The Equipping Ministry, Student Workbook, SW15

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T H E E Q U I P P I N G M I N I S T R Y

Preaching as Divine Compulsion

A. Hold the mirror steady, James 1.22-25.

Perhaps the most prominent feature in NT preaching is the sense of divine compulsion. In Mark 1.38 it is reported that Jesus did not return to those who sought his healing power but pressed on to other towns in order that he might preach there also— ‘for that is why I came out’. Peter and John reply to the restrictions of the Sanhedrin with the declaration, ‘We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard’ (Acts 4.20). ‘Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel’, cries the apostle Paul (1 Cor. 9.16). This sense of compulsion is the sine qua non of true preaching. Preaching is not the relaxed recital of morally neutral truths: it is God himself breaking in and confronting man with a demand for decision. This sort of preaching meets with opposition. In 2 Cor. 11.23–28 Paul lists his sufferings for the sake of the gospel. ~ R. H. Mounce. “Preaching.” The New Bible Dictionary . D. R. W. Wood, ed. 3rd ed.

1. Speak directly to the point that your message and the Scriptures seek to make.

2. Be blunt and clear on what your point is.

3. Talk about the various responses possible in regard to this truth, and the results of making them.

a. Warn the people of the consequences of ignoring the Word of God.

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b. Encourage the people with the blessing that comes from responding to the message of the Lord.

4. Ask for dramatic expressions of faith, and radical evidence of obedience.

B. Make a clear appeal.

1. Appeal to the heart: ask your listeners to consider where they stand in regard to your message.

2. Appeal to the mind: ask your listeners to believe the message of the Word of God.

3. Appeal to the will: ask your listeners to respond to the message in a concrete way.

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996. p. 951.