Preaching (witnessing) the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the world is the first assigned public duty of the Church. It is at the heart of the Great Commission of Christ given to the disciples after his resurrection and just before his ascension (Matthew 28:18). Church and mission societies were founded and maintained to advance that commission. Whatever else the church (Christians) may do to help general society is secondary to this purpose. If any church or Christian society does not make first purpose to preach (witness/model) the Gospel to mankind that organization, no matter how good and beneficial its purpose, risks losing the objective of first purpose. That project tends to move into a neutral or secular context, losing the original vision and meaning. It may become a charity doing good things, but evolving into the secular context. From the beginning recipients tend to accept the charitable and tolerate the gospel call – until the gospel can be dropped. Most persecutions of Christians relate to resistance of the proclamation of the Gospel, but accepting the social services supported in relief, education, health, human rights and the like.
Preaching was important in the Old Testament. The Book of Jonah relates to the attempt of Jonah to escape the responsibility. Jesus made reference to the efforts of Israel to make converts, but misdirecting them. The New Testament is energetic in noting how Christian converts immediately set to work preaching. Saul of Tarsus, an enemy of the Church, was converted and: at once he began to preach . . . that Jesus is the Son of God. (Acts 9:20) It was for this that Saul, renamed Paul, was subjected to numerous atrocities and suffering. (2 Corinthians 11:24-27) Jump ahead 2,000 years. Several of my classmates and friends have been killed here or there in the World for no other reason than they were in that place of their martyrdom to preach the Gospel.
On the World stage the concept of itinerate missionaries began with Paul and Barnabas. The concept of evangelism was enlarged. The Church periodically lost her initial drive to communicate the gospel as primary duty and privilege. She sometimes got lost in theological wrangling, or delved into politics and government, or joined popular cultural turns, or sought to be accepted by becoming non-controversial, or changed the message of the atonement of Christ into a religion of good works. Sometimes there were (and continue to be) combinations of these and other diversions. Whatever the Church may do, when she leaves the basic message of Christ’s atonement for sin we can be sure that God’s purpose and message can be distorted, or diluted to such a degree that the primary meaning may be blurred. This does not mean that the Church should not do good works. It is by the good she does that the Church means, in part, to gain listener attention for its primary gospel purpose – to make Christ known as Savior.
At this writing the World relates much of its perception of Christianity to the United States. Why? The Catholic Church held strong programs for mission advance through the centuries. Protestant churches in America have had a strong representation of evangelism and mission outreach that with its historical roots in English history before it and parallel with it for decades. Americans developed thrusts in special (revival) meetings in churches, camp meetings, Sunday evangels, and other programming, such as the ministries of Edwards, Finney, Moody and the massive Billy Graham meetings during the last half of the 20th century. Some methods waned, but preaching continues to purpose, even to the establishment of church denominations. Many millions of persons claim redemptive experience growing out of Christian preaching. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020