Dennis Johnson, Him We Proclaim

Dennis Johnson's excellent new book on preaching, Him We Proclaim, is based upon Colossians 1:27-28:

"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ."

If you're a preacher, read through Johnson's seven-point summary/unpacking of Colossians 1:27-28. This simple summary sums up what Him We Proclaim is all about and should be enough to persuade you (preachers) to purchase this book if you haven't done so already.(For a full review of this book go here).From pages 64 & 65:1) Paul defines the purpose of his proclamation: to 'present everyone mature in Christ.' His aim is not merely to convey information but to be instrumental in God's effecting transformation of the most radical and comprehensive sort in the hearts, lives, and relationships of those who hear his preaching.2) That purpose brings into consideration the identity and need of the listeners to whom Paul refers: the 'everyone' includes Gentiles, once excluded from God's presence, but now incorporated into the community in which the riches of God's glory are unveiled in Christ. They need the word that Paul proclaims precisely because they are now far from 'perfect in Christ,' although that is the destiny that God has for them.3) Paul knows that he has good news from God that is fully adequate to meet his listeners' spiritual needs in all their depths and diversity. His message has content to be communicated authoritatively and persuasively, and Paul encapsulates the entire content of his message in a single word--or, more precisely, a single person: 'Him we proclaim"--the Christ who now indwells even Gentiles.4) The twofold character of his listeners' need is implied in the participles that identify the concrete communication tasks that Paul's preaching accomplishes: 'teaching and admonishing...in all wisdom.' His hearers need, and Paul delivers, not only the declaration of Jesus' redemptive achievement but also direction regarding the response appropriate to this glad news.5) Paul mentions the price to be paid by the preachers of his gospel--sufferings, afflictions, toil, and struggle--just as elsewhere he exposes the great cost borne by Christ to accomplish the redemption that displays his glory among the Gentiles. The bearers of Christ's gospel--a message of life imparted through sacrificial death, of strength imparted through weakness--must themselves be illustrations of their message, sacrificing themselves, out of gratitude for mercy received and eager longing that others share that mercy.6) Paul also refers to the divine power that operates through the frailty and travails of the gospel's human preachers: 'struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.' Although preachers bear the responsibility both to interpret God's Word accurately and to convey its message clearly, apostolic preaching cannot be reduced to exegetical techniques and communication skills. The preaching of the apostles and their successors is a ministry that imparts life and achieves its purpose only because it is 'the ministry of the Spirit' of the sovereign and gracious God (2 Cor. 3:7-9).7) Finally, this text introduces the motif of the preacher's office, entailing authority and accountability, through the imagery of stewardship. As the servant of Another, entrusted with a most precious treasure, the apostolic preacher must be prepared to answer to his Master as one found faithful in administering his stewardship, both preserving and propagating the message of life without modifying its context.