On The Box

As of late there has been a resurgent of street preaching. It has always been around and has been both been good and very bad . Perhaps that is why many turn the nose down at it because what comes to mind are the cult of the wacko's associated with the Westboro Baptist Church and others who have no connection to any local church or denomination and who preach not the gospel of Jesus of the Bible. But at the same time there are many good and solid street preachers who faithfully preach the gospel in the open air.

Open air proclamation has a long history . In fact two of the best known in Christian circles are John Wesley and George Whitefield . Who preached very effectively in the open air and God used the word preached to save many souls. The list could be larger and take us right back to the Bible .So preaching in the open is a valid form of proclaiming the truth of Jesus Christ.

However even though it is a valid and we should not be embarrassed by it , I think a few things should be in mind if one is called to pursue this call.

1. Is the man someone who has the ability to preach . Not everyone is called to the task of being a preacher of the gospel.It is a call upon a mans life to enter into this task from God. If the man is found to be adequate in handling God's word and has the clear gift to preach then that is the first hurdle. This should be done within a local Church under the elders and Pastors examination to determine if the call is true.

2.The man should not be a new convert but someone who has mastered at the very least the fundamentals of the faith. He should be confident in handling God's word . Not that he will ever be perfect for we will always be growing in our understanding of the word but will have a sound doctrinal bedrock comprehension of the gospel.

3.The man should be linked to and part of a Bible believing Church and his ministry should be an extension of that Church. He should be seen as a Evangelist. The purpose of the street preaching should be for God's glory  first and for the building up of His church. In the book of Acts when the Church was being established the Bible tells us that the preaching was resulting in numbers being added to daily. To preach apart from a link to a Church is disconnected and dangerous. Yes I know going to Church does not save but for a believer of Jesus not wanting to join a Church is a very odd thing. The street preacher by being an extension of his local Church helps this become a reality. A street preacher may be used by God to bring about repentance and faith but the Churches task is to disciple and nurture Christian into the faith. something that will not happen in a random encounter on the street.

4.The street preacher must not have a self righteous attitude of if I can do it , all should be doing it . I can find no where in the Bible that this is the case. Should we all be involved in sharing the gospel , a loud and hearty yes. But preaching is a unique call . We are all called to witness and should be able to give an answer for the hope within us , but don't expect everyone to be able to do this calling. Some are just not equipped to do so and if that spirit exist in you at all , I contend you should not pursue this ministry till God has humbled you to see the diversity of the body of Christ.

5. I also think street preaching is more effective in more urban areas than rural or country.In other words the open air ministry will have to be modified depending on the area. Its just a matter of population and density of people. In more rural areas , strategic times would need to be planned .

My last thoughts concerning this are the Churches or Seminaries in the local area that might have a man who is called to this ministry. It should be fully supported both financially and with prayer.If they turn away or try to find some excuse why someone should not do so , I suspect it has much to do about looking respectable in the eyes of the world and the community. If this is the case I believe it truly shows the heart of these Churches and Seminaries. That they are ashamed of the gospel and don't want others to see them as fanatics.

I commend the men who feel called to this ministry . I believe it has its place and can be used by God for His glory if its done within a biblical framework. So may we pray for the men who get up on the box and herald the good news.Bottom line if we say we love Jesus , then we should not be embarrassed by the gospel preached truly for God's glory.  Nuff said.