Preaching the Gospel
Soul-Winning Lesson 2
The Logical Order of the Gospel
- SIN – All are sinners: the doctrine of sin
- HELL/HEAVEN – Sinners deserve to go to hell: the doctrine of eternal judgment
- JESUS – Jesus Christ is our God and Savior: the doctrine of Christ
- BELIEVE – Only believe in Jesus to be saved: the doctrine of justification by faith
- ETERNAL LIFE – One cannot lose their salvation: the doctrine of eternal security
CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD – ask God to save you: the sinner’s prayer
Scriptural Justification for a Logical Presentation of the Gospel
Paul’s Holy Spirit-inspired gospel presentation was logical (see Romans 1:16-8:39). For example, Paul uses words of logical connection dozens of time, such as “for,” “therefore,” “so,” etc. Furthermore, he gives analogies both to illustrate and prove his theological arguments (e.g., Romans 7:2-3), as well as frequently appeals to the Old Testament scriptures as authoritative to bridge to and confirm his conclusions (e.g., Romans 4:3).
The gospel is the wisdom of God (see I Corinthians 1:17-31, esp. vv. 24, 30; Ephesians 6:18-19), and God is orderly, not confusing (I Corinthians 14:33, 40).
The four gospel accounts of Christ’s life are all organized and made with a purpose (e.g., Luke 1:1-4; John 20:30-31), each having a different theme/emphasis and divergent details of episodes in the narratives.
The Gospel Presentation
Your gospel presentation should be ORDERED: you should follow a logical progression in the way you preach. Someone should be able to follow the flow of the “case” you are making, so to speak. The reasoning follows an AàBàCàDàE format, called a step-wise argument, where each successive point builds on the previous.
Your gospel presentation should be PLANNED: what you normally preach should be prepared beforehand (see Romans 1:15). Your knowledge of the simple gospel message with its accompanying verses should be made to be deep and thorough enough to amaze the receptive and silence the dissenters (Matthew 22:33-34).
Your gospel presentation should be PERSONALIZED: you should preach the word of God in your own way and say the things that you find most effective. Paul personalized his preaching of the gospel, calling it (at times) “my gospel” (Romans 2:16; 16:25; II Timothy 2:8).
Your gospel presentation’s Bible verses should be MEMORIZED: You should memorize the Bible verses which you preach to people.
The Preaching of the Gospel
Methods of Preaching
Lead the conversation: Be the dominant speaker throughout the conversation and keep the conversation on track.
Use the scripture: Utilize the Bible in the preaching of the gospel, and let the word of God be the power of the presentation; people are saved by the word of God (see Romans 10:17; I Peter 1:23-25; I Corinthians 2:13; II Timothy 3:15; James 1:18, 21; Acts 11:14; Psalm 119:107), not by our cleverness and wisdom of words (I Corinthians 1:17; 2:1-5).
Confirm their beliefs at each step: Ask questions and engage the hearer in your presentation by confirming their understanding and agreement before moving on to the next point (see Matthew 13:51; John 11:26).
The Manner of Preaching
Be Thorough: Be sure that the hearer fully understands the gospel you are preaching. A good definition of gospel presentation thoroughness is, “preaching so that a receptive hearer will understand the gospel message.”
Colossians 4:3-4: Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: 4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
Ephesians 3:9: And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
Be Kind: Speak and respond to the hearer with kindness and meekness (see also Proverbs 13:10).
Proverbs 17:14: The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.
II Timothy 2:24-26: And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Be Bold: As you preach, display confidence and a lack of fear. Be confident/authoritative in what you say and who you are, and do not be afraid to speak the truth.
Ephesians 6:19-20: And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Philippians 1:14: And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
(See also the boldness of the apostles’ witnessing in the book of Acts: 4:13, 31; 9:27, 29; 13:46; 14:3; 19:8)
Be Audible: Speak loud and clear enough so that the hearer(s) and your silent partner(s) can hear you.
Isaiah 40:9: O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
The Use of the Bible When Preaching the Gospel
When we go soul-winning, it is important that we (1) bring a Bible, (2) show and read the Bible verses to the hearer, and (3) explain the scriptures.
- Use simpler, less-complicated verses.
- Use verses, not passages.
- Use relevant parts of verses, not irrelevant parts (compare Hosea 11:1 with Matthew 2:15) (for verses such as Romans 6:23; I Corinthians 15:3-4; Acts 16:30-31).
Reasons for Use of the Bible When Preaching the Gospel
Gives more authority to the message: Having the Bible adds credibility to the message which the talker is presenting, and increases the faith of the hearer in the gospel (see John 4:39-42).
Gives clarity to the message: By seeing the scriptures themselves, the hearer can more easily follow the gospel presentation, and can better understand what is being taught and explained.
Causes focus on the message: Being frequently caused to learn and interact by physically looking at the scriptures maintains the focus and gaze of the hearer.
Helps in identification of the messenger: Carrying around a Bible marks someone as a Christian of some kind, so that the first impression that the hearer has of us is a religious impression.
The Use of the Bible When Preaching in Scripture
The Levites and priests preached throughout Judah under the directive of Jehoshaphat with Bible in hand:
II Chronicles 17:9: And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the Lord with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.
Phillip used the book of Isaiah to preach to the Ethiopian eunuch:
Acts 8:30, 35: And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? . . . 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
Whenever preaching took place, often a book of the word of the Lord was used: Moses (Exodus 24:7), Nehemiah (see Nehemiah 8:1-11) and Jesus (see Luke 4:15-30).