STREET PREACHING & GOSPEL CONVERSATIONS.
Geoffrey R. Kirkland
Pastor, Christ Fellowship Bible Church
God has called me to pastor a precious group of saints whom He has saved for His glory. I love the blessed & God-given duty of ministry. I understand the priorities that Scripture presents for all who are to serve as leaders in the church: they must devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word, as the Apostles demonstrated (Acts 6.4). At the same time, I also understand one of the clear directives that God gives to me from Paul’s pen in 2 Timothy 4.5 to “do the work of an evangelist.” This can and should happen from the pulpit. I also see it as an important mark of my ministry to set an example for the church family in zealously pursuing lost souls with the clear communicating of the gospel message. Our hopes rest fully and confidently in the sovereign decrees of God to save all whom He wills. And we know that all of God’s elect shall come!
While on the streets this week, I found myself reflecting on this little statement: Street proclamation produces gospel conversations resulting in God’s glorification!
Street Proclamation
produces Gospel Conversations
resulting in God’s Glorification
1. Street Proclamation.
It is my prayer that God would raise up thousands of faithful and fervent open air preachers across our land. We need men of God, walking in holiness, who understand the glorious gospel of God in its blazing glory and God-saturated fullness to stand and speak, to herald, to announce, to lift up the voice like a trumpet! Street proclamation is a method of evangelism that simply takes the gospel to the streets to the unsaved who may never enter into a faithful bible-teaching church. One way that God has ordained His Word to go forth for the saving of lost souls is through the preaching of the Word — in the open air. Faithful street preachers preach so that Jesus will be glorified and so that His gospel would be thundered forth! Gospel heralds go with confidence to simply declare God’s message from His Word and confidently believe that the Spirit of God will draw God’s elect to the Son so that the sinner will respond in true repentance, faith, and surrender. May God raise up many armies of such heralds in our cities!
2) Gospel Conversations.
One blessing to street preaching is having other faithful laborers out on the streets to engage passers by in gospel conversations. Often, a Christian can ask someone who is walking by: “What do you think about what that man is preaching?” Or, “I saw you stop and listen for a few minutes, what did you think about what you heard?” And then while the man is preaching the Word, there can be other Christians engaging in one-to-one conversations. It is a beautiful picture of how God’s Word goes forth to reach many and how prayerful and observant fishers-of-men can approach people and seek to engage them in private conversations! Street preaching often produces wonderful gospel opportunities on the streets with unbelievers.
3) God’s Glorification.
In the faithful preaching of the gospel and in the calling of sinners to turn from sin and flee to Jesus Christ, God receives glory! We preach the Word to glorify God! We engage in gospel conversations to glorify God! He alone must receive all praise and honor! We present and proclaim the gospel and plead with sinners to hear, heed and obey the gospel summons. Those who engage in conversations also do the same through one-to-one interactions. Why? The goal and end result is so that God may be glorified to use His Word, by His Spirit’s sovereign power, to save sinners.
