Preaching Like Paul (Part 1)

by Bobby Witherington

There are many books which deal with preaching. Some are excellent. Some are not worth the paper and ink they require. Some are downright dangerous. But there is one book which not only reveals the value of preaching; it also reveals what constitutes genuine, effective, soul-saving preaching. Of course, this “one book” is the Bible - the book of books.

Anyone who desires to preach the gospel would do well to examine the sermon content, the manner, and preaching methods of those great preachers of whom we read in the Scriptures. And one preacher not to be overlooked is the apostle Paul. This peerless apostle, this “apostle to the Gentiles” (Romans 11:13), seemingly had one magnificent obsession - that of converting the entire Roman Empire to Jesus Christ! In order to accomplish this noble objective he was willing to “spend and be spent” (II Corinthians 12:15), suffer intense persecution and deprivation (II Corinthians 11:23-27), and ultimately to even die a martyr’s death (Acts 21:13; II Timothy 4:6-8). Few students of either history or the Bible would deny that other than Jesus Christ himself, the apostle Paul was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) preachers that ever lived. There has to be a reason (yea, many reasons) for his effectiveness as a preacher. With a view in mind of encouraging more of us to follow his example, it is our aim in this article to give consideration to the kind of preaching which characterized Paul.

Paul The Christian. Many who acknowledge the greatness of Paul as a preacher tend to place great emphasis upon the fact that he was inspired. That is true. He was. Paul became a child of God in the same way as you and I. He heard and obeyed the gospel. When the Lord appeared to him on the Damascus road it was not to save him, but to make him a “minister and a witness” of the things which he had seen and of the things he had yet to reveal to him (Acts 26:16). To become qualified to be an apostle, as one “born out of due time” (I Corinthians 15:8), Paul had to see the Lord (I Corinthians 9:1). Being an apostle, he was able to speak that which God “revealed … through his Spirit” (I Corinthians 2:10). Paul did not learn his message at the feet of the other apostles; rather he received it “through the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:12). He was an apostle in every sense of the word, and even his hearers could bear witness to the fact that, through “signs and wonders and mighty deeds,” Paul demonstrated “the signs of an apostle” (II Corinthians 12:12).

But Paul’s effectiveness as a preacher was deeper than the facts of his inspiration and his possessing the signs of an apostle. His real effectiveness stemmed not so much from what he had, but from what he was! It is true that Paul was a very cosmopolitan person. He was “born in Tarsus” (Acts 22:3), a noted seat of philosophy and literature, ranking with Athens and Alexandria. He could speak Greek and Hebrew (Acts 21:37-40), plus other languages not specified (I Corinthians 14:18). He was educated at the feet of the noted Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was a Roman citizen, and he was not adverse to using his citizenship to his advantage and for his protection (Acts 16:21; 22:25). In many ways he was unique. But the underlying secret of Paul’s unflagging determination to preach the gospel (as well as his effectiveness as a preacher) lay in the fact that he was a Christian (Acts 26:28-29)! His conversion was genuine. He never forgot the terrible sins of which he had been guilty (I Timothy 1:15), but from which he had been forgiven by a gracious Lord. He had been a forceful personality when he was a persecutor of Christians, but now as a genuine Christian he could truly say, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). To “gain Christ” he had suffered the “loss of all things” which were formerly near and dear to him; yet compared to what he found in Christ he counted those things as “rubbish” (Philippians 3:8). I fear that too many brethren look first to a person’s apparent ability when that person expresses a desire to preach. Ability is important, but what that person accomplishes in the vineyard of the Lord will be more determined by what he is than by what he has! Many young men (and some not so young) who are “learning to preach” should first take some lessons on “how to live”! Let us quit putting the cart before the horse.

Paul As A Preacher. Regarding this point it is hard to know where to begin. Paul’s effectiveness lay in many things, such as: He was “not ashamed of the gospel of Christ,” and he had strong faith in its “power” to save (Romans 1:16). He believed in the headship and the Lordship of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Romans 10:9). He was willing to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (II Timothy 2:3, 10). He strongly believed in prayer and was not embarrassed to ask his brethren to pray “for me” (Ephesians 6:19). He worked with others, and trained them to succeed him (compare his letters to Timothy and Titus). He was “set for the defense of the gospel” (Philippians 1:17). He was determined to magnify Christ in his body, “whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20). Anchored by hope (Hebrews 6:19), he never lost sight of that “crown of righteousness” (II Timothy 4:8) for which he was constantly striving.