How to Preach The Gospel With Power and Simplicity
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…” Romans 1:16
Almost every minute, someone somewhere with or without a Bible is preaching the gospel of Jesus. It may be on-the-air, on the streets, within the four walls of a church, or even in the correction centers across the globe.
Several men including the late German evangelist, Reinhard Bonnke, Billy Graham, and several women preachers like Kathryn Khulman have preached to millions of people yet there are still thousands, if not millions of people, in our days who are still preaching the Gospel.
However, experience has shown, that it is possible to have a platform to preach the gospel and still not be able to pass the main message of the Gospel. On the other hand, there are many people who have an understanding of what the Gospel is, yet they are not able to pass the message out in its simple form.
Before we look at how to preach the Gospel, we must ask the question, what is the Gospel?
The word “Gospel” simply means good news. It is the message of how the Lord Jesus Christ came to this world, died for our sins, and on the third day, God raised him from the dead. Paul explained this in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
” Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; – And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures”
Hence the preaching of the gospel is telling people about how God offers eternal forgiveness of sins to all of humanity and deliverance from the power and nature of sin to all who will accept the life of Christ. This forgiveness of sins is received by anyone who hears and believes the message.
Jesus Christ himself while returning to heaven gave the instructions to his disciples to go into the world and preach the message of forgiveness of sins that Christ has purchased for humanity. Anyone who believes the gospel finds peace with God Romans 5:2.
What Does It Means to Preach The Gospel?
To preach the gospel then means to tell others about what Jesus has done. It is not the preaching of church doctrines, human philosophies or even talking about some moral instructions. Neither is it the magnifying of a biblical Character apart from Jesus’ virgin birth, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
Preaching the gospel is an act of obedience to God’s instructions. It is all believers’ Primary responsibility to talk about what Jesus has done. Before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, people had moral instructors, philosophers, religious bodies yet all of those things never got people free from the power of sin, but the message of Christ is God’s only way of saving the sinner.
Millions of testimonies since the past two thousand years have talked about how sinners found peace, deliverance, and total freedom when people tell them about the death, burial, resurrection, and accession of Jesus Christ as the only way to be free from sin.
Why Preaching The Gospel Is Important?
News is to be heralded. Untold news never becomes news-content. The gospel of Jesus is never good news if it is kept to oneself. The gospel is meant to be preached via speaking.
The Gospel is God’s way of saving mankind from perdition. Humanity is heading for destruction irrespective of the civilization in our days. The only sure tool for rescuing mankind from death is the message of Jesus.
Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth…”
The Gospel of Jesus is God’s perfect plan to save the sinner. In preaching the gospel, we give men opportunities to determine their eternal destinies and their lots in life. This doesn’t mean that the Gospel makes them absolutely responsible for their lives, but that it makes God the Author and finisher of their lives. By doing this, they have an assurance of safety and abundant life.
Also, believers prove their love for the Lord when they share their faith with others. If we understand the degree to which we have been saved, we definitely would want to tell others about how the Gospel of Christ gives a new direction to our lives. When Jesus told Peter “If you love me feed my lamb” he implied that our love for him can be measured by our level of commitment in going out to tell others about him.
Apart from been a demonstration of our love for Christ, it is also instruction and the last instruction at that. When the Lord was leaving this earth, his last word was that his disciples should go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation. This instruction has not expired; rather we are still mandated to tell others about Jesus wherever we go.
How to Prepare A Message to Preach
In the world of global communication, the delivery of information is an essential tool. In preaching the gospel, we must not neglect the place of preparation of the message to be preached. A young lad was once returning from hunting, with a gun in his hands. When he approached two kids asking them whether they would go to heaven if they should die there, the two boys seeing the gun with him took to their heels. The boy did not effectively deliver the gospel. His approach was terrific.
• Make It Simple
One primary step in preparing a message to preach is simplicity. Paul was a trained lawyer, yet when he went to Corinth to preach, he never sounded complex. Most times people lose the opportunity to connect with their listeners when they try to sound advanced or sophisticated in preaching.
In the early church age, a young child, like Timothy, had knowledge of the faith even as a boy. This happened because the message had been passed to him in a way he could grasp. In preparing the message to preach, the least intelligent (if there is such a description) amidst us must still understand whatever we are preaching.
• Prepare Prayerfully
Secondly, the gospel being a demonstration of God’s power is a spiritual activity hence we must prayerfully prepare our messages. We must allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in how we set out our message. The preacher must realize that preaching is not solely about his oratory skill or human intelligence. Hence the need to let God take the lead.
• Be Grounded In The Word
Thirdly, be sure to understand what you are preaching! Do not prepare your message on mere assumption. Be grounded in the knowledge of the word. Paul advised Timothy to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.
Several times people have tried to sound creative or innovative while preaching the gospel. However, the time has shown that a poor understanding of the Gospel cannot be patched up with creativity.
• Believe In The Power of The Word
The Gospel itself is the demonstration of God’s power; a preacher must come to terms with this, not just theoretically, but with every assurance in his mind. He or she must have faith in the power of the gospel.
So haven prayed and prepared the message, it is very important to know that power is available in the preaching of the word of God. God is not a liar. He will honor his words with power. As we preach, we should expect the supernatural because God will confirm his words with power. God is faithful to his word, if we preach it in its entirety, there is a release of power.
“And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.” (Hebrews 2:4NLT)
How to Preach The Gospel to Sinners
Preaching the gospel to sinners is a commandment given to us by the Lord. When our Lord Jesus Christ was ascending to heaven, he told his disciples to go into the world and preach that forgiveness of sins has been purchased by the shedding of his blood on the cross of Calvary. It is based on this premise that we are to go to the unreached.
• Do Not Condemn
Firstly, we do not go to people condemning them. The sinner is already under condemnation; hence ours is a rescue mission. Our goal is to snatch unbelievers and sinners from the pit of hell, hence we present the gospel in clarity talking about how God demonstrated his love for them by sending Jesus to die on their behalf. The Holy Spirit does not condemn, He convicts.
• Depend On The Leading of The Holy Spirit
Secondly, we must trust the Holy Spirit for timely words, there may be a matter that the Spirit of the Lord would want to bring to light as we preach to the unbelievers, our preaching is not a kind of human wisdom but a demonstration of God’s power.
• Stick With The Gospel
Thirdly we must avoid unnecessary arguments and the preaching of Denominational doctrines when we are preaching to sinners. Most times church doctrines are only human bias interpretation of biblical truth, hence they do not carry the overall basics of the Gospel. More so, doctrines don’t basically save the sinners and unbelievers rather doctrines are meant to establish the saved.
• Demonstrate The Power of The Gospel By Faith
Lastly on this, we may have to demonstrate the power of God by healing the sick amidst the sinners or unbelievers we are preaching to. Doing this is in line with the biblical statement that without signs and wonders people will not believe (John 4:48).
How to preach the gospel Online
In our days, there is a shift of attention from physical, social interactions to social media interactions. We can take advantage of the global digital connections to preach the gospel Online. A person in Asia can hear the Gospel preached online from Africa. Thanks to a highly sophisticated system of communication.
One major way to preach online is to take advantage of Social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, etc. We can use our timelines, pages, posts, status update to package gospel content and it will achieve the same result as physical contact.
The recent global lockdown has proved that more audiences can be reached by an online preacher than even physical audiences. We can share pictures that explain the gospel. Videos and contents that talk about the gospel can be created and shared online; including YouTube channels.
Also, we can use online platforms such as blog posts, websites, and online stores to push the preaching of the Gospel. Most global preachers now have their own websites and blogs. Others even have a mailing list which they use to send gospel contents to their subscribers via email. Gospel books can also be distributed online via Online shopping stores either locally or globally.
Gospel meetings, conferences, and events can now be hosted online via zoom, Facebook, Instagram, telegram, and even WhatsApp. In recent months we have seen people attending international conferences online. We have seen people getting saved even via online events. These are all strategic ways that teach us how to preach the gospel online.
How to Preach The Gospel With Power
A message is as strong as the one sending it. Preaching the Gospel with power is not first of all an ability of the preacher on his own doing; rather, the gospel itself is the demonstration of God’s power, by faith, to them that believed.
The Bible is full of demonstrations of power in several places where the gospel was preached. The book of Acts is so-called because it is the documentary of the demonstration of power alongside preaching the Gospel by several apostles and disciples. For instance, Peter, Paul, and the rest of the apostles all saw the demonstration of God’s power as they preached.
The secret to the demonstration of power while preaching can be found in Peter’s testimony after the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful gate of the temple in Acts 3, Peter mentioned that it was “faith in the name of Jesus” that brought about the healing. Faith in the name of Jesus is the ground upon which we preach with power, we believe what God has spoken concerning himself and we simply pray in faith knowing that God will honor his word.
There is no secret to the supernatural per se. The secret is to simply believe and act on the word and leading of the Holy Spirit.
Improving Your Preaching
1. Grow Spiritually
Preaching like every other activity can be improved upon. This improvement is not in the area of the basic contents of the Gospel but rather in the systematic delivery of the message. The preacher must first of all depend on the Holy Spirit for constant growth which leads to an improvement in delivery. As you grow spiritually and develop a more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, your capacity to preach effectively is increased.
2. Study to Show Yourself Approved
Preachers must first of all be good readers. A preacher must give himself or herself to reading materials that are sound and helpful. Good books on preaching are available both online and in book stores around us. Most of these books are available for free download online while some are affordable at their price.
3. Get Good Study Materials
Good translations of the Bible and concordance are devices that can help improve your preaching. In this electronic age, it is possible to have about 25 renditions of a single verse in different versions. There is a way the wise use of such translations spices up preaching.
4. Pray
It should also be noted that prayer is another effective way of improving one’s preaching. In the place of prayers, timidity is exchanged with God-imparted boldness. The early disciples knew this and they depend heavily on prayers, which helped them to preach without fear.
Preaching without fear is essential and it is in the place of prayers that fear is exchanged and bold faith is imparted.
5. Improving Through Practice
It must also be noted that preaching is also a way of improving one’s preaching. If a person prays, gathers all necessary resources but does not preach the message there is no way he would know whether he has been able to master all he has ever worked on.
It must also be noted that the gospel must be preached in and out of season. The gospel is not a weekly activity for the four walls of the church alone. Rather, we must take advantage of every opportunity to preach the Gospel.
Putting all the above points into practice makes a person knows how to preach the Gospel effectively. We must remember that the Gospel is not cumbersome, rather its content is the message of the death and resurrection of Jesus and their implications.
Preaching the Gospel is obeying the master’s instructions and we must be prepared to preach to sinners using all available platforms and demonstrating power. We cannot afford to be ignorant of how to preach the gospel.
Acts.1.8 – But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
