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The Necessity for Urgency in Preaching

The biblical theme of the Lord’s imminent return will do much to inject urgency in a gospel service

By Thomas H. Lindberg

There is a constant need for pastors to examine the important areas of biblical truth—in the realms of both faith and practice. One area a preacher should continually be improving is that of preaching.

The world today is a gigantic playground in which people are fighting over expensive toys. The need of the hour is priority and direction. The man of the hour is the preacher with the inerrant Word of God in his or her hand. Preachers today dare not be little children at a time when God is looking for mature men and women to stand tall and help build His Church. Pastors today speak clearly, confidently, and convincingly to announce, "This is the way; walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21).*

In the Book of Acts, Luke made it evident that the leaders of the Early Church were preachers. But how did the apostles preach? What characteristics marked their preaching?

The 21st-century preacher should not slavishly imitate the precise methodology of the apostles, for the Spirit ever leads the church down fresh paths. However, a preacher may learn from the basic elements found in apostolic preaching. Let’s examine one trait in New Testament preaching—the apostles preached with urgency.

URGENCY IN THE BIBLE

Webster’s defines urgent as "calling for or demanding immediate attention; conveying of a sense of urgency." That is precisely how leaders in Acts declared their message.

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter called for immediate action. After the Holy Spirit had been outpoured, Peter stood and preached the gospel. The crowd listened attentively and then asked how they should respond to God (Acts 2:37). Peter did not suggest they delay their decision. He did not encourage the people to think about his message overnight. The hour was urgent. Peter exclaimed to the people, "Repent and be baptized" (Acts 2:38).

Acts 3 is another example of preaching marked by urgency. A lame man had been miraculously healed, and Peter seized the opportunity to preach the gospel. He did not discuss various theological theories. The issue of salvation was far too urgent. Peter cried, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" (Acts 3:19).

Urgency is also clearly evident in Paul’s preaching. On one occasion, when addressing the need for salvation, he made the matter most urgent: "I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2, emphasis added). Perhaps Paul’s theology and methodology on the issue of urgency in preaching is summed up in his statement, "We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20).

A case may be built for preaching with urgency by examining two passages from Paul’s letters. The first is 2 Corinthians 5:11. The broader context shows that Paul was writing about the future (5:1). Then he made a sobering statement when he wrote, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (5:10). Finally, Paul concluded, "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men" (5:11).

Some have argued that this fear of the Lord applies only to Christians who will stand before God. One author wrote, "This fear is the fear of regret that a Christian’s life will be revealed as one wasted and spent in selfishness rather than in devotion to Christ." That writer is correct in his statement, but he did not press far enough in his application of the text. This verse reaches past the boundaries of the converted community and touches all people. Those without faith in Christ will one day face the eternal terror of the Lord. Preachers must never forget that fact: they must be urgent in their preaching.

A second passage that presents a case for urgency in preaching is 2 Timothy 4. In verse 2, Paul urged Timothy, "Preach the Word." The next verse demonstrates that Paul desired Timothy to preach with urgency. He wrote, "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine" (4:3). People will not always be open to the message of Jesus, therefore we must preach with urgency whenever we have the opportunity.

The world today is in a darkened mess. You have only to read the papers or listen to the news to verify this fact. J.I. Packer wrote with sharp insight about our world today: "For at no time since the Reformation have Christians as a body been so unsure, tentative, and confused as to what they should believe and do. The outside observer sees us as staggering from gimmick to gimmick and stunt to stunt like a drunk in the fog. Preaching is hazy, heads are muddled, and hearts fret.

"Why is this? We blame the external pressures of our world, but this is like Eve blaming the serpent. The real trouble is that for two generations or more our churches have suffered from a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord."

Packer mentioned the word "famine." When a famine occurs, urgent action must be taken. The Pentecostal preacher is one who should preach a biblical message and deliver it with urgency.

Moses preached with urgency. He said, "This day…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Elijah is another example of a preacher who declared God’s Word urgently. First Kings 18 records the confrontation on Mount Carmel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. When God’s man spoke he cried, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him" (verse 21). The prophet allowed no middle ground. He spoke to the people with urgent words.

Again and again the preachers and prophets of the Bible spoke with urgency. You only need to read the sermons of Joshua (Joshua 24:14–24), Samuel (1 Samuel 15:12–33), and Jonah (Jonah 3:1–4) to see nothing less than urgency will do when speaking for God to men about eternal issues.

The student of preaching will quickly discover that urgency in preaching was not limited to Bible days. Many preachers through the centuries had a pressing appeal in their voices and messages.

URGENCY IN CHURCH HISTORY

John Chrysostom of Antioch (347–407) was one of the Eastern Church Fathers. He became known as "John the golden-mouthed" because of his anointed preaching. One historian wrote of Chrysostom: "As he advanced from exposition to illustration, from Scripture to practical appeals, his delivery became gradually more rapid, his countenance more animated, his voice more vivid and intense. The people would hold their breath. They felt as if drawn forward toward the pulpit by a sort of magnetic influence. Some who were sitting rose from their seats. By the time the discourse came to an end, the great mass of that spellbound audience could only hold their heads and weep with tears."

George Whitefield (1714–70) moved thousands of people in both England and America with his preaching. He preached to all levels of society. Whitefield often wept during his urgent appeal. When asked why, the evangelist responded, "You blame me for weeping, but how can I help it when you will not weep for yourselves. Your immortal souls are upon the verge of destruction, and, for ought you know, you are hearing your last sermon, and may never more have an opportunity to have Christ offered to you." To Whitefield, preaching was a matter of pressing importance and required urgency by the preacher in the delivery of his message.

URGENCY TODAY

The entire gospel service should contain a sense of urgency. The meeting ought to inform both the visitor and longstanding church member that Jesus is Lord and is worthy to be worshiped. The opening words of the sermon should tell the congregation that the message they are about to hear is of great importance. Then, as the preacher launches into the message, he or she must deliver the sermon with feeling so as to capture the listener’s attention and move each person toward an encounter with Christ.

Urgency may be produced by the preacher’s voice. You should guard against two extremes. One is the artificial whine that pitches high and borders on sobbing. The other is a monotonous drone that lulls people to sleep. Either is a mistake to be avoided. Preachers should use their normal voices, speaking clearly with authority, variety, and a ring of excitement.

The choice of words a preacher uses can help to stir urgency. Strong, action verbs communicate more effectively than lazy verbs. For example, "he bolted out the door" is superior to "he ran out the door."

Additionally, the good preacher who wishes to instill urgency into the service must guard against predictability. As soon as people know your next move, the outcome of your next illustration, the common patterns of words you employ, and the regular themes you preach, their interest and your urgency diminish. The rule of thumb is this: As your predictability in the service rises, your urgency falls.

The biblical theme of the Lord’s imminent return will do much to inject urgency in a gospel service. It’s worth noting that many of the sermons in the Book of Acts end with Jesus’ return and the judgment that follows.

The preacher today faces many temptations. One temptation is to lose urgency in preaching. As ministers, we must guard against this at all costs.

John Stott issued a warning and a challenge to all preachers of the gospel when he wrote, "A preacher can be faithful to Scripture, lucid in explanation, felicitous in language, and contemporary in application, yet somehow appear cold and aloof. No note of urgency is ever heard in his voice, and no suspicion of a tear is ever seen in his eyes. He would never dream of leaning over the pulpit to beg sinners in the name of Christ to repent, come to Him, and be reconciled with God."

To preachers who model their preaching after the preaching of the New Testament, they must gain and maintain the use of urgency in their messages. This is the preaching that must take place in our churches today if we are going to be effective in proclaiming the gospel.

Thomas H. Lindberg, D.Min., is senior pastor of First Assembly of God, Memphis, Tennessee.

*Scripture references are from the New International Version.