Open-air preaching is not the power of God for salvation. It is merely a method for communicating the gospel–one of many.
God Has Not Commanded Your Preferred Method
EVERY Christian is commanded by God in His Word to engage in evangelism and make disciples. That being understood, God does not command our favorite evangelistic methodologies.
Nowhere in God’s Word has He commanded you to preach the gospel in the open air.
Nowhere in God’s Word has He commanded you to distribute gospel tracts.
Nowhere in God’s Word has He commanded you to engage in gospel conversations with only strangers or only people you know.
Nowhere in God’s Word has He commanded you to engage in door-to-door evangelism.
Nowhere in God’s Word has He commanded you to stand outside abortuaries.
Nowhere in God’s Word has He commanded you to stand on a corner with a cross or a sign.
So, when you say that God has commanded you to evangelize in order to defend or justify your preferred methodology, what you are doing is equating that chosen methodology with the message of the gospel. You may even be elevating your preferred method above the message of the gospel.
Open-Air Preaching is Not
The gospel is the power of God for salvation.
Open-air preaching is not.
Gospel tract distribution is not.
Gospel conversations with friends or strangers are not.
Door-to-door ministry is not.
Abortuary ministry is not.
No method for communicating the gospel is the power of God for salvation. Only the gospel has that power.
Don’t Let Your Method Become a Mistress
So, engage in evangelism according to the personality God has given you in the context of the life He has you living, whether that includes one or more of the above methodologies or something altogether different.
To men who desire to open-air preach: if your church will not send you out to preach, there are MANY other ways you can engage in evangelism without open-air preaching. Don’t elevate one methodology over the many other legitimate ones that exist.
Don’t let the method become more important than the message.
Don’t fall in love with open-air preaching, or any other methodology, to the point it becomes a mistress and you commit adultery with a method at the expense of the message and the Lord of the message.
I hope this encourages someone.
Leave a Reply