Seeing a Living and Functioning Sermon: Christians and Their Lifestyle

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny him with their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” --- Anonymous

Our day-to-day life, the words we say, our conduct, and actions all reveal who we are to the world. A Christian can never be blank. He or she is either a blot or a blessing. What we say and do will either strengthen or impede the spiritual growth of our fellow believers. Further, non-believers will judge what Christianity is all about by observing us. A popular quote goes… “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” This quote says a lot. It is food for thought and self-examination for every Christian.

“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:2 & 3 NIV)

Our very lives as men and women in Christ are an eloquent letter that all could read. The letter imagery is further developed and explained by Paul. This letter is not a human document recorded in ink on papyrus. Nor is it a divine composition, such as the Decalogue, engraved on inanimate tablets of stone. Rather, the letter is authored by Christ and written by the Spirit of the living God, on living and sensitive human hearts.

“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” (1 Thessalonians 4:7 NIV).

Believers called by God have been inducted into a holy life. They now belong to a community with values different from those of the heathen. The standards set forth for a life of holiness are God-given; hence rejecting them would amount to rejecting God.

 “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way” (Romans 14:13 NIV).

“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9 NIV).

Many people don’t bother to read the Bible, attend church services, Christian fellowships, or conferences to hear sermons. But they cannot avoid seeing the sermons we exhibit with our lifestyles since we are bound to come in contact with each other in our social and other activities of life. Although a tenderized tongue is imperative in the life of a Christian (James 3:1-7), they will notice our sermons more intensely in our activities and not in our speeches. Our entire lifestyle is a sermon to them. Our dealings speak volumes for Christians too. If our behaviors are contrary to what we say, it can easily jeopardize the spiritual life of those with weaker faith. Therefore restraints and spiritual discernment are needed in many areas of our lives for their sake.

2 Corinthians 6:3-10 contains a profound account of apostolic hardships. As an ambassador for Christ, Paul was determined not to put a stumbling block in anyone's path at any cost lest the ministry should incur discredit. Various accusations were leveled against Paul. Given the success of his ministry and the jealousy of others, it was sort of inevitable. Paul’s concern was that such charges be totally without foundation, that no "minister of reconciliation" be guilty of inconsistent or dishonest conduct, and that no hold be given to adversaries who wished to malign the Gospel. This is because Paul understood that the life of the Christian minister is the most eloquent advertisement for the Gospel. 

“If I were not an atheist, I would believe in a God who would choose to save people on the basis of the totality of their lives and not the pattern of their words. I think he would prefer an honest and righteous atheist to a TV preacher whose every word is God, God, God, and whose every deed is foul, foul, foul.” --- Isaac Asimov

When you are involved in God’s ministry as a pastor, a youth leader, a missionary, an evangelist, or a preacher, many Christians will be looking up to you for encouragement and inspiration. In addition to hearing you preach, they will also see your sermons as you go about your other daily normal chores. Even as parents, our own children are among those watching our daily sermons… our conduct and our speeches, displayed live before their very eyes. 

Bob Lewis tells the story of a Christian woman who owned two prize-winning chickens. One afternoon, the chickens managed to escape from her yard and get into her neighbor's garden. The neighbor, who was known for his foul temper, captured both birds, wrung their necks, and then threw the carcasses across the fence back into his Christian neighbor's yard. The woman was understandably hurt and considered giving her neighbor a piece of her mind. Instead, she took the birds home and made two chicken pot pies. She took one pie to her neighbor and then apologized for not watching her chickens more closely. The man was speechless. The chicken pot pie, coupled with an apology, filled him with such a sense of shame that his whole life began to change.

Christians say one thing but do another thing. Who would believe that their religion is the only true religion? There are lots of people out there who would rather see a sermon, not hear a sermon. Non-Christians don’t go to church or read the Bible. They only watch how Christians live their daily lives. Always bear in mind that the proof of the genuineness of our faith and our religion is found not in written characters but in human characters. 

Throughout the Bible, we find that we as Christians have been compared to many things. We have been compared to branches. We have been compared to salt. We have been compared to lights. We have even been compared to sheep. In 2 Corinthians 3:2 & 3, we are compared to epistles. An epistle is a letter. You and I are epistles, or letters written with the spirit of the living God.  Letters carry messages. You are a letter. Let the world read Jesus in you.

Selie Visa