Street Preaching in the Bible

By Larry Rosenbaum

In Bible times life was much simpler than it is today. Communication of ideas and information was found in a limited scope. In today’s world things are much different. From the written page to the internet, the transfer of information is radically different.

Why then should you consider or emphasize the description of PREACHING found with SCRIPTURE? Should there be STREET or PUBLIC PREACHING today? The most obvious answer, as we will fully document, is God’s instruction within SCRIPTURE. In this paper we will show the weakness found in contemporary approaches vs. the strength and power found in God’s way.

The common understanding of the word “PREACH” is assigned to a select few: Pastors, Evangelists, etc. Additionally, the idea of “PREACHING” within the believer’s understanding has been re-defined as witnessing, which for all practical purposes has eliminated the practice as found in Scripture. These two points work together to quench those who read and would follow the men in the Bible, leaving no example to follow. The high tech world of books, radio, and TV has become the main venue for getting the Word out. While looking like the most obvious way, their substitution for God’s way has left most of the world unreached.

All of these approaches share a common ingredient: they only communicate to those who want to hear or those who are already believers. The vast percentage of the audience is hearing information they already possess. Literature is useful, but only to those who take the time to read it. Witnessing is good, and should be the mainstay in a believer’s life, but again it is very hard to reach more than a few. While God uses these methods to reap some of those who are ready, the rest of the world goes without. In addition, it should be noted, the methods of today are very expensive, and a poor use of God’s money and the church’s time.

Public preaching is the most effective way to get the Gospel to the most people in the shortest time at the least expense. AND PUBLIC PREACHING IS THE NUMBER ONE METHOD OF OUTREACH USED THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE, OLD TESTAMENT AND NEW TESTAMENT…

SOME DEFINITIONS

What then is PREACHING? According to Noah Webster, “Preach” comes from a Latin word meaning to “proclaim publicly… a sermon urging acceptance or abandonment of an idea or course of action, specifically in an earnestly tiresome and officious manner.” The Prophets through Christ and the New Testament church told it like it was and paid the price for their boldness and “officious” manner. The word “officious” is defined: “volunteering one’s services where they are not asked for or wanted; meddlesome” and “high-handed.” We possess the truth and as such it requires such an approach.

As we have outlined, PREACHING today…typically refers to invited people, invited speakers, and scheduled services. BIBLICAL PREACHING, however, conforms to the above definition, and is often to hostile crowds outside “religious” services, to those who would seek to even kill the messenger. With these things in mind, let us now explore the subject within SCRIPTURE.

THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament is rich with accounts of PUBLIC PREACHING.

“Wisdom CRIETH WITHOUT; she uttereth her voice IN THE STREETS: SHE CRIETH IN THE CHIEF PLACE OF CONCOURSE, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words…” (Proverbs 1:20-21)

“CRIETH” means shouting out loud. “WITHOUT” means outside. “CHIEF PLACE OF CONCOURSE” means where the biggest crowds are.

“Doth not wisdom CRY? And understanding PUT FORTH HER VOICE? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. She crieth at the gates, at the entry of the city, at the coming in at the doors.” (Proverbs 8:1-3)

Old Testament prophets often PREACHED at the GATES of the city. The gates were the busiest places in town. The cities in Bible times were surrounded by walls for protection, and all traffic in and out of the city went through the gate. It was the place to be to get a message to all visitors (Genesis 19:1) as well as the citizens (going in and out to work in the fields), and the king and all dignitaries.

A man PREACHING at the gate would not only reach large crowds, but also have an IMPACT on and a direct outreach to such varied arenas as: the business community, court decisions, idolatrous meetings, soldiers, government, etc. “They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly. (Amos 5:10)

Amos was a STREET PREACHER!

They “lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate…” (Isaiah 29:21)

Isaiah was a STREET PREACHER!

“Thus said the Lord unto me, Go and stand in the GATE of the children of the people, whereby the kings of Judah come in, and by the which they go out, and in all the GATES of Jerusalem; and say unto them, Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem that enter in by these gates: Thus saith the Lord…” (Jeremiah 17:19-20)

“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Stand in the GATE of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord. (Jeremiah 7:1-2)

Jeremiah was a STREET PREACHER!

An interesting point about these men is that most of them spent most of their time not reaching those in other countries, or the most reprobate sinners, but God’s “chosen people,” who had the Bible, as they entered the house of God to worship the LORD!

“Thus saith the Lord; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah…and thy people that enter in by these GATES.” (Jeremiah 22:1-2)

“Then read Baruch in the book of the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord…at the entry of the new GATE of the Lord’s house, in the ears of all the people.” (Jeremiah 36:10)

“Then the Lord said unto me, Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah, and in the STREETS of Jerusalem, saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and do them.” (Jeremiah 11:6)

“The word of the Lord came to me, saying, Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord…” (Jeremiah 2:1-2)

“CRY ALOUD; SPARE NOT; LIFT UP THY VOICE LIKE A TRUMPET, AND SHOW MY PEOPLE THEIR TRANSGRESSIONS AND THE HOUSE OF JACOB THEIR SINS.” (Isaiah 58:1)

In JUDGES 9:7 when Jotham had a message to get to a crowd of people in Shechem (who wanted to kill him), how did he do it? “Jotham went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and CRIED, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.” (Judges 9:7)

Jotham found a safe place from which they could all hear him, and LIFTED UP HIS VOICE. Jotham was an open air preacher (ca. 1300 B.C.)

The best example in the OLD TESTAMENT of a foreign missionary is JONAH. GOD sent him to warn Nineveh. Did he rent a hall and invite people to come to a scheduled meeting, enticing them with “special music” and Gospel entertainment? No. Jonah was charged to preach to Nineveh (as we are to the world!), not only to those who would attend his meeting, but to the whole city.

The BIBLE says Nineveh was “an exceeding great city of three days journey” (Jonah 3:3); i.e., it took 3 days just to walk around it. Diodorus confirms that Nineveh was 60 miles in circumference (Herodotus records that a day’s journey was 20 miles). Jonah 3:4 says “Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he CRIED, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Jonah went “a day’s journey” into Nineveh, a city of 3 day’s journey, and CRIED. He was PREACHING as he was walking, i.e. OUTDOORS. Jonah was a STREET PREACHER, walking the streets as he preached his message of judgment and truth. (To be continued. From www.soulwinning.info/sp/lessons/01.htm)

Street Preaching in the New Testament

We now turn our attention to the New Testament. Beginning with John and moving to our commission to the whole world we are instructed in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world, and  preach the Gospel TO EVERY CREATURE.” Our job is to PREACH THE GOSPEL TO EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD. Simple logic will show the best way to accomplish this is to find where the most “people” are in one place at one time and proclaim the message loud enough for them all to hear.

“Whom we preach, WARNING EVERY MAN and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in CHRIST JESUS.” (Colossians 1:28)

The first PREACHER in the NEW TESTAMENT was JOHN THE BAPTIST. Once again, his preaching lacked comfortable buildings, music, entertainment, etc. John was an OPEN AIR PREACHER: “In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, REPENT YE, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:1-2; see also Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3) Matthew says Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan came out to hear John preaching (Matthew 3:5-6). John was baptizing in the river Jordan. Jews who traveled back and forth to Galilee refused to take the direct route through Samaria (John 4:9), but rather went to the Jordan River and followed it up to and from Galilee, so John picked out a place to preach repentance and baptize at a place of heavy traffic, with large crowds.

There is not much “one-on-one witnessing” talked about in the BIBLE; the emphasis is on PREACHING TO CROWDS. We are not saying to stop witnessing one-on-one. We do it; we encourage it. However, the method most commonly mentioned in the Bible yet  ignored by most Christians today is OPEN AIR PREACHING.

In the 4 Gospels, covering 2-3 years of CHRIST’s ministry, we find only about THREE cases of personal witnessing: Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and Zaccheus. The Gospels spend much more time pointing out CHRIST’S dealings with “MULTITUDES:” Matthew 4:25; 5:1; 8:1; 18; 12:15; 13:2,34; 14:14; 15:10,30-35,39; 17:14; 19:2; 21:8,11…

JESUS’ most famous sermons were delivered OUTDOORS. For example, the sermon ON THE MOUNT (Matthew 5,6,7). In Luke 6:17 he preached to a “great multitude” in “the plain” (outdoors). The “Olivet discourse” (Matthew 24) was delivered on the Mount of Olives (outdoors). In Matthew 13 His well known parables were preached to “great multitudes” by “the sea side” (JESUS was a “beach preacher”.) He sat in a boat and taught the multitude on the shore.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke devoted most of their attention to Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, where He lived most of the time. But several times a year, all Jews would go to Jerusalem for the Feasts (see Exodus 23:14,17). Christ would go to Jerusalem and PREACH to these large crowds gathered there. The Gospel of John is concerned with these trips of Jesus to Jerusalem during these feasts. The PASSOVER is mentioned in John 2:13; 6:4; and 12:1. The feast of TABERNACLES is mentioned in John 7:2. Another feast is mentioned in John 5:1. HANUKKAH is mentioned in John 10:22. JESUS CHRIST came to Jerusalem to cleanse the Temple (at least twice) and PREACH TO THE MULTITUDES. “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and CRIED, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.” (John 7:37). JESUS commanded His apostles, “What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light, and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.” (Matthew 10:27)

His apostles carried this out in the book of Acts. On the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), we find one of the greatest examples of STREET PREACHING of all time. The charismatics read Acts 2, see tongues, and say: We need to speak in tongues like they did in Acts 2. Some fundamentalists read Acts 2 and see 3000 added to the church in one day, and they say: We need to have large church growth like they did in Acts 2. What is missing is the recognition of the delivery and method of STREET PREACHING found in Acts 2. TONGUES drew a crowd, Peter preached REPENTANCE (Acts 2:38), and the church grew.

“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Therefore DISPUTED he in the …market daily.” (Acts 17:17) Yes, the apostles’ evangelism often involved “DISPUTING” and judgment, not just preaching GOD’s love (see Acts 6:9; 9:22,29; 11:2; 15:2,7; 17:2; 18:19,28; 19:8,9; 28:23; see also Neh. 13:11; 17,25; Proverbs 28:4; Ephesians 5:11; I Thess. 2:2; Jude 3,9; see also examples in Matthew 22; John 7,8).

Why the market? Crowds! The apostles wanted to get the Gospel to the most people at one time, so they went to the markets where crowds gathered, and disputed, preaching the kingdom and wisdom of GOD in the open air.

In conclusion, we can focus on how things “could” be. Public open air preaching of the Gospel and the Kingdom of GOD is imperative for the fulfillment of the GREAT COMMISSION. This is an attainable goal within each of your groups, fellowships, and churches. It is not unreasonable to think that of every 50 or so believers ONE could do this work. The help of GOD is available, and when you add them up a city of say the size of San Francisco would net at least 500 men to shoulder the plow in this  great harvest field.

The impact of such a group would be immediate and powerful. GOD’s mind and being would be shown to all. “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6)

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