I have witness many brethren who felt intimated, shy and
afraid of proclaiming the goodness of God's kingdom in public bus. They can gossip for hours as radio without battery;
freely share an enacted movie scene and narrates an accidental event correctly
to their audience without shyness. Hence, whenever the issue of preaching in public bus arises
they will quickly signal and express their incompetence, demoting and ridicule
themselves with complains of been SHY and AFRAID to voice out in public sphere.
Mark 16:15
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature" It's unfortunate and sinful not to preach the
gospel in boldness because we are THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD AND MUST SHOW FORT THE
BEAUTY OF THE LIGHT. Preaching the gospel is a command, irrespective of your area
of calling in the ministry, either choir, intercessor or usher, we are called
and anointed to be an evangelist even before the foundation of the world. 1 Corinthians
9:16 "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for
necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the
gospel"
HINDERING FORCES
AGAINST PREACHING IN PUBLIC SPHERE
1. LANGUAGE FACTOR:
Some brethren anxiously want to preach in public bus but felt discourage due to
grammatical flawed. They are not fluent in English expressions and seem much
disappointed on how to present the gospel to the world. I once witness this
same hindering force about 2 years ago when i traveled to my home village.
I
sojourned with my mega-phone primarily to share the true gospel of Christ to my
kindred. When i got to the market square i was vibrating in an
English vernacular; suddenly an elderly woman called my attention and asked in
my dialect “MY SON, ARE YOU NOT A SON OF
THIS LAND? CAN'T YOU SPEAK IN A LANGUAGE WE COULD UNDERSTAND? Honestly i
felt ashamed because i find it terribly hard to pray in my native language
regardless of preaching.
However, i regain my momentum, quickly share an emergency
grace and went home. I went straight down on my knee and ask the HOLY GHOST--The
great teacher and inspired of the WORD to teach me HOW TO PRAY AND PREACH IN MY
NATIVE TONGUE. After short prayer i perceived a ministration to listen to
some English gospel messages translated in my native language. I quickly
navigate through my phone media player and listen to some messages for hours;
the next day i divinely found myself standing in market square boosting in my native
language.
It was a great and wonderful encounter while praying and
preaching fluently in my native tongue. Moreover the market women were filled
with joy and also encourage me to continue preaching to them, because their
Reverend father, Priest, Bishop and Pastors doesn’t preach such remarkable
undiluted words of complete salvation. I perceived their earnest desire to hear the undiluted word
of true gospel.
They were thirsty of the WORD but unfortunately the TRUE WORD
is very scarce in their domain unlike cities where people are tired and sick of
hearing the TRUE WORD that gives complete SALVATION. In most cities, if you dare preach against immodesty or outward ungodliness, women trouser, artificial hair or attachment, makes-ups, painting
and bleaching, boy/girl friend relationship, alcoholic, polygamous marriage,
abortion, seduction, earrings and jewelries, you will be tagged as JUDGMENTAL
PREACHER. They will persuade the preacher to preach what they need to hear in
order to surpass the opinion of the Holy Ghost.
There is need for prayer if you are hindered by language
factor or communicating skill. After prayer ensures you study, listen; make
research and inquiries in order to improve your communicating skill. You need
to enact and do something while the Holy Ghost will inspire, lose your tongue
and accomplished the rest.
2. UNGODLY LIVING: The
secret life style of many Christian is outrageous. This is one of the barriers
that hinder them from participating in locust cumbered of the lost soul. 1 Corinthian 9:14 "Even so hath the Lord ordained
that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" Although a sinner can preach the gospel but he will certainly be consumed in
guilty conscience.
There is need for total repentance and confession of every
secrets sin before proclaiming Christ in public. Preaching the gospel in public
while abiding in SECRET SIN is very dangerous. It invoked God's wrath and
hasten his judgments upon hypocrites. The Holy Ghost will also deal mercilessly
and certainly disgrace such person.
HOW TO PREACH THE
GOSPEL IN PUBLIC BUS
There is much need for divine wisdom and counseling while
preaching in public bus especially in the midst of unbelievers with different
set of belief and gods. Before setting out you need to pray for the grace of
boldness, confident, utterances and inspiration of the words from Holy Ghost. While inside the public bus; you must position yourself
fittingly depending on the nature of the bus.
If perhaps it's a long bus, the
preacher might likewise takes his seat in the front view which will enable him
to focus intensely on the rest passenger while standing. But if there is no
means of standing due to tightly nature of the bus; he might takes his seat in
the middle row of the bus in order to be heard audibly by both passengers that
sat at the back and front edge.
Nevertheless, while preaching as a novice PLEASE DON'T VIEW OR LOOK AT THE FACE OF
YOUR AUDIENCE, while standing ensure you pin-position your sight above
their head or gaze directly at their forehead. Failure to abide or hearken thereof might emit great mess of
distraction, self-confuse, shy and shamefulness unless you're matured in
kingdom service. Preaching the gospel in
public sphere is semblance as playing football or soccer.
If you aim to grow
tremendously in evangelism with great experience, skills, boldness and zeal;
you ought to preach consistently in public. Moreover, if you abandoned evangelism for a month; the
spirit of utterance, revival, boldness, zeal and passion of preaching will
negates you for 3 months. When you re-emerge from month injury-break and
attempt to propel into sunshine as usual; certainly you wouldn't find it easy
because preaching the gospel is a continuous exercise.
GOING AS A TEAM
FOR PUBLIC OUTREACH IN BUS
I love this act because it ignites and serves as an
encouragement to fearful brethren that often felt ashamed to preach in public
bus. You might decide to goes with 2-3 brethren whose appearance and respond to
your message will serves as a booster of boldness. Your co-brethren should take a different seat and must not
sit near the preacher.
Their presence is to motivate the preacher by echoing "AMEN" to his prayers and
back up in worship songs, because the audience might felt disturbed, frustrated
and inching for the preacher to keep quiet because the world hates light. Their presence is also to charge the preacher to “RIDE-ON”; to speak more of the gospel;
they love to hear the gospel and very much thirsty for it. They might also
camouflage as an UN-believers. But unknown to the passengers they were on a
mission to spontaneously encourage the preacher.
HOW TO PREACH IN
RESTRICTED BUS
This secret idea can be applicable in some public bus that
abolished the preaching of the gospel, especially in Lagos state Nigeria known
as "BRT BUSES" A believers
in disguise will suddenly slap his fellow disguised brethren for stepping on
his feet, which must result into a heavy uproar.
After long period of unresolved disputes, the hot tempered victim
will suddenly called upon a fellow passenger who held a bible, sitting within
the same range to bear witness but unknown to the passengers that he was the
appointed preacher for the mission. “…..Sir, i alleged
you are a pastor, truthful and has the fear of God. Please sir, i believed you
heard me when i warned this brother to stop stepping on my feet? Did i not
warned him severally to place his leg on other side of the vehicle and to stop
dirty my shoe?
The attention will be drawn to the preacher as the
passengers gaze on him for respond. The preacher should bodily stood-up with
his bible and asked the brother “IF
SOMEONE INTENTIONALLY STEP ON JESUS FEET, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? The brother
will retort "Mr. Man are you not a
pastor, please tell us, what would Jesus do?
Hallelujah” the gate of hell has just been shot, conquered
and privilege to share the gospel has emerged. The preacher has every right to
preach in that bus till kingdom-come because he is just answering a question. In next topic we shall discussed “The Factors to Consider When Preaching the Gospel in Public Bus” [A MUST READ
FOR EVERY EVANGELIST]
