Author : Keith Sharp
In Acts 8:5 we read, “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.” Later, the text records, “But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized” (Acts 8:12).
Sometimes, when we preach on a controversial topic, people object by asking, “Why don’t you just preach Christ?” It is most assuredly essential to preach Christ. Even though some dishonest preachers were trying to increase Paul’s persecution while he was in prison, he rejoiced “that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached” (Philippians 1:15-18).
What, then, does it mean to preach Christ?
One True God
When the apostle Paul went to Athens, the center of human philosophy of the Roman world, “he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18). What was the content of his sermon? In contrast to their multitude of idols, the apostle informed them of the one true God, who created and rules the world, and of Jesus, whom God had raised from the dead (Acts 17:22-31). That certainly seems inoffensive, but “when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, ‘We will hear you again on this matter'” (verse 32). You see, to those Greek philosophers, who were enthralled with human wisdom, the preaching of the cross was foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). It was offensive to them. Try preaching about God the Creator and the resurrection of His Son from the dead to an audience of “educated elite” today and see if you don’t get the same reaction.
Jesus the Son of God
Years earlier the same apostle “preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20). Surely, no one would object to that! Don’t be too sure! “Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him” (Acts 9:23). A Jewish audience today probably wouldn’t be so violent, but they would certainly be angry, and a Muslim audience might react the same way the first century Jews did.
The Name of Jesus
When Philip preached Christ in Samaria (Acts 8:5), he proclaimed “the name of Christ” (verse 12). The name of a person stands for that person and all that he is. What does the name of Christ mean to us?
It means salvation is through Him alone (Acts 4:10-12). While this is not offensive to evangelical Christemdom, it certainly is to the billions of people who do not even consider themselves Christians as well as the millions who nominally consider themselves Christians but are too “broad minded” (lacking in conviction) to think that there is only one right way to God (cf. John 14:6).
It means that religiously we just call ourselves “Christians,” that is, followers of Christ, thus glorifying God (1 Peter 4:16, American Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, International Standard Version) rather than some sectarian name that demonstrates loyalty to a denomination over Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10-13). Of course, preaching this is offensive to all denominations.
Furthermore, preaching the name of Christ includes announcing the necessity of having authority from Him for all we do (Colossians 3;17). This even angers the majority of our brethren, who shamelessly assert, “We do lots of things without Bible authority.”
One Faith
The apostle Paul only proclaimed one message, the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6-9). This is the same thing as preaching Christ (verses 15-16) or preaching the faith (verse 23). Thus there is but one faith (Ephesians 4:5), that is, one body of teaching we must impart to our hearers (Jude verse 3). Of course, members of virtually all denominations take exception to this truth, since they assert, “You have your faith, and I have mine.” No, there are many opinions of men, but only one faith revealed by Jesus Christ.
Necessity of Obedience to the Faith
To fully preach Christ we must announce the necessity of obedience to the faith (Romans 16:25-27). Of course, none of our Protestant friends want to hear this, since they contend for salvation by faith alone.
The necessity of obedience includes the fact we must repent of our sins to be saved (Acts 17:30). To proclaim Christ means to announce the necessity of putting off the old man of sin and putting on a life of true righteousness and holiness that reflects the moral nature of God (Ephesians 4:17-24). How many people want to continue living in adultery yet consider themselves Christians? To preach to them they must repent is certainly no way to “win friends and influence people”!
And preaching obedience to the faith means we inform people they must be baptized. Philip preached Christ to the Samaritans, and, as the result, they were baptized (Acts 8:5,12-13). How did they know to be baptized unless preaching Christ includes commanding people to be baptized? How can I preach Christ fully and not tell the audience that the Lord promised, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16)? Yes, that’s offensive to virtually all denominations, but I can’t preach Christ fully without including the fact that immersion in water is a requirement for salvation.
Kingdom of God
When Philip proclaimed Christ to the Samaritans, he preached “the kingdom of God” (Acts 8:5,12). To do that, he had to inform the people that the kingdom was in existence on the earth at that time, and they could be citizens of that kingdom (Colossians 1:13), which was spiritual rather than material in nature (John 18:36; Romans 14:17). Of course, that is highly offensive to our many premillennial friends, who ware looking for a future, material kingdom.
Conclusion
Preach Christ and don’t be offensive? I’m sorry, but it’s not possible to do both. You see, while we must do our best not to be unnecessarily offensive to anyone (1 Corinthians 10:32), Christ Himself is an offense to those who disbelieve and disobey (1 Peter 2:7-8). But to those who believe, He is the precious Savior (1 Peter 2:4-8). What about you my friend, are you offended by the message of Christ, or is He your precious Savior?
