Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
When we preach the Gospel, we must not rely on our own strength because the power is in the Gospel itself. Neither should we be afraid of rejection for we are much like the mail man who is only responsible for delivering the mail. We cannot force someone to take notice of that particular piece of mail, nor do we bear the brunt of the reaction that person has towards the mail. However, if the message is not delivered, then it would be our fault and not the Holy Spirit’s.
John 16:7-8 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
The Holy Spirit is a person and good at soul winning. We do not have to assume His responsibility, and we cannot do what only the Holy Spirit can do, which is to convince people that Jesus is the Son of God and bring freedom from sin. If we try to do the Holy Spirit’s job, we will only end up bringing condemnation instead of conviction, and bondage from rules instead of freedom from sin.
We need to know that it is the Word that brings results. While we are responsible for sharing the Gospel, we are not responsible for seeing that people come into the kingdom of God, so we are free from guilt. Our job is only to plant the seed, and God will cause it to grow.
Sermon Series: Evangelism
福音的力量
罗马书1:16 我不以福音为耻．这福音本是 神的大能、要救一切相信的、先是犹太人、后是希利尼人。
1哥林多前书2：1-5 弟兄们、从前我到你们那里去、并没有用高言大智对你们宣传 神的奥秘。因为我曾定了主意、在你们中间不知道别的、只知道耶稣基督、并他钉十字架。我在你们那里、又软弱、又惧怕、又甚战兢。我说的话讲的道、不是用智慧委婉的言语、乃是用圣灵和大能的明证．叫你们的信不在乎人的智慧、只在乎 神的大能。
当我们传福音时，我们决不能依靠自己的力量，因为力量在于福音本身。我们也不必害怕被拒绝，因为我们就像只负责传递邮件的邮递员一样。我们不能强迫他人注意到该邮件，也无需因为他人对邮件做出的反应而受到冲击。但是，如果消息没有传出去，那将是我们的错，而不是圣灵的错。
约翰福音16：7-8 然而我将真情告诉你们．我去是与你们有益的．我若不去、保惠师就不到你们这里来．我若去、就差他来。他既来了、就要叫世人为罪、为义、为审判、自己责备自己．
圣灵是个位格，祂擅长赢得灵魂。我们不必承担祂的责任，我们也做不了只有圣灵才能做的事情，就是说服人们相信耶稣是上帝的儿子，使人们摆脱罪的束缚。如果我们试图揽下圣灵的工作，那么我们将以谴责而不是说服告终，陷于律法的捆绑而不是摆脱罪的束缚。
我们需要知道，那产生成效的是圣言。虽然我们有责任分享福音，但我们不负责确保那人进入上帝的国度，因此我们无需自责。我们的工作只是撒种，而上帝会使它成长。
讲道系列：传福音