Every Christian should be aware of the power of the gospel message to bring about the salvation of sinners. Sure, it’s not merely words that bring about the work of regeneration and cause a person to be born again—it’s God working in the person and the words are the tools or the means that God has ordained to use for the occasion. The Scriptures teach us that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17). In the first chapter of his letter to the church at Rome, Paul writes, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16).

Every Christian should be aware of the power of the gospel message to bring about the salvation of sinners.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon (June 19, 1834 – January 31, 1892) was no stranger to crowds. He frequently preached to thousands of people in meeting halls and church buildings in his ministry. He was raised up by God as a faithful herald of the gospel and his ministry continues to bear fruit to this very day. He once preached to more than 20,000 people without a microphone at Surrey Gardens and then slept for 24-hours straight. He preached to more than 5,600 people on a weekly basis at his church—the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

In 1857, Spurgeon was preparing to preach at the Crystal Palace to a large crowd of people and he went out to test the acoustics of the room and to select the place for the pulpit. As he stood there in the large empty room, he raised his voice and quoted the Scripture from John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (KJV). He was satisfied with the sound, and left the building.

He would return to the Crystal Palace and preach to an astounding 23,654 people. The Lord blessed his preaching which resulted in the conversion of sinners and the edification of the Christians gathered in the room. However, it would not be known until years later that something unique had taken place a day or two before Spurgeon preached to the massive crowd. In the empty building when Spurgeon had tested the acoustics in his sound check, the Lord used the Scripture about Jesus as the Lamb of God in a mighty way. Listen to Spurgeon recount the story:

In 1857, a day or two before preaching at the Crystal Palace, I went to decide where the platform should be fixed; and, in order to test the acoustic properties of the building, cried in a loud voice, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” In one of the galleries, a workman, who knew nothing of what was being done, heard the words, and they came like a message from heaven to his soul. He was smitten with conviction on account of sin, put down his tools, went home, and there, after a season of spiritual struggling, found peace and life by beholding the Lamb of God.

The man who was saved that day explained his testimony of conversion to his family while he was on his deathbed and it was later repeated to Spurgeon. What an encouragement. God will sometimes choose to bless the message of the gospel even from a sound check in what Spurgeon believed to be an empty room to bring a man to saving faith. This should be a reminder to us that we should be frequently and openly sharing the gospel with our friends and family. Politics and cultural messages will not result in the salvation of sinners, but when the gospel is clearly presented and explained, God sovereignly opens blind eyes and deaf ears to the life transforming message of the good news of Jesus Christ.

A sermon without Christ, it is an awful, a horrible thing. (C.H. Spurgeon)

Dear preacher, I plead with you to make the gospel clearly known in your sermons. Every Christian sermon should contain the gospel of Jesus. In his sermon from Luke 2:32, Spurgeon said:

A sermon without Christ, it is an awful, a horrible thing. It is an empty well; it is a cloud without rain; it is a tree twice dead, plucked by the roots. It is an abominable thing to give men stones for bread, and scorpions for eggs, and yet they do so who preach not Jesus.¹Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “Christ the Glory of His People,” In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1868: 457-468.

Don’t allow your mouth to be muzzled in this dark age. Point people to Jesus who saves sinners.

You do not have to be a preacher who stands in a formal church service at a pulpit to proclaim the gospel. Remember that what you talk about today with your co-workers matters. Redeem the time in the break room. Point people to the living water that flows from heaven’s throne. Open your mouth and explain the good news of Jesus. Don’t allow the light of your gospel to be hidden under a basket. Don’t allow your mouth to be muzzled in this dark age. Point people to Jesus who saves sinners.

Author

Josh Buice

Pastor Pray's Mill Baptist Church

Josh Buice is the founder and president of G3 Ministries and serves as the pastor of Pray's Mill Baptist Church on the westside of Atlanta. He is married to Kari and they have four children, Karis, John Mark, Kalli, and Judson. Additionally, he serves as Assistant Professor of Preaching at Grace Bible Theological Seminary. He enjoys theology, preaching, church history, and has a firm commitment to the local church. He also enjoys many sports and the outdoors, including long distance running and high country hunting. He has been writing on Delivered by Grace since he was in seminary and it has expanded with a large readership through the years.