Preaching the Good News To Skeptics, Pagans, Prodigals and Saints
An examination of the preaching methods of Jesus and the Apostle Paul reveals that both were adept at accommodating their message, without compromise, to a variety of audiences. They were keenly aware of who they were speaking to and committed to building a bridge over which the unchanging good news could travel. With the woman at the well Jesus spoke about physical and spiritual thirst. In Athens Paul spoke to the Greeks about philosophy, even quoting a pagan poet, in order to then speak about the crucified and risen Savior. This accommodation without compromise is what Paul meant when he said, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” (I Cor. 9:22)
We’ve all heard that we live in a “post-modern” world. What this means is not clear though one implication is: increasingly preaching must address a diverse group of people with variant world and life views. Without being too simplistic, let me share how I seek to preach the Gospel Skeptics, Pagans, Prodigals and Saints.
Skeptics – have a world and life view that denies the supernatural. They need to know that their questions and doubts are taken seriously. To do this I seek to frame their question, possibly better than they might, and then show from Scripture addresses their doubts and unbelief. Paul writes, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”
Pagans – are committed to a world and life view that includes openness to spirituality but a refusal to acknowledge the exclusive claims of Christ. Paul writes, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. We demolish arguments and every pretense that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Prodigals – are believers so bound in the grip of sin that they have lost hope in the power of the Gospel to transform them. Paul writes, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Saints – are people of all ages who have trusted in Christ as their personal Savior and are seeking to live under His Lordship. Paul writes, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching…so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
In most messages I will spend time addressing a question or concern that is common to each of these groups. Once a man asked me why I had spent two minutes illustrating what was already obvious. The short answer was, the illustration was not for him. It was for someone else for whom the point was not obvious. If everything in my sermon applied to that man then CCC would eventually be a church full of people just like him. We would forfeit the privilege of bringing the whole counsel of God to the full spectrum of people.