"Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives and we publish it." - 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 (MSG)
St. Francis of Assisi once invited a young man to join him on a trip to town to preach. Honored to be given the invitation, the man readily accepted. All day long he and Francis walked through the streets, byways, and alleys, and even into the suburbs. They rubbed shoulders with hundreds of people. At the end of the day, the two headed back home. Not even once had Francis addressed a crowd, nor had he talked to anyone about the gospel. Greatly disappointed, his young companion said, "I thought we were going into town to preach." Francis responded, "My son, we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We were seen by many and our behavior was closely watched. It is of no use to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere as we walk!" (Our Daily Bread, December 15, 1991)
The above story re-emphasizes a salient truth that the Holy Ghost taught the church at Corinth about Lifestyle Evangelism. A preacher's greatest sermon is not written in his sermon note but on the pages of his daily walk with men. Our Christ-like nature should be the greatest selling point in the harvest field for souls. Many people don't really need to listen to our elongated and cleverly-fabricated words before they decide for Christ. Talk is truly cheap but the walk of a genuine believer can unveil the gospel and its simplicity to sinners seamlessly.
Unfortunately, there are many companions of St. Francis in the church today. These people do not understand that the walk (character) is much more important than the talk (sermon). Despite their big titles and positions in the kingdom, they have many terrible character flaws capable of chasing unbelievers away from the narrow path. They display some negative anointing like pride, anger, unforgiveness, arrogance, hatred while carrying the Bible to go and preach to their unbelieving neighbours and friends. The resultant outcome of those preaching engagements may be quite easy to predict! Unbelievers will make mockery of those hypocritical preachers and their sermons.
"We are the Bibles the world is reading;
We are the Creeds the world is needing;
We are the Sermons the world is heeding" - Evangelist Billy Graham
Beloved, what gospel is your life preaching to everyone around you? Is your life preaching /publishing the gospel of anger, pride, greed, unforgiveness, arrogance, deceit, lies etc ? Or you are a living epistle of Christ's love, mercy and compassion to the dying world? Are you walking the talk or are you an hypocrite? Can unbelievers read the gospel of Christ in your life? I urge you to prayerfully meditate on this powerful poem below and trust God to make you a living epistle of Christ till He returns.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO YOU By Arthur McPhee
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Are read by more than a few,
But the one that is most read and commented on
Is the gospel according to you.
You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day
By the things that you do and the words that you say,
Men read what you write, whether faithless or true,
Say, what is the gospel according to you'
Do men read His truth and His love in your life,
Or has yours been too full of malice and strife'
Does your life speak of evil, or does it ring true'
Say, what is the gospel according to you'
It is my prayer that every companion of St. Francis of Assisi in the church today will realise that their lifestyle, actions, characters may send many unbelievers to Hell. May God have mercy on His church and restore all backsliders and hypocrites in the kingdom. May all believers become true beacons of light with their Christ-like characters to the dying souls around them in Jesus name, Amen.
Good day and God bless you.
Maranatha!
Bro. Okanlawon Taiwo
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