Romans 1:15 – I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
Preaching has fallen on hard times. Preaching is Biblical truth publicly proclaimed with Spirit-empowered passion and authority!
It is not enough to simply say the gospel in teaching. Teaching can be a bit dull and technical as it is more for Christians who are motivated to learn, like those eager students you find in Sunday school, Bible college, or seminary. Conversely, often the folks preachers are preaching to are confused by and opposed to your message and receive it pretty much the same way a cat does water. There’s nothing wrong with teaching, but it’s the decaffeinated version of preaching. Teaching is a golf cart; preaching is a muscle car. Teaching is for scholars; preaching is for soldiers. Teaching starts schools; preaching starts wars.
The reason preaching is public is because the rule of Jesus as Lord is over all and not just your heart. To be sure, you have a personal relationship with Jesus, but God expects that to go public in the same way that two friends are seen together in public.
Lastly, you cannot see the gospel. You must hear the gospel. You can see good deeds. You must hear the Good News. Handing someone a sandwich is a good thing, but not a saving thing. To know that one God made the world, we sinned against Him, He came as the God-man Jesus Christ to live without sin, die for our sin, rise as our Savior, and is the only way to eternal life cannot be understood no matter how good of a sandwich you make. Nobody really gets in much trouble for doing good deeds for those suffering, but the gloves come off when someone starts preaching the good news for those sinning.
When Paul says he is going to preach the gospel to Christians, it is for two reasons. There are always some Christians who don’t know it. And there are also some Christians who forgot it. So, the best thing is always to preach the gospel, and then preach it again…
Who has God placed in front of you to tell about Jesus?
To find the free Romans study guide for individuals and small groups, hear Pastor Mark’s entire sermon series on Romans, or find a free mountain of Bible teaching visit realfaith.com or download the Real Faith app.