In Colossians 1:28, Paul summarizes his entire ministry with three simple words: “Him we proclaim.” Those words reveal the first and most important principle of Christian preaching. The preacher’s task is not to draw attention to himself, entertain an audience, or promote personal opinions. The task of preaching is to make Christ known. Paul understood that the church’s greatest need was not more information but a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ. Whether preaching from Moses, the Prophets, the Gospels, or the Epistles, the goal is always the same: to help people see and believe in the beauty, glory, wisdom, and sufficiency of Christ.
A second principle is that preaching Christ aims at transformation, not merely instruction. Paul writes that he proclaimed Christ, “warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28). Biblical preaching certainly informs the mind, but it also seeks to shape the heart and transform the life. The goal is not simply that people know more about Christ, but that Christ be formed within them. True preaching calls believers to mature faith, greater obedience, and increasing conformity to the image of Christ.
Finally, preaching Christ depends upon the power of Christ. Paul labored diligently in ministry, yet he recognized that spiritual growth ultimately comes from God. He writes, “For this I toil, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me” (Col. 1:29). Christian ministry is not sustained by human wisdom, personality, or effort alone. It is sustained by prayer and the power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ (Ephesians 3:14-17). As a church family, may we pray that every sermon, lesson, and Bible study would direct our hearts to Jesus Christ, who is both the message we proclaim and the power by which we live.
-Jacob Brunjes