"The gospel will not transform minds unless it first communicates those spiritual principles which are necessary if its work of transforming the mind is to be effective. Put new wine into old bottles and all is lost, bottles and wine also. Put the doctrine of the gospel into an old, unrenewed, corrupt sceptical mind, and it is soon polluted and spoiled, and because it is unable to produce holiness of life, turns the mind in scepticism against it.
Many have seen how ineffectual it is to put gospel mysteries into carnal men and so have abandoned preaching them, sticking only to those doctrines which are suited to the natural understanding of men, such as moral behaviour and obedience to the law.
The holiness which the gospel requires is the transformation of our souls into the image and likeness of God. This is the new nature which gladly submits to the 'good and acceptable and perfect will of God' (Romans 12:2). But his will not happen unless we can 'behold the glory of the Lord', for by that alone can we be 'changed into the same image from glory to glory' (2 Corinthians 3:18). Nor can we 'behold that glory', unless 'he who commanded the light to shine out of darkness shines in our hearts to gives us the knowledge of it' (2 Corinthians 4:6). This is why the doctrine of the gospel is ineffective in the hearts and lives of many by whom its truth is openly acknowledged and professed."
In order for the gospel to work and change the hearts of dead sinners, the Lord Almighty must grant grace to the hearer to hear. God's light must shine in our hearts if we or another are to receive the gospel--if the gospel is to be effectual. Illumination is necessary. A spiritual birth must first take place if we are to comprehend spiritual truths, for the natural man cannot receive or discern the things of God. He is just not able to apart from the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.
That's some hardcore doctrine. Pretty useless stuff, huh? Some would say so. But in fact this is hardcore doctrine that dictates hardcore philosophy of ministry. Doctrine like this really informs our practices. If you don't realize that God must regenerate and illuminate the mind of an unbelievers if he is to believe the gospel and be saved, then you will resort to man-made practices and philosophies of ministry to try and convert the soul. You'll replace the clear commands of God with human traditions just like the Pharisees did in Jesus' day.
John Owen says that in his day people would turn from preaching the gospel and instead preach obedience to the law and moral behavior type sermons. The natural and unsaved mind loves this, does he not? Ouch! What and indictment of his times. Things are radically similar in our day. Because preachers and Christians are ignorant of doctrine, they use their fallible logic to try reason to a solution to win more converts. The result of poor theology and doctrine is not orthopraxy but malpractice! And that is the condition of a large part of American Christianity. Orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy. Right doctrine leads to right practice.
So do we abandon the gospel knowing that God must give grace to the sinner to comprehend? No, we pray that God would overcome the unbelief in the sinner. We pray that God would rip out the stony heart of the sinner and put in a fleshy one that gladly and joyfully receives Christ. We continue preaching the glory of God in Christ Jesus. We continue being faithful to the Word of God. But we don't dare run the church as if God gave us the authority to reinvent His method of reaching the lost. It's through prayer, holy living and the foolishness of preaching that sinners receive Christ--and by preaching I don't only mean standing behind a pulpit on Sunday morning from 9:30am to 11am...preaching includes taking the gospel out into the world.
I think the "professional pastor" has put unbiblical emphasis on community surveys, crafty programs, affinity groups and obedience to law type sermons to reach the lost. Oftentimes the motivation to build the church comes from pride. We want a big church. We want large offerings. We want cool technology in our buildings. We want our church to be bigger and better than the other guys down the street. In the circles that I grew up in I often heard pastors ask other pastors, "so how many you running and how big are your offerings," as if that was the litmus test to a healthy and vital church. As a former youth pastor my friends regularly asked me, "How many do you have coming to your meetings?" Numbers was the concern, not so much faithfulness.
Let me say that we Pastors lose our authority to lead the church and preach to the church as soon as we deviate from sound doctrine and theology. We cannot shepherd the flock as if the Lord left earth only to leave us to run things without His explicit diretion. God did not leave us to build His church, as if we're taking over the reigns for Christ. Rather, Christ is building His church and He works through His people for His glory.
When it appears that the gospel is ineffectual and when it appears that our evangelism is not working, do not give up. Press on. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to send out more laborers into the field. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to give you boldness in proclaiming the gospel. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to regenerate and give understanding to sinners. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to help you live a holy life so as to adorn the gospel. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to do what only He can do so that He can be glorified. Pray to the Lord and ask Him to help the church be the visible display of His glory.
