Matthew 4:23, “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”
The four main components of gospel preaching are; (1) God the Holy Spirit, (2) The Word of God, (3) The Preacher and (4) The Sinner. The most important aspect being the Holy Spirit, for without Him neither the Bible nor the preacher has power.
Remember what Jesus said in John 16:13-15, “13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” In other words, the Holy Spirit makes real the presence, person and words of Jesus. Also, Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:6 (NLT), “He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.”
The ability to be ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the life of new covenant both come from the Holy Spirit.
Here is a basic outline on how to preach the gospel; first, the preacher should ask the Holy Spirit to give them a heart for the lost and lead them in prayer for sinners to be saved (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Second, the preacher should also eagerly desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit’s power and be used in His gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1). Just like how Matthew described Jesus’ work in today’s passage. Third, the preacher should read and study the Word of God so they can be a good workman of the Lord (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17).
Fourth, the preacher then should be led by the Holy Spirit to find a lost person to preach the gospel to (Luke 19:10). Fifth, when the preacher encounters the sinner they should make a genuine attempt to build a friendship with them. For example small talk, share a meal, express shared values and the like (Matthew 11:19). Sixth, the preacher should be sensitive to hear what Scriptures and spiritual gifts to use when preaching. Consider the example of Jesus with the woman at the well in John 4:1-26. Seventh, the preacher should end the time of sharing the gospel with an invitation for the sinner to pray and accept Jesus (Romans 10:9-11). Eighth, after the time of preaching the preacher should disciple the new believer (if they accepted Jesus) or pray that they will accept Jesus at another time (if they rejected Him).
Certainly, the “how” of preaching can change from person to person and the “methods” can come spontaneously from the Holy Spirit; but the most important thing is that the gospel preacher always says and does what the Holy Spirit leads them to say and do. George Whitefield said, “Other men may preach the gospel better than I, but no man can preach a better gospel.”
Reflection
Action
- Develop a consistent pattern of daily prayer and study of God’s Word to be a thoroughly trained workman for the Lord.
- Eagerly desire to be used in the gifts of the Holy Spirit when preaching- they are the greatest tools for evangelism.
- Be led by the Holy Spirit to preach the gospel and lead people to Jesus Christ.
