The church is here to preach the gospel but church is a lot more than a Sunday morning gathering!
Church is more than just a Sunday morning for 2 hours. Also, the church is not just a place where only Christians gather together to worship and hear the word of God. Yes, the church is here to preach the gospel and tell people about Jesus but in everyday life as well as on a Sunday in church. Perhaps the ideal church and congregtion has a commision to do more than simply focussing on how to carry out the necessary work of preaching the gospel – rather, it should be living it every hour of every day throughout the week through every church-goer.
Preaching the Gospel with our actions
Many churches have started or partnered with foodbanks, clothing banks, money advice services, mid week meetings or toddler and family groups, clubs, warm spaces, mid-week events and meals for the elderly and so on. This is great, this is active church in the community ‘preaching’ the gospel through action. Of course, all of these activities are supported by the congregation via people helping and praying for the activities (so everyone and anyone can be included) – when it works, church at its best reaching into the community and inviting the local community in throughout the week.
If the gospel is preached with words as a church on a Sunday morning, and no-one is reaching out into the community or to friends, or seeking to meeting the needs of those in need, is that showing by action as well as by word what Jesus himself did and taught? Most Christians will already know what an active Christian life can look like – but it is worth regularly prayerfully coming back to the ‘why are we doing this?’ and ‘what are we doing this for?’ questions to help keep in step with God’s will and vision for your local area, rather than just perhaps deepening a rut in continuing without question the activities you’ve always done.
We know that in the NT there is more specifically about preaching the word and guarding the truth of the gospel, and there is much about the fellowshipping of believers together – but not at the expense of ignoring other things around, and dealing with them in terms of the gospel practically as well as from a gospel preaching perspective – all of which is critical. Even then, given Jesus’ examples, surely part of ‘preaching’ the gospel is the witness of showing love and express love as acts of kindness (and miracles), and also meeting people’s needs both spiritually and practically. Jesus did both – for example healing the sick and teaching in the Synagogues. He often met people where they were ‘at’.
Preaching the Gospel with words
Likewise, if you only meet people’s needs either as a church or as an individual they are not necessarily going to know why you do this, what has motivated you to do it, or know that it is ultimately God whom might be drawing a person to a particular place at a particular time, to meet particular people at a particular time and so on, unless the true gospel is also clearly taught and preached.
Many ways
The church should ultimately be about the gospel message to the lost, alongside fellowship with other believers. At the heart of the gospel message is Jesus, who is head of those people who are part of God’s global church, but the expression and witness of that can be in many forms, including, worship, fellowship, preaching, teaching, reaching out to the community, meeting individual’s needs – the church is not about ‘Bible-bashing’ the gospel message to people by way of simply preaching it from the front, rather the gospel message is carried with every Christian wherever they are and whatever they are doing.
As a Christian being part of the global church to spread the good news of the gospel message can actually involve many things and be outwardly expressed in many ways – preaching is one obvious one, praying for people is another, meeting their needs is another but all expressions must be underpinned and motivated out of love and by God’s love and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Related post: The Gospel good news, bad news, or both and the half-truth gospel?
