No news is bad news

A friend recently attended a major evangelistic event for students. There were over 800 people present.

When I asked him how it went, he replied that it proved to be a great opportunity, but then added of the speaker: 'A great communicator, but no gospel He simply did not preach the cross'.

Warren Wiersbe has said: 'We have heard well-outlined sermons, based on careful exegesis, that did not proclaim the gospel or even mention the name of Jesus! And they were preached, not in liberal churches, but in evangelical churches.'

We have to remember that it is only the body of Christ who will faithfully proclaim the good news of the gospel. There is no other group or organisation committed to doing that. Whatever size of congregation we preach to, those listening are likely to be well-educated, shrewd people, whose expectations of us will be great. However, that is no reason for proclaiming anything other than Christ and him crucified. Christ alone, not wise and eloquent words, or even good exposition, much as that is needed, can save, feed and bless the soul. As someone has observed: 'The good news did not fit Jesus's times or his world.' G.K. Chesterton had it right when he said: 'If the church marries the spirit of the age, she will soon become a widow.'

A definite Christ

Wouldn't you have loved to hear the apostle Paul preach? He can at least mentor us through his letters. To the Corinthians he wrote: 'For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ and him crucified' (I Corinthians 2.2). He deliberately sought to exclude from his preaching and the enthusiasms of his mind, everything but that great central truth. The crucifixion and resurrection are the heart of the gospel. If we have the choice of great eloquence, or true faithfulness, then our pride ought to be laid on the Lord's altar, as we depend on his truth to do its eternal work. Our verse explains why.

There is a real Christ, who was born, lived, died and rose again. And as a Puritan expressed it: 'He who rose from the clods, we expect from the clouds'. Jesus was as much a man as a man can be, and as much God as God can be. Christ is the beginning, middle and end of our salvation. All the blessings of God come to us through Christ. As Christians, we love him. So let us proclaim him. I have found that when I focus on Christ, stillness often descends on the listeners. I believe that the Holy Spirit delights to honour the Lord Jesus. And I am sure there is something very appealing about Christ.

Vance Havner told the story of two boats which were passing each other on the Mississippi River when an old black man said to a white passenger as he pointed to the other boat, 'Look, yonder's the captain!' When asked for an explanation, he said: 'Years ago, we were goin' along just like this, and I fell overboard and the captain rescued me. And since then, I just loves to point him out!' Surely we feel this way about Christ. Since trusting in him, he has won our hearts and we want to speak of him. Let us do so with fresh vigour. He has been lifted up on the cross, so he will draw all people to himself.

A definite cross

The cross of Jesus did not just happen to Christ. He came for that very purpose. The cross is indispensable. Our Creator took on himself flesh and suffered and died. God 'laid on him the iniquity of us all'. 'He bore our sins in his own body on the tree'. 'And he himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.' 'He died, the Just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.' The Bible makes so much of the Christ crucified, because it reveals the very heart of God. The hymn expresses this well: 'It is a thing most wonderful, Almost too wonderful to be, That God's own Son should come from heaven, And die to save a child like me.'

Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, so the gospel of Christ has been in God's heart throughout eternity. Christ's atoning death is our only means of salvation. All the blessings of God come through Jesus and him crucified. Four times the New Testament tells the story of the death of Christ, and though sparing the detail, these narratives are weighty in their theology. Therefore any preaching or doctrine which is not embedded in the cross is bound to lead us astray. In reality, to fail to proclaim the cross is to be a traitor to the gospel.

A definite conclusion

If Christ crucified is true, then the only conclusion is that we, like Paul, will be determined to know nothing else. My responsibility is not to tickle the ears of the listeners by fancy thoughts, stories or expressions. Let others be political if they wish. Let others rummage for new ideas or controversies, which may even hit the headlines of the Christian press. Let others charm their hearers and become 'pleasers of men'. C.S. Lewis said: 'I didn't go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don't recommend Christianity.'

Message by message I want to pave the way to the cross, and use words and every fibre of my being to point people to the One who suffered and died on Calvary's cross and is now risen and alive. We need to explain to everyone the hidden work of Christ, that Christ bore our own sin in his body on the tree when he died as the Sacrifice and Substitute for sin. I plead that in all our evangelistic preaching we present Christ and the significance of his great work on the cross. Speaking of his death on the cross, Jesus said: 'But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.'

Once an individual hears of the loving appeal of Jesus dying on the cross, he or she begins to find there is something there which answers the cry of individual hearts, as well as the deepest needs of the world. What we have to do as God's servants is to make much of Christ and him crucified.

Charles Spurgeon was only 21 years old when he said: 'Calvary preaching, Calvary theology, Calvary books, Calvary sermons! These are the things we want. And in proportion as we have Calvary exalted and Christ magnified, the gospel is preached.' Of course, there are different styles of preachers, and varying personalities will present truth in a variety of ways, but as David Larsen expressed it: 'No two violinists will play a symphony exactly the same, but the brilliance and genius of the composer will be set forth by the faithful artiste.' This is the task of the gospel proclaimer - to process and package the truth of the evangel for listeners of our time.'

Praise the Lord for great communicators, but my prayer is for more gospel preachers. Let us determine to know nothing but Christ and him crucified.

Some serious questions about evangelists - great communicators with no gospel?

A definite Christ

A definite cross

A definite conclusion

Roger Carswell

Main Articles

Other articles