EVANGELISM ARTICLE | Don McClain | Bryant, Arkansas
The Book of Acts is a narrative detailing the early church’s growth and the spread of the Gospel after Jesus’s ascension. Following the intense persecution that erupted in Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7), Christians were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. One of these Christians was a man named Philip, (Acts 8:4,5). He was one of the seven men chosen to serve the church in Acts 6:5.
In Acts chapter 8 we read of Phillip going down to Samaria where he “preached Christ to them.” Afterward, an angel of the Lord directed Philip to travel south on an unpopulated road that went to Gaza. It was here that he encountered the Ethiopian eunuch, a high-ranking official serving as treasurer for the Queen of Ethiopia. This man had been to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home to Ethiopia, a journey of over 1,000 miles, (Acts 8:27,28). When Phillip approached the chariot, he heard the eunuch reading from Isaiah’s scroll, specifically Isaiah 53:7-8.
“He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, and who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” (Acts 8:32,33).
Phillip asked him “‘Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I unless someone guides me?” And he then asked Philip to come up and sit with him,” (Acts 8:30,31). Puzzled, the eunuch asked Philip who the prophet was talking about, himself or someone else? 35 “Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture preached Jesus to him.” (Acts 8:35).
TO PREACH JESUS, OR NOT TO PREACH JESUS?
There have been, and continue to be, those who bemoan what they perceive to be a problem within the church. They have tried to convince us to abandon the practice of preaching about doctrinal issues, or the plan of salvation, and to move away from emphasizing the church. “We JUST need to preach Jesus!” they say.
K.C. Moser (1893-1976) wrote an article entitled “Preaching Jesus,” which was published in the December 1, 1932, issue of the Gospel Advocate. He claimed that “Philip did not preach a system of religion, or conditions of salvation disconnected from the atonement. He proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God who bears the sins of the world.” K. C. Moser argued that when Philip encountered the eunuch, he “preached not a plan, but a man.” Moser’s article drew an immediate rebuttal from R.L. Whiteside, a staff writer for the Gospel Advocate at the time. That same year The Gospel Advocate Company published Moser’s first book, “The Way of Salvation,” which incorporated material from his earlier articles. C. Leonard Allen, an ACU supporter of Moser, summarized the intent of Moser’s book as a correction of a “displacement of the cross and God’s grace” in our preaching and our concepts.
K.C. Moser was (and through his writings, still is) the principal fountain of the “demote-the-plan-of-the-Man” contention of the 1960s and of the ever louder “emphasis on grace” advocacy since the early 1980s. This idea of “preaching the man, not the plan,” has been slowly spreading throughout the brotherhood through the years.
In the article “It’s Christmas Time Again,” Reuel Lemmons opined, that we need to “get the emphasis back where it belongs–on Christ, rather than on the church. …We need more Christ-ism and less church of Christ-ism.” [IMAGE (Vol. 4, No. 12): Dec. 1988, pp. 4,9],
Denny Boultinghouse wrote “More elderships want the focus of their pulpit to be Jesus Christ. I am not hopeful for churches where the “issues” take precedence over Christ in the preaching.” [“I Have Hope,” – Image (Vol. 8, No. 1): Jan/Feb. 1992, p. 4.]
Certainly, every gospel preacher should be for preaching JESUS! We should all be unanimously opposed to preaching any condition of salvation that is disconnected from the person and sacrifice of Jesus! I am fully on board with the idea of EMPHASIZING the life, death, and resurrection of the Son of God, in our preaching, teaching, and writing. But how can one preach Jesus, and emphasize what Jesus has done for us, (grace), without also preaching Jesus as the One Who has all authority in heaven and earth? How can we fully preach Jesus without teaching all things He has commanded us? (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:36; Colossians 1:13-29).
TO PREACH JESUS, WE MUST PREACH WHO JESUS IS
Philip skillfully connects the dots between the prophetic text in Isaiah 53 and its fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. “Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him,” (Acts 8:35). For one to come to faith in Christ, one must accept the scriptural evidence affirming that Jesus is indeed the promised, prophesied Messiah, (Romans 10:17).
The Old Testament scripture will bring those who accept it to believe in Jesus as the Christ, (John 5:39-47; Galatians 3:19-25). The New Testament bears witness to Who Jesus is by informing us of His birth, life, and many deeds, (Matthew; Mark; Luke; and John).
“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30–31)
We preach Jesus when we preach WHO the scriptures reveal He truly is, (Romans 10:13-17), and what He has done for us, (Ephesians 5:2). He is the Son of God, and the Son of Man. Jesus is God, (Deity), Who came in the flesh, (John 1:1-14; Philippians 2:6-11; etc.); Jesus was the suffering Servant, Who gave His life for all of mankind, that all who believe and follow Him will be saved, (Isaiah 53; John 3:16; Hebrews 5:8,9). Jesus, by His resurrection, is now Lord of lords and King of kings, (Acts 2:36; Matthew 28:18–20; Romans 14:8–12; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 1:5; 17:14; 19:16). Jesus is our one and only Mediator, (1 Timothy 2:5), and our great High Priest, (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6; 6:20; 7:11-21). And Jesus will judge all men, and He will judge us by His words, (John 12:48; 2 Corinthians 5:10. 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10).
Am I “preaching Jesus” when I emphasize His sacrifice but belittle His authority and teaching?
TO PREACH JESUS INCLUDES BAPTISM
As Phillip preached Jesus, the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36). There can be no doubt Philip’s message included baptism. We see the same scenario play out earlier in the chapter when Phillip “preached Christ” to the Samaritans, (Acts 8:5). Just as with the Samaritans, preaching Jesus produced faith and resulted in a believer being baptized “in the name of Jesus,” (Acts 8:12,13,16; cf. Acts 2:38; 10:47,48). The eunuch’s immediate request for baptism also suggests the importance of baptism, which corresponds with what Jesus said when He commissioned His disciples, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved,” (Mark 16:15,16; Matthew 28:19,20).
As Peter embarked on carrying out the great commission, he preached Jesus for the first time and instructed his audience “36 … God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. … 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. … 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:36-42).
Am I actually “preaching Jesus” if I tell people who Jesus is, but refuse to tell them what Jesus says for them to do? (Acts 2:40).
TO PREACH JESUS INCLUDES THE CHURCH AND HIS AUTHORITY
Admittedly, for me to sustain this point I must draw evidence from beyond the conversion of the eunuch, but we do not have to go too far. Let us once again go back to the previous conversion account, where Phillip preached Christ to the Samaritans. It is only reasonable to conclude that preaching Jesus, (Acts 8:35), and preaching Christ, (Acts 8:5), are synonymous concepts? When Phillip preached Christ, we are told he preached “the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:5,12). The kingdom of God and the church are synonymous entities in these last days, (Daniel 2:44; Matthew 16:18,19; Colossians 1:13; Romans 14:17).
Preaching about Jesus inherently involves discussing His blood and the church (Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:25). It’s impossible to separate Jesus from His body, the church (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18,24; 3:15). Acknowledging Jesus also means recognizing His authority as the Head of the church (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:36; 10:40-47; Ephesians 5:22-32).
CONCLUSION
Yes, let us preach Jesus! Yes, let us preach Christ, and Him crucified, (1 Corinthians 2:2). And yes, let us preach that Jesus is Lord of Lords and King of kings, (Acts 2:36; Matthew 28:18–20; Romans 14:8–12; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 1:5; 17:14; 19:16).
We cannot separate the gracious provision of salvation in Jesus from His person, His authority, or His teaching. His teaching is found in the New Testament, which is the pattern He has provided to govern the organization, worship, and work of the local church, (2 Timothy 1:13; 1 Timothy 3:1-13; 6:3). The teaching of Jesus emanates directly from His authority as the head of the church. How can we ignore His teaching, or the teaching of His apostles, without simultaneously dismissing both His authority and salvation, (grace)? (Luke 6:46; Hebrews 5:8,9)?
28 Him 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 (NKJV)
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July 2025 | GROW magazine
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