“Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.” (Acts 8:5) Philip is an example of a biblical evangelist with a biblical message. In fact, Christ is the message of all of Scripture (Luk. 24:27, Jn. 5:39). Jesus Christ was Philip’s message and nothing less. That was also Paul’s message: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2) A quick survey through the book of Acts reveals that Christ was the content, the apex, and the high point of all the major sermons. The apostles were eye-witnesses and spoke not out of the depths of knowledge obtained from reading books, but out of the depths of personal experience with Christ as their Lord and friend. Though we’re not eye-witnesses as they were, we are nevertheless witnesses, and our testimony of Christ must burst forth from the overflow of being in a living, abiding union and fellowship with Him.
I’ve heard evangelistic messages given that proclaim everything except Christ. They will expound on sin, righteousness and judgment, repentance and faith, the new birth, and many other evangelistic themes without ever arriving to Christ. That is not the type of preaching that is calculated to save souls. A Christ-less sermon is a sham and a sin against the souls of men. Eternal life is to know the one true God and His Son Jesus Christ (Jn. 17:3). How will they come to know Christ if we do not proclaim Him?
Brethren, when you’re evangelizing, make much of Jesus Christ! Proclaim Him, exalt Him, and glory in Him! Lift Him up so high with such affection and love for Him that all around you want to fall in love with Him! Expound on His Person and work from all angles! Proclaim His eternality, His glory, His exalted majesty, His holiness, His loveliness, His love, His mercy, and all His attributes. Expound on His cross, His sufferings, His agony, and His drinking of the Father’s cup. Everything you say, say it in light of Christ and His cross. Baptize your hearers in a message of blood. Your evangelistic presentation should be a journey, a pilgrimage through biblical truth that is intended to arrive at Christ and Him crucified, and once it arrives there, you must camp there and remain. Don’t tarry long in arriving, and once you arrive, don’t leave from there! Beware of distractions and rabbit trails.
The cross must be the focal point, and everything it entails, but you must not forget to preach the resurrection and triumph of Christ. Preach His resurrection, His eternal and effectual intercessory ministry and Priesthood, His exalted position as reigning King of kings, and His imminent return in power and great glory. I can’t stress this enough: you must not forget to expound on the resurrection! A dead Christ is a powerless Christ. Without the resurrection, the cross is left without vindication and emptied of its power. There are far too many resurrection-less sermons. If you tend to forget to share about it when you evangelize, then write it on your forehead. It’s better to look stupid than to forget the resurrection.
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