Preaching Like an Apostle

Opening Up Romans—3

Exploring the riches of God’s grace, one passage at a time.

When did you first share the gospel with someone? For me, it’s hard to pinpoint the moment I first “preached.” It started in my youth group after I came to faith. Then I preached on a missions trip in Mexico, led devotionals for students, shared my testimony in Europe, and taught as a seminary student. By the time I was ordained and officially called to pastor OURC, it just felt like the next step in a long line of “yeses” to God’s call to proclaim His Word.

Over the years, I’ve listened to countless sermons—first on cassette tapes, then online—trying to learn how to do this well. And while some folks dream of “walking like an Egyptian,” I’ve always wanted to preach like an apostle.

In Romans 1:5–6, Paul gives us a glimpse of what that looked like for him—and what it should look like for us.

The Gift of Preaching

Paul begins by saying that through Jesus Christ, “we have received grace and apostleship.” Before anything else, preaching is a gift—a gift from the risen Lord Himself.

Grace and calling go hand in hand. Paul never got over the fact that the same Jesus he once persecuted called him to proclaim the gospel. That’s grace! And just as Paul received that grace for salvation, he also received a calling—to bear witness to Christ as His messenger.

Every believer shares in that first part. If you’re in Christ, you’ve been given the same grace that turned Saul the persecutor into Paul the apostle. And while not all of us are called to preach in the pulpit, we are called to speak of Christ—to bear witness to His mercy in our own corners of the world.

Preaching, teaching, witnessing—all of it begins as a gift from Jesus, who gives His church “apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers” (Eph. 4:11). He gives us His Word and then gives us people to proclaim it.

View from the pulpit of the Keizersgrachtkerk in Amsterdam

The Audience of Preaching

Paul continues: this gift of apostleship was given “to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations.”

That’s a big audience.

When I look down from an airplane and see the vastness of a city like San Diego, I’m overwhelmed. Millions of people—each with their own story, their own sin, their own need for grace. And yet, God’s gospel is for them all.

From the beginning, God promised Abraham that through his descendants, all nations would be blessed (Gen. 12:3). For centuries, that promise seemed distant—until Jesus came. Now, through the preaching of the gospel, God is calling people from every tribe and tongue to belong to His Son.

That means the gospel Paul preached to the Romans is the same gospel offered to you today. It doesn’t matter your background, your failures, or your status. God’s Word to you is simple and life-changing: Trust in Jesus, and I will count you as obedient to Me.

The Goal of Preaching

Paul says his mission is “to bring about the obedience of faith…for the sake of His name.” That’s the heart of apostolic preaching—calling people to believe and live for the glory of Jesus.

Faith is obedience, Paul says—not the obedience of law or self-effort, but ironically the obedience of faith. The immediate goal of preaching is belief; the ultimate goal is the glory of Christ.

Every sermon, every witness, every act of ministry should end there: for the sake of His name.

As John Stott once wrote,

The highest motive for evangelism is not love for sinners, but zeal for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Paul’s words remind us that preaching—whether from a pulpit, across a table, or in a quiet conversation—is a grace-filled gift with a global audience and a God-centered goal.

That’s how an apostle preached.

And by God’s grace, that’s how we’re called to live—speaking, serving, and loving for the sake of His name.