Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

Everyone is agreed that men must preach Christ. Paul spoke of the need for men to preach Christ when he said,

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus (Col. 1:27-28).

Other passages emphasize the same need to preach Christ and him crucified.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1 Cor. 2:1-5).

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world (Gal. 6:14).

Indeed, our message must focus on Christ. To preach any message without relating it to Christ is misguided, despite its best intentions. The theme of Christianity is focused on a person — not merely a doctrine, a theory, a book, an institution, a code of morals, or a system of philosophy. Preaching any of these things without relating them to Christ is a mistake.

That Christ was central to the first century message is evident from the sermons preached. On Pentecost, Peter began and ended with Christ (Acts 2:22-23, 36). Before the Sanhedrin, Peter said, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Regardless of where the message began, it always ended at Christ. Here is the heart of the gospel in a nutshell —

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 (1 Cor. 15:1-4).

What Preaching Christ Does Not Mean

Men are confused on what preaching Christ mean. We begin by looking at what preaching Christ does not mean:

A sickly, shallow sentimentalism which merely says, “Come to Jesus! Come to Jesus!” There is a great deal of this kind of preaching today. It never explains how to come to Jesus nor explains what it means for one to come to Jesus. This message conveys practically nothing of the gospel.

An absence of doctrinal preaching. This is the kind of preaching that some have in mind when they say: (a) Don’t preach doctrine; (b) Don’t preach on the church; (c) Don’t preach on baptism; (d) Don’t preach on instrumental mu- sic, institutionalism; (e) Don’t preach specifically on the sins attacking holy living.

What Preaching Christ Means

Having noticed what preaching Christ does not mean, let us examine what it means to preach Christ.

It means making Christ the center of all our preaching. Whatever doctrines are preached must be preached as emanating from and authorized by the authority of the risen Lord. Preaching on things without relating them to the authority of Christ and one’s relationship to him leaves one with bare moral codes and theology or philosophy. Abstract truths cannot save anyone. These are the platitudes preached by many self-help gurus. They may help us re-focus some things in our lives in a positive way, but they can never save a soul.

Preaching Christ means preaching the church. A man once said, “I have attended the meetings there for a week, and I have heard that preacher preach on the church for a week, and tomorrow I am going back to hear him preach Christ.” If men preach on the church as it is revealed in the New Testament, Christ will be preached.

The church is the “bride of Christ” (see John 3:29; Rev. 21:9; 22:17). In comparing the husband/wife relationship to Christ and the church, Paul emphasized that the church is the bride of Christ (Eph. 5:22-32). Christ and his church are one to such a degree that one who persecutes the church persecutes Christ (Acts 8:1-4; 9:4). The church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). How can one separate Christ from his body? The church was purchased by Christ’s blood (Acts 20:28). To try to preach about the church separated from the Christ would result in some kind of religious in- situation, but without the vitality in it that Christ can give.

Preaching Christ means preaching salvation. Some- times when men preach the conditions for salvation through the shed blood of Christ, men accuse them of preaching salvation by works. When Peter told the people on Pentecost what to do to be saved, he was preaching Christ (Acts 2:38). When Philip told the Samaritans how to be added to the kingdom, he was preaching Christ (Acts 8:12-13). To preach baptism without connection to Christ would be foolish, misguided, and wrong. We preach baptism: (a) As a type of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:3- 4); (b) As authorized by the authority of Christ (Matt. 28:18); (c) As the means of our coming into fellowship with Christ (Matt. 28:18-20; Gal. 3:26-27).

Preaching Christ means preaching holiness. In 1 Corinthians, Paul expressed his determination to preach nothing but Christ and him crucified (1 Cor. 2:1-5). Yet, his preaching involved a call to repentance (1 Cor. 6:9-11; 5:1-11). When Paul preached to Felix about righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come, he was preaching Christ (Acts 24:25). We preach a holiness that is related to Christ. We should be holy because God the Father and Christ are holy (1 Pet. 1:14-16). We should be holy be- cause our sins grieve the heart of God (Eph. 4:30). We preach a newness of life that comes because of one’s union with Christ (Eph. 4:17-22). We preach a holiness that involves dedicating one’s body as a living sacrifice to Christ (Rom. 12:1-2). Consequently, when we preach on such things as the following, we are preaching Christ: (a) Fornication, adultery, lasciviousness; (b) Bitterness, anger, wrath; (c) Strife, seditions, heresies; (d) Divorce and re- marriage; (e) Gambling; (f) Drunkenness, revelry.

Preaching the unity of the church. We come into a common fellowship in the one body of Christ (Eph. 2:16). If God would not tolerate a Jewish church and a Gentile church in the first century, we need not think that he will tolerate the religious divisions that presently exist. When we preach unity in the one church, we are preaching Christ. The “one body” is the body of Christ! When we emphasize to men that the grounds of our unity rest on the authority of Christ, we are preaching Christ. To the degree that men preach another gospel, they disturb churches (Gal. 1:6-7). Division comes when men are exalted above Christ (1 Cor. 4:6). When we exalt Christ and his word as the grounds of our unity, we are preaching Christ.

Our Teaching Must Be In All Wisdom (Col. 1:27)

There are some things said about how we are to preach that should be respected.

• It should be done in love (Eph. 4:15).
• It should be done in proportion to how much men are able to hear (Mark 4:33).
• It should be fitted to the condition of the men who are taught (1 Thess. 5:14-15).

We recognize the failures of using poor wisdom in the dissemination of the Christian message. However, one thing needs to be emphasized: “The truth presented in love does not have the ability to drive away honest hearted men.”

The Motive of Our Preaching

The purpose of preaching is simple: “that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:28).

• Our purpose is not to win a religious argument. We want to save a soul.
• Our purpose is not to show that I am right.
• Our purpose in not to impose some church established code of conduct on men.

Keeping our objective in mind is essential for the gospel message coming across in the spirit of love as it is intended for non-Christians and Christians alike.

Conclusion

Let us always keep Christ the central focus of our preaching. We should not use the adage, “Let’s just preach Christ,” to excuse ourselves from the plain obligation expressed by Paul: “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Because Paul had preached the whole counsel of God, he was able to say, “Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men” (Acts 20:26). So long as we withhold from men anything they need to hear, we cannot make the same statement.

By Lewis Willis

I would like you to indulge me for some personal reminiscences. (When I mentioned to Joyce that I was going to reminisce in this issue of the paper, her reply was: “I guess you realize that doing that means you’re old.”) And, she’s right! But, here I go anyway.

I made a decision at Christmas-time in 1958, that I would return to Texas after I finished my college work at Florida College. I didn’t have any idea what I would do for a living when I got home, but I felt certain I could find work that would support me, Frankie, and a child which was on the way. I had preached for a small Florida congregation for only one summer (twelve sermons), so preaching was not on my mind.

My brother, Cecil, was living in Kansas City at the time. He called and asked us to come to Kansas City to visit with them on the way back to Texas. Explaining that I would be pulling a trailer with all of our belongings, I tried to decline his invitation. He would not accept “No” for an answer.

Later that week, Cecil called and told me that he had to be in Macon, Missouri that week and he would like us to just meet him there. After explaining to me how to get to Macon, we headed into the cold, snowy “north” at the end of January 1959.

When we arrived in Macon, the small town of fewer than 4,000 people made less than a great impression on us. We finally located Cecil. He took us out to eat and to visit with some folks he knew there.

Well, these folks just happened to be members of the small church there. Not only that, but that little church did not have a preacher at the time. In fact, they were looking for a preacher to work with them and Cecil was trying to help them get a man. They had actually gone so far as to rent a furnished trailer for their new preacher — when they got one!

They could not fully support a man, but Cecil had gotten a congregation in Indianapolis to commit some support to a preacher in Macon. Coincidentally, Donald had got- ten the church where he worked in Houston to agree to send some support as well. Everything was fully set in place when they located a man to move there.

Are You Awake Yet, Lewis?

Sure enough, Cecil had convinced them to hire me — sight unseen — and he and Don had raised the necessary support to enable me to go there. And, there I was with my wife and all our earthly belongings, and I was looking for a job! It just so happened that I didn’t know I would find a job in a strange, cold place — preaching!

The same day that I realized why Cecil had insisted that I visit him in Missouri, he was pressing me for a response to the church’s invitation to work with them. After all, Cecil “had to get back to KC that night!” He felt certain he could wait to leave Macon — long enough to help unload the car and trailer! I had to decide that day.

So, that day, Thursday, I accepted “the invitation” to work with the church in Macon, Missouri. I was fully pre- pared for the challenge. After all, I already had twelve sermons prepared! I think I had attempted to preach per- haps 20 times in my entire life. Now, I was a “full-time” preacher — according to Cecil!

Because we were so young, Frankie and I were excited when it began to snow on that Saturday afternoon. How- ever, the next morning we had about twelve inches of snow on the ground, my “southern” car refused to start, neither of us could remember the name of a single person in the church there, and we did not have a phone to call a tow truck, nor the money to pay him if he came. Certainly calling a cab was out of the question.

So, in my best “summer” suit and a light overcoat, I started walking to the building. The temperature was in the teens, and it was only about a mile and a half to the building. I don’t know if you have ever tried to walk a mile and a half in twelve inches of snow, but I do not recommend it. I got to the building, but I was so cold that I could not even speak to the few people who were there.

After several minutes standing over the grate of the coal furnace, I regained my speech enough to ask someone to go to the trailer and bring Frankie to the building. And, thus I began my life as a Gospel Preacher, on the first Sun- day of February 1959 — 40 years ago today!

It hardly seems possible that 40 years have passed since that day. I have worked full-time during those years, except for two years when I supported myself while working for another small church. (I was co-owner of a telephone installation company that installed the original long-distance network for MCI, but I preached and taught all my regular classes during that time.) It has been an honor to be supported by God’s people, as I have sought through the years to preach what Paul called “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8).

Today, getting started in preaching is somewhat different. For one thing, you can’t raise support from one or two churches. It usually requires 15-20 other churches to help with your support, and getting that support is a daunting task. Many churches now hire young men who are wanting to preach, to work in a training program with their experienced preacher, as the young man learns how to do this work. That sounds preferable to me, after reflecting on my experiences through the years of my early efforts to preach.

A Word To Our Young Men

In closing, let me say a word to our young men. (Will you see that they read this article?) The world needs doc- tors, accountants, airline pilots, and computer experts. However, the world also needs to hear the gospel! We have some fine young men here at Brown Street who love the Lord. Already they have worked to develop their skills in the public functions of the worship. They have made talks in training classes. Are these young men just waiting on their parents — or their brethren — to urge them to con- sider preaching as a career? Parents, there is no calling so noble as gospel preaching. Your son will make you proud if you join others in encouraging him to preach the word (2 Tim. 4:2). Think about! Even after 40 years, I recommend this life to our young men.

The advocates of the A.D. 70 doctrine do not teach what the Bible teaches about the judgment. Let’s take a look at some biblical teaching concerning the judgment:

1. All Will Be At the Judgment. The judgment scene says, “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” (Matt. 25:32). All means all, right? “For we must all appear the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body” (2 Cor. 5:10). Are you a part of all nations? If so, then you would have been at the judgment! Were you?

2. Every Knee Bows/Every Tongue Confesses. The judgment will find every knee bowing and every tongue confessing, as, “. . . every one of us shall give account of himself to God” and “every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God” (Rom. 14:11-12). If the judgment took place in A.D. 70 then you bowed your knee and confessed to God. Did you do that?

3. Judgment Will Be the Last Day. Jesus said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). If the judgment occurred in A.D. 70, all men have been judged and days ceased then. Are days still coming and going?

4. The Crown of Life Will Be Handed Out At the Judgment. As Paul came to the close of his earth life, he penned, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). Did Paul receive the crown of life in A.D. 70? Paul said his crown would be received when Christ would appear as judge. Have you received a crown of life? If not, since you, as a faithful child of God have been promised “. . .the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). will you receive it? If the A.D. 70 doctrine be true, the crown of life has already been handed out!

5. Life Eternal/Punishment At the Judgment. Matthew 25 is a picture of judgment. The reading of the verdict of the saved and the lost reads, “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matt. 25:46). If the judgment took place in A.D. 70, then all of us either have eternal life or eternal punishment. Do you now have either of these?

6. The End. Paul told the Romans, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Rom. 6:22). The end will find the “kingdom” being “delivered up to God” (1 Cor. 15:24). Do you think the church has been delivered up to God? The earth will be “burned up” at the end (2 Pet. 3:10-12). Has this earth been burned up or is the earth still here? It is pretty evident that the A.D.

70 doctrine is far from the truth.

By Irvin Himmel

We live in an age when results are demanded. Pressure is applied, ultimatums are delivered, rigid quotas are set, and goals must be met.

For example, certain sales people are under enormous pressure to reach specified quotas or else. Some resort to unfair tactics, dishonest schemes, and less-than-honorable approaches in order to reach their assigned percentage. They feel that they are in a do-or-die situation..

The coach for a ball team may be a fine man and an excellent coach. He may do a splendid job in teaching his team good sportsmanship. However, some fans will demand that he be fired if there is a long losing streak. Winning is to them more important than fair play.

On production lines there is poor quality work in many cases because of the demand for large quantity and rapid turnout. The management wants mass production rather than quality merchandise. Slap it together and put it on the market.

Gospel preachers sometimes are victims of this kind of thinking. No matter how faithful the preacher or how hard he works, if certain numerical results are not visible, some in the church will insist that he be replaced. The contributions and the attendance figures are used as gauges. The preacher’s work is evaluated by statistics.

Poor old Noah worked long and hard in building the ark. He was a “preacher of  righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5). Although he may have preached and worked on the ark for many years, when the showdown came, only his immediate family went into the ark with him. All that work and only eight souls (counting the preacher) were saved! Some of our hardnosed folks who assess preaching by numerical results probably wonder why God did not

drown old Noah in the flood! They would argue that his work was ineffective and without impact. But God demands faithfulness, not what we add up as “visible results.” We need more preachers like Noah.

The concept that in the absence of certain numerical developments a preacher is not doing his job may lead to tactics and schemes that are wrong. A preacher may feel pressured and obliged to attain “results.” The message is watered down. Emphasis is placed on whatever may attract more people. Higher statistical ratings take priority. Dedication to “preaching the word” takes a back seat.

God blessed Noah despite the small numerical showing from his work. There are some things far more important than counting noses and adding monetary amounts. God promised through Isaiah that his word would not return to him void (Isa. 55:11). Spiritual increase is more valuable than mere numerical increase. Let us show faith in God by loyally proclaiming the gospel without trying to force a particular kind of increase. Paul said, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” ( 1 Cor. 3:6). Our task is to be faithful in planting and watering, God handles the increase