Almost all Christians, and most other folks, I think, have heard of St. Francis of Assisi. This 12th Century Umbrian priest has inspired millions of people, even providing the name for the recently passed Pope Francis. I was interested in researching what teachings or quotations Francis was best known for, soI did what any self-respecting scholar of church history should do, I googled “what are the most well known quotations from St. Francis,” The infallible Google search engine tells us that Francis’ most famous words come from the prayer, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace”—sounds good. Coming in second in the Google results is one I have heard over and over again in my time in church leadership, “Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.” Have you ever heard Francis quoted to that effect?

For many of us in the historic mainline Protestant traditions, these words of St. Francis are a balm to salve our insecurities. We can stand with Francis and declare that evangelism is really about actions and examples, and we do not need to be like those other Christians, those obnoxious Christians who try to cram Jesus down people’s throats. We are vindicated.

Now there are two problems with this sense of relief found in St. Francis’ words. It turns out that St. Francis never, in fact, said or wrote these words. It’s a bit embarrassing perhaps to St. Francis himself that his second most famous saying he never said. Furthermore, St. Francis did not practice this saying. As much as Francis is known for serving the poor and communing with animals, he was also known to preach as much as five times a day. If Francis only used words when necessary, he found it necessary over and over and over again.

As an old friend of mine likes to say, “another perfectly good story ruined by facts.”

In Romans 15, the Apostle Paul is also quite taken by the power of words when he asked the question, “how are they to hear without someone to proclaim” [v 14] and that “one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation.” [v10].

Now a lot of us in the historic mainline Protestant traditions are uneasy with evangelism. We really hope we can be proclaimers of the Gospel without saying anything. One of my favorite church jokes goes like this:

What do you get when you cross a Presbyterian with a Jehovah’s Witness?
Someone who knocks on your door with absolutely nothing to say.

Well, at least I think it is funny.

The unease with proclaiming our faith in Jesus Christ to those outside the church grows out of I think of a couple experiences or thoughts.

A lot of us are suspicious of the practice where faith in Christ is seen as beginning in a single, concrete public decision like raising your hand or walking the aisle in a revival meeting. Think of old-fashioned camp meeting outside in a remote place or a Billy Graham crusade.

My step-father was a Pilgrim Holiness revival preacher. Now I have been to camp meetings where the floor was covered with sawdust and the offering was collected in Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets. Good Times. And I must have sung over a thousand verses of “Just as I Am Without One Plea.”

Now I have moved away from that expression of evangelism at least a bit. And I especially dislike the kind of emotional manipulation that can be part of this kind of practice.

And I fully agree with the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s concern over cheap grace where it seems like salvation is offered only requiring mere lip service.

However, there is no doubt that when Jesus called the disciples he asked for a decsion, he said, “Follow me” right now. In Luke 9 Jesus makes a really hard point about the need to make a firm decision in the moment to those who would want to go say good-bye to their families before answering the call. He describes them as not “fit for the Kingdom of God.” [Luke 9:62]

In Romans 10, Paul connects the verbal proclamation of the Gospel and confessing that faith with our lips with living a life of faith: “For one believes with the heart, leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation.” [10:10]

A lot of us are most comfortable with the striking image of God in I Kings 19 where it speaks of “the still, small voice” of God and we want to use a still small voice too, but the word used for how we proclaim or preach in Romans comes from a town crier who makes loud proclamations in the city square so that all can hear.

I think another reason for our unease with evangelism is rooted in our identity. Social scientists tell us that our identities grow out of who we think we are and who we think we are not.

I’m a Duke University Blue Devils Basketball fan. What does that mean? Well it means that when I fill out my bracket for March Madness every single year, I begin by picking Duke as the champion and then I fill in all of the other blanks. It means I cheer Duke on all season long.

It also means that I do not support the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. If your identity is wrapped up in Duke, it is decidedly not wrapped up in North Carolina. In a more profound way, we see the two sides of identity in the ancient baptismal liturgy. The candidate for baptism is asked to “turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior,” but after being asked “Do you renounce Satan and all the forces of spiritual forces of wickedness” [BCP, 302]

Our identities are formed positively by what we are for and negatively by what we are against.

In the case of evangelism, my sense is that many of us in the historic mainline Protestant traditions are so marked by what we are against, an emotionally manipulative form of verbal proclamation, that we actually leave behind aspects of what we’re for.

Just because there are some ways to proclaim Jesus that we are uncomfortable with does not mean that we should leave behind proclaiming Jesus Christ in ways that we do find faithful and consistent with the Gospel.

Preaching the Gospel at all times includes more than words, but it does include words.

Preaching only with words is empty. Preaching only with deeds misses the power of the Gospel as a proclaimed message

Now, I have been a bit ambiguous in this sermon on exactly who the proclaimers are in Romans 10. The traditional rendering of verse 14: “how are they to hear without a preacher?” Kind of implies for most of us that it is the proclaimer is someone set aside by the community to fill a special office to preach to the congregation: a minister, a priest, a pastor. Paul himself was someone who was set aside to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Preaching changes lives. And most good preaching isn’t carried out by so-called preachers. That is, all followers of Christ are called to be preachers of the Gospel. If we read these words and think only of those wearing robes preaching from a pulpit, we’ve missed the mark. All followers of Jesus are called to preach the gospel with their lives and with their words. The pastoral office within the church equips the saints to be proclaimers.

The pastor and the people preach the gospel in words and deeds.

Now my encouragement to you with my words is for you to use your whole life to proclaim the gospel, in word and deed.

Paul is clear through the proclamation of the Gospel salvation is offered to all, “no one who believes in him will be put to shame.” What a spectacular promise! “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Salvation is for all. Proclaiming the Gospel gives people a path to believing in their hearts. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good news.” What a gift to be a proclaimer of the Gospel!

But as good as this good news is, there is a subtext of anguish in this passage. Why doesn't it always work? In fact, why does it seem to fail spectacularly sometimes?

Not all respond. Some are hearing but not understanding. Preaching is not a magic act that transforms everything all at once.

Now I love preaching. I love the process of studying the scriptures and discerning God’s word for a community of believers. I love trying to craft that message, combining exegetical insights and persuasive language. I love finding humor in unexpected places. And I am encouraged when I get appreciative feedback and especially when I can observe changed lives as a result of preaching.

But I am also vexed by how ineffective preaching can be both as a preacher and a hearer.

I’ve seen pastors who have faithfully preached for decades with precious few tangible outcomes. I have seen all kinds of people live faithful lives and give witness to their savior and see those around them not be attracted to the Gospel they have seen and heard.

Now I can tell you a really great story of a single mother days away from foreclosure on her house. While I was preaching through Acts and proclaiming the way the Spirit’s claim on the believers’ lives was so profound that it called them to radical lives around the sharing of possessions for the good of all. Somehow some folks in that congregation heard that message, came together, pulled their resources, met with the bank, forestalled the foreclosure, fixed up the house, and a few months later this woman was able to sell the house and net $40,000. This was literally a transformation of her life. That’s a great story for a preacher.

Just like Paul, I believe in the power of the proclamation of the Gospel, and sometimes I am overwhelmed by what happens. And yet I can tell you of sermons I have preached where I thought I was on the top of my game, and my only hope is that perhaps one day it will bear fruit—because I’m not seeing anything happen right now.

The lectionary reading cuts off the last verse of the paragraph in verse 16: “But not all have obeyed the good news . . .” And that is the reality of our situation.

We experience resistance, not the least of which, I experience in my own life where I resist the sanctification that God wills for me. I live in hope encouraged by the insight of the Swiss theological Karl Barth who couldn’t conceive of how persons could ultimately resist the beauty and grace and love of Jesus Christ. And so I am thankful that I depend on the grace of God and not in the integrity of my own decisions.

When I was a kid in school, few words filled me with as much joy as you are dismissed. I was free to go. Paul asks the question in verse 15, “how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent.” That word for being sent is the Greek word from which we get the word apostle and the Latin word from which we get the word mission. We who inhabit the office of preacher are blessed to formally proclaim the gospel. And all believers are commissioned as evangelists, as those who proclaim the Gospel, and all believers are sent to do so.

And so on this day, we are dismissed, we are sent and spread out as the people of God, a concrete expression of the apostolic character of the church. The sent ones.

You are listening to this in your car or in your kitchen or on the train, you are already spread out. You are already sent. In your work, in your leisure, in your family, in your neighborhood, be confident in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and use your words. How beautiful are your feet, the one who brings good news.