Revival Pt. 6 Revival preaching: Emphasize the Power of the Cross and Christ!

I extend a warm welcome from Ohio to all of our Readers coming to our Bible study blog. I hope that each of us is ready to hear from God about revival. 

Today, I want to keep thinking about making much about scripture and its connection to revival. There are certain things the Spirit of God will do with the Word and there are certain emphases upon what we preach or teach. 

4 things the Spirit does with preaching. 

Isaiah 61:1-3  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2)  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3) To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. 

This prophecy of Isaiah was speaking of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ and the Lord quoted from this text in Luke 4:16-21. This is also a text for pastors, lay leaders and parents because it shows us what good revival preaching takes aim at. 

We have the Spirit of God sharing four main ideas in this text. 

• First, the day of preaching the gospel of Christ has arrived. 

• Second,  now is the acceptable time to respond to the gospel. 

• Third, future judgment awaits all who refuse to respond to the gospel.

• Fourth, the heart of God toward us is to save us from our sins and make us new creatures in Christ through the new birth. Each point of emphasis is needed in preaching the gospel today.

1. Preaching the Power of God in the Cross of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:17-21  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18)  For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19) For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20)  Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21) For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 

1 Corinthians 1:23-24  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24) But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 

Revival takes place when people hear the faithful preaching of the gospel of Christ. Clear and understandable communication of gospel truth is needed because using scholarly language or striving for eloquent speech always obscures the cross of Christ. 

People must hear about the cross where all the sins of mankind were placed on Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. The world may mock and think the cross is foolish. Indeed, some "theologians" have made fun of the cross, but talk to anyone who is born again and they will tell you of it's life saving power. 

Pastors, lay leaders, and parents take note; God chose the foolishness of preaching to save all that believe. Therefore, we must preach the message that God gave us in the Bible. We must preach Christ crucified, the wisdom of God and the power of God! Preaching the Word is the only way to bring about true revival. 

2. Preachers called by God are needed!

Romans 10:13-15  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15) And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 

God can and will save every man, woman, young person or child who calls upon Him for salvation.  Each person needs to hear the gospel in order to be able to believe it. Preachers who are called and sent by God are necessary for this most important task. Preachers have the joy of sharing glad tidings of good things. It is a beautiful thing to take the gospel to people who have an emptiness in their soul and   seeing the Lord save and change their lives!

Maybe we are not called into full time pastoral ministry but we can preach the gospel to others around us. I am preaching to someone each time a Bible study is posted on this blog. Believing Moms and Dads are teaching gospel truth to their children in the home by their words, actions, and attitudes. Believing Employees are testifying of their faith by the way they perform their jobs not just for an employer but as unto the Lord.

3. Preach the Word at all times!

2 Timothy 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  

Why such a heavy emphasis on preaching the Word? First, God is the one who made preaching a high priority. Second, without the preaching of God's Word and the work of God's Spirit, nothing happens. Remember that revival is a mighty work of the Spirit of God using the Word of God to change the heart of man. 

Paul laid a heavy responsibility on Timothy. He commanded him to preach the word in season and out of season.  Preach it when it is well received and preach it when people hate to hear it. Preach the word in good times and preach it during times of trouble. 

Preach the word to reprove people for their sins and pray that God's Spirit will bring the weight of their guilt upon the hearers so that they respond. 

Preach the word to rebuke those who are in error. It has the idea of admonishing and censuring their sinful actions. 

Preach the word in order to exhort and encourage the people. Teach them the truth. Encourage them to live by the truth and remind them they are responsible to God for the truth they have heard. 

Preach the word carefully to ensure doctrinal integrity is maintained. 

Preaching is a strong action word that means to make a formal proclamation of heavenly truth. Preaching is a grave task because it carries eternal consequences for belief or unbelief. Preaching must be with the full authority of "Thus saith the LORD" because the content of the message is from God. Preaching of the Word of God must be listened to and obeyed. Therefore, the application of Divine Truth to the hearers must be clearly communicated to them. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

Preaching the Word is paramount. We live in a time where churches have  diminished or reduced the preaching of God's Word. Yet, the mandate given to all believers is from the God of all eternity and we must obey Him.

Preaching is the highest priority. Preaching therefore, must be the priority of all church services and in home meetings. Our great need is to hear from God so we might live a life that honors Him and brings His blessings upon us. 

Effective preaching requires the power of God's Spirit. We must think and pray earnestly about the ministry of the Spirit of God with the Word of God in the heart of man. His work is absolutely essential for preaching to produce fruit in peoples lives. We must pray for the Comforter to come and anoint the Word as it goes forth from the pulpit, over the radio or through the internet.

We must ask Him to help us get out of the way of what God is saying as we share truth with other people. We must pray that He will reach those people who hear the Word or who read the Word. 

Preach the Cross and Christ without apology. God honoring preaching will make known the power of the cross and Christ. It will lift up Jesus high for all to see. It will boldly proclaim what God did on the cross in order to save us from our sins and it will do so without apology. 

All of us are entrusted with the gospel of Christ. We must remember that preaching the gospel is what God commands believers to do today. 

We must remind people that today is the day of salvation, the time to respond to the gospel is right now. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

We must tell people that future judgment and eternal condemnation awaits all those who refuse to hear the good news. 

We must tell them that God's heart is motivated by His love to save all people from their sins so that they might spend eternity with Him.

Bob