered went from place to place, proclaiming the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. The crowds with one accord listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did, for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed; and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured. So there was great joy in that city. Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great. All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place.
Many of us shy away from the task of preaching because we feel unqualified to do so. But Philip wasn’t “qualified” in terms of education or experience—what we know about Philip is that he was willing to serve, in good standing, full of the Spirit and wisdom, and affirmed by his community.
And perhaps most importantly, he was courageous and adaptive.
He went from waiting tables to proclaiming the gospel to all who would listen. And his preaching was accompanied by signs and wonders, of God’s power being seen in that very moment!
We may find ourselves out of our element when we preach,
Or overwhelmed by fear,
But if we obey in the art of preaching,
We find that it’s precisely in those moments when God gets the glory!
“Christians should… lament the loss of those whose courageous voices pointed toward life and in doing so were the friends of God.” — Willie Jennings
Philip found himself in Samaria—a historically difficult city for a Jew like himself to be in. And he had just witnessed someone being killed for the sake of the gospel. And yet, it’s in those moments of difficulty in that city that God’s Light shone the brightest. Yes, we may be uncomfortable, but the beauty of the Spirit is that he is the one at work changing hearts, not us. All we need to do is be courageous and obey.
So how do we practice this common discipline of preaching?
Jesus gives his disciples one of the clearest commandments: to keep your word. In Matthew 5:37, he instructs his disciples:
“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
So how do we practice the practice of preaching with this commandment?
- Who has God placed in my life to love on, care for, and represent Christ well to? How can you say “yes” to God’s placement of this person in your life?
- Think about all you are responsible for: what opportunities is God giving you to say “yes” and preach the good news of the Kingdom?
- Being a good preacher means embodying the truth of what God has given to us. Are there areas in your life that are not aligning with God’s truth that may compromise your witness to him? Ask others to edit your life and to take their suggestions humbly and without offense.
For more discussion and behind the scenes of this sermon in the Common Series, listen to our new podcast: The Common Podcast. We upload new episodes every Wednesday! Stay tuned as we continue to learn the Common practices that keep us united as Christ-followers.