Should expositional sermons be evangelistic?
Absolutely! Why?
- The apostle Paul models it. While the apostle Paul says that everything in the church should be done to build up believers (1 Cor. 14:12, 26), he also wants non-Christians who come into the assembly to be convicted of their sin and come to faith in Christ (1 Cor. 14:23-25). Therefore, expositional preaching should focus on building up the saints, but it should also evangelistically address non-Christians.
- The Christ-centeredness of Scripture requires it. Because all of Scripture points to Christ (Luke 24:27; John 5:39), no text has been fully expounded unless it has been connected to the gospel. Therefore, every sermon should contain an explanation of the gospel.
- Compassion compels it. If a non-Christian actually comes to church, compassion should compel you to preach the gospel to them. The church is the only place on earth especially dedicated to preaching the gospel. Dare we deprive any non-Christian who visits a Christian gathering of hearing the gospel?
- Nominal Christians in the church need it. Some members of your church who think they are Christians may not be.
- The Christians will learn how to better share the gospel. As church members hear the preacher show how the gospel is relevant to every text of Scripture and every situation in life, they will become more adept at knowing how to turn their conversations with non-Christian friends into gospel conversations.
