Preach the Gospel; Preach the Word

David W Palmer

(Mark 16:15–16 NKJV) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. {16} He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

According to John 1:1–4, 14, Jesus is the living Word of God; he is the Word made flesh. So when Jesus rose from the dead, he demonstrated that God’s living Word is indomitable: he cannot be stopped; he cannot be defeated; he is creative, life giving, and immortal; he alone has the power of resurrection. Therefore, he alone has the power and authority to raise to newness of life those who are dead in trespasses and sins:

(Ephesians 2:1 NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

(1 Peter 1:23 NKJV) Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.

When preached, taught, celebrated, confessed, and prayed under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the living Word has all authority. He brings life, health, peace, creativity, faith, and freedom. This is why the resurrected Lord Jesus commissioned his graduates to “preach the gospel.” The living Word—and in particular, the gospel of Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection—is the only power that can save a person from the hell-bound destiny of their old sinful self:

(Romans 1:16 NKJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Jesus didn’t commission us to preach or teach our own ideas, any philosophy, or great oratory of man’s wisdom:

(1 Corinthians 2:1–4 NKJV) “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. {2} For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. {3} I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. {4} And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom …”

The apostle Paul knew from the Holy Spirit the importance and power of speaking the living anointed Word—thus releasing Jesus to encounter his hearers directly. Through Paul, the Holy Spirit put it like this:

(2 Timothy 4:2 NKJV) Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

I’ll say it again; we have not been commissioned to teach or preach our own ideas, worldly wisdom, well-reasoned philosophy, or natural evidence. As confirmed clearly by the Holy Spirit, Jesus only commissioned us to “preach the word.” That is, to preach God’s living Word. He alone has the power to bring salvation:

(Hebrews 4:12–13 NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. {13} And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

When I first began to preach the gospel at outreaches, I would be very disappointed if the response wasn’t what I had hoped for. The enemy would condemn me: “You didn’t preach it good enough; and that’s because you don’t know it well enough to get anyone saved.” I would try harder next time. I would study it more; find better ways to express it, clearer illustrations, and a more passionate presentation. But the enemy would repeat the same accusation.

Finally, I went to God to ask him if I knew the gospel well enough to get anyone saved. He answered, “Do you know it well enough to get you saved?” I said, “Yes, obviously I do.” “Then you know it well enough to get anyone else saved.” I finally “got it.” The gospel message is not complicated, and it is very clear:

• God loves you (John 3:16)
• Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins (Rom. 5:8)
•