From the MLJ Archive

1 Thessalonians 1:5 — We live in a world where the Church is losing influence and people are moving farther and farther from the truth. To confront these negative trends people have put forth solutions to how we can “sell” the gospel better and communicate more as a global church. However, in Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ sermon on 1 Thessalonians 1:5, he reveals the true way we should spread the gospel. Many Christians believe that a new message is needed to attract the masses, while others say that huge, concert-like gatherings are the key to spreading the gospel. Many say that the same old message just isn’t working and must be altered. However, Dr. Lloyd-Jones states that the message is not the problem. No, the message was powerful enough to convert the entire Roman Empire, and the Romans had a society of sin and lust, similar to ours. No, the message is not the problem. The problem is the way we present it. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to how the early church spread the gospel by apostolic teaching and by the testimony of their lives. Likewise, Dr. Lloyd-Jones urges us to do the same. We must live out the message of the gospel so that others can see the power of God in us. This was the original way that the gospel was spread, and it is the best method for evangelism, even today. With this said, Dr. Lloyd-Jones confronts another problem that is plaguing the spread of the gospel. He states that churches simply aren’t telling the true message of the gospel. Modern evangelists pride themselves in telling the good news of Jesus Christ, but forget to tell people why Jesus came. Without knowledge of their sin, unbelievers may live life thinking they are Christians, while they continue sinning freely. Like Paul, we should not focus on flattering audiences, cracking jokes, or hosting large events, but instead tell unbelievers that they are sinners in the presence of a holy God. Only when we know we are sinners, do we turn to Christ for redemption.