Preach Magazine Issue 5 - Preaching to the unconverted | Page 10

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FEATURE

DOUBT IS A BALL AND CHAIN
AROUND THE BEAUTIFUL FEET
OF THOSE WHO ARE CALLED
TO BRING GOOD NEWS!

M

ost preachers operate only
within the four walls of their
church building. Even there,
most do not ever preach for
a decision. Many preachers have
never seen an adult conversion, let
alone a Muslim or a Hindu coming
to Christian faith. There is a crying
need for us to emerge from our
dugouts and strain every energy
to pass on to others with love and
enthusiasm the good news which has
transformed our own lives. So I am
delighted that this issue of Preach is
devoted to evangelistic preaching:
telling good news about Jesus Christ
to people who do not know him, but
badly need him. The particular angle
I have been asked to write about is
the doubts of the preacher, doubts
which may inhibit us from direct
evangelism or may cause us to sell it
short because we are embarrassed
or afraid of other people’s reaction.
Doubt is a ball and chain around the
beautiful feet of those who are called
to bring good news!

TACKLING OUR DOUBTS
To doubt is human. There are very
few things about which we can
have absolute certainty; indeed the
philosophers would remind us that
proof resides only in refined areas
of logic and mathematics. For the
most part we have to operate on the
basis of assurance based on good
evidence. Thus you cannot prove
that your mother loves you. You
cannot prove that the sun will rise
tomorrow. Nor can you prove that
gospel preaching will be effective.
But there is sufficient evidence to
believe all three.
Sufficient evidence can give rise to
solid confidence. There is sufficient
evidence for the reliability of the
resurrection of Jesus, as Paul
proclaimed in the market place at
Athens (see Acts chapters 17 and 18).
There are many areas of Christian
belief where we may have justifiable
doubts, but they do not include these
two central areas of Jesus and the
resurrection. The worldwide impact
of Jesus down the centuries, his
teaching, his lifestyle, his miracles,
his fulfilment of prophecies uttered
centuries before, his claims, and his
death all validate the uniqueness
of Jesus. However many doubts we
may have on peripheral issues, it is
hard for a true Christian to harbour
doubts about the identity of Jesus.
It is the same with the resurrection.
Hard though it is to believe, the
evidence for it is massive: Jesus’
appearances to such a varied
group of people, the empty
tomb, the transformed lives
of disciples then and down
the