Open-Air preaching- is standing in a place where people are gathered and lifting up your voice and preaching the gospel to the crowd that is gathered.
John the Baptist was an open-air preacher. Jesus was an open-air preacher. He preached the greatest sermon of all time, the "Sermon on the Mount" in the open-air. Peter preached in the open-air at Pentecost and Paul chose to stand on Mars Hill and preach open-air to the Athenians.
If we are serious about reaching this world, let us follow in the footsteps of Jesus and the apostles and preach where sinners gather. In thirty minutes, a good open-air preacher can reach more sinners than the average church does in twelve months.
Thank God that the disciples didn't stay in the upper room. They didn't carpet the building, pad the pews then put a notice outside the front door saying, "Tonight: Gospel outreach service, 7p.m. - all welcome. " They went into the open air. The gospel is for the world, not the Church. One-third of the word "gospel" is "go". Two-thirds of "God" is "go" ; but like King Og, we seem to have it backwards. We take sinners to meetings rather than meetings to sinners. The Church prefers to fish on dry land rather than get its feet wet. Charles Finney put his finger on the reason why: " It is the great business of every Christian to save souls. People complain that they do not know how to take hold of this matter. Why, the reason is plain enough; they have never studied it. They have never taken the proper pains to qualify themselves for the work. If you do not make it a matter of study, how you may successfully act in building up the kingdom of Christ, you are acting a very wicked and absurd part as a Christian." He who loves his neighbor as himself will be concerned for his eternal welfare. He who couldn't care less that every day multitudes of living people are being swallowed by the jaws of hell has a heart of stone indeed. --- info. from "the Evidence Bible" Ray Comfort
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