The Audience for Our Message

We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

–Colossians 1:28

How do we share Christ with a world in need of hope? Paul said in Colossians 1:28, “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom.” The word “admonishing” in this verse means to warn people. Let’s face it: there are negative aspects to the gospel message. We’ve all sinned. We all deserve judgment. And hell awaits those who reject or neglect Jesus Christ. If we’re going to share the gospel message, we have to talk about those things. We have to warn people about what awaits them if they die without Christ. But we also get to share the hope that awaits everyone who trusts in Him.

Notice with whom we are to share this message: “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ” (v. 28; emphasis mine). There’s a reason Paul repeated the phrase “every man.” Remember, the Colossians were being invaded by false religions, including Gnosticism. The Gnostics claimed to have a secret revelation about God that was available to only a few super-spiritual people. But Paul said no—true revelation from God is for every person.

You might say, “What about predestination? Doesn’t the Bible teach that God elects people for salvation?” Yes, that’s true. But it is also true that every individual has a responsibility to accept Christ as Savior. And you and I have a responsibility to share the gospel with every person.

Rowland Hill, a Calvinist pastor in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, believed strongly in the sovereignty of God. But he was criticized by his fellow Calvinists for not preaching only to those people whom God had predestined to be saved. Reverend Hill responded, “I don’t know them, or I would preach to them. Have the goodness to mark them with a bit of chalk, and then I’ll talk to them!” It’s our responsibility to preach the gospel to everyone.

What is the goal of sharing the gospel? Verse 28 says, “So that we may present every man complete in Christ.” Our goal is not just to save people from hell but also to help them learn to follow Christ in every part of their lives. Jesus did not commission us to go and make converts; He said, “Go . . . and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). Our mission is to present every person complete in Christ.

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “You Gotta Have Hope” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2011.

Vernon J. Charlesworth, Rowland Hill: His Life, Anecdotes and Pulpit Sayings (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1876), 34.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.