Just Preach the Gospel (and Leave Everyone Else Alone)

Brad Collins
04/06/14 - Sunday AM

I did not borrow this sermon. I stole it! Chris Bates, evangelist at the Somerville Road church of Christ, presented this lesson last year in a gospel meeting. I thought he illustrated the point so well that I wanted to share it. If you want to hear the lesson done right, you can hear Mr. Bates's original lesson at the sermons page of the O’Neal church of Christ. But if you’re content with a pale immitation, you can listen here to me.—Brad Collins

A popular misconception is that if we shy away from distinctive preaching, anything that may offend anyone, then we will have a greater appeal to the masses and draw more souls to the church. We engage in some productive folly and look at what happens when we take the gospel in a verse—John 3:16, among the most innocuous verses in the Bible—and skip over anything that could be offensive to anyone. (Spoiler: there’s not much left, even less than you think.)