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    The greatest treasure that exists today is kept in no museum.  There is no multimillion dollar security system in place to keep it safe.  Rather, it is kept in jars of clay which break so that the surpassing glory might be given to the one who created the treasure, not the one who keeps it.  The greatest treasure is the gospel of the kingdom of God, and Jehovah has chosen to place that in human beings.

       The gospel is in us.

    Just as a museum does not keep its treasures hidden from the world, neither should Christians keep the great treasure they have stored up inside themselves hidden from the world.  Jesus likened the faithful of God to a city that is set on a hill and light placed on a  lamp stand.  Neither of these things is intended to be hidden; the word of God, likewise, was not given to us to be kept from the world.  We ought to be shouting from the rooftops the message that we have been given.  We should be changed in such a way that our actions and words cause glory to be given to God by those around us. 

    The focus of our lives after becoming a Christian should be living a life worthy of the gospel of Christ and sharing it with as many people as possible.  While much could, and should, be said about living a life worthy of the gospel, for the next few weeks we are going to focus on sharing the word of God with other people.  This is a great responsibility that we all share with one another, and is something in which our labors and thinking should be constantly engaged.

    From the very beginning of the Bible, the principle of preaching truth and righteousness in a world full of darkness isgiven to us in the Scriptures.  In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light”, and out of the darkness there broke forth light which God called day (Gen. 1.1-5).  If we understand this spiritually, the true light, the light of God and life in the world, broke forth out of sin, lust and lasciviousness in the person of Jesus Christ.  God separated the light from the darkness, and the world hated the light because it showed the world’s evil works (John 3.19-21).  This light now shines in our hearts so that we have “the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus” (2 Cor. 4.6).  This light, this knowledge of the glory of God, the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul says we have inside of us (2 Cor. 4.7).

    While various people have tried to come up with all different patterns for mankind’s salvation, Paul would write to Christians in Rome that people gain faith in Christ through hearing the message of Jesus (Rom. 10.17).  In order for people to hear, there must be someone willing to preach.  This does not refer to a “preacher”, but to all people who have the glory of God in their hearts.  Christians are heralds of light sent out into a world of darkness so that people lost in sin can find their way back to God.  If we have the treasure of the gospel in us, then we have an obligation to share it with other people. 

    Over the course of the next few weeks, we are going to examine what it means to preach the gospel, whom should be doing the preaching, when preaching should be taking place, and what exactly is meant by “gospel”. 

    Firstly, we have to understand the importance of our study.  Throughout the New Testament, the preaching of the gospel is constantly mentioned.  Paul said the gospel of Christ is the power of God for the salvation of all mankind (Rom. 1.16).  The gospel makes it possible for mankind to have faith and thus stand justified before God, for the righteous shall live by faith (Hab. 2.4, Rom. 1.17).  All of this is contingent upon people hearing the gospel, which requires someone willing to share it with them.

    When we can come to this understanding, we realize the extent of our responsibility.  It is not our place or purpose to make someone believe the Bible.  The intentions of everyone’s heart will be judged by whether or not they accept the gospel of Christ; this is the judgment that came into the world. Our place and purpose is preaching the gospel.  We are sowers of the seed, heralds of righteousness and preachers of truth.  Our only obligation is to speak the truth in love and encourage and admonish others to believe and obey it.  We cannot make them do so.  

    Very few jobs in life are given to someone without being dependent upon some sort of result.  If you sell anything, you had better make sales or you won’t be employed for very long.  If you repair appliances, they had better work when you are finished with them.  When it comes to preaching the gospel, we are not responsible for the effectiveness of the message; we are simply responsible for preaching the gospel plainly, purely, and perfectly.