Does Your Life Point People to the Cross—or Away from It?

   

 Have you ever stopped and realized that you just might be the only connection a person might have with Christianity? Your life and your actions maybe the only bible that people get to read. Your conversations maybe the only time they hear someone who says they believe in Jesus. 

    We often think of sharing the Gospel as a specific event—a presentation, a tract, or a sermon. But the Apostle Paul suggests that our daily "walk" is just as powerful as our "talk". How we live, the things we say, and how we spend our time are not just personal choices; they have eternal value. The way we act, talk and behave has a great impact on our ability to share the gospel? Our attitudes and behaviors greatly impacts how a person will receive the gospel we preach

    In fact, the stakes are incredibly high. A 2023 Gallup poll found that trust in religious institutions has reached an all-time low, with only 32% of Americans expressing a "great deal" of confidence in the church. 

    The reason? Often, it is because the world sees a disconnect between the message we preach and the lives we live. When our actions don’t match our words, the Gospel message becomes "muddled and ineffective".

Walking in Wisdom

    Paul’s goal for the church in Colossae was for them to be outward-focused. He wanted them to stop fighting over things that didn't matter and start focusing on reaching their community. To do this, he gave them a specific set of instructions on how to behave "toward those on the outside".  Even though these instructions were written over 2000 years ago, they are still applicable for us today. 

"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." Colossians 4:5-6 (ESV)

The Anatomy of a Witness

Paul identifies four specific ways we can ensure our lives are a clear bridge to Christ rather than a barrier.

• Mindful Living: Paul isn't asking us to be fake, but to be "mindful" of our choices. This might mean standing against a culture that applauds things we know are wrong, or guarding our reputation so we don't ruin our testimony. We so often live our lives absent of the reality that we are to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). If we want our lives to be a witness we need to stop compartmentalizing our faith and realize what we do throughout the week matters just as much (if not more) than what we do on Sunday. So we need to be mindful of the activities we are involved in, and the conversations we have. 

• Redeeming the Time: Time is the one thing we can’t get back. Paul tells us to "make the best use of it" by looking for "gospel opportunities" in our daily routines—at work, with friends, and with family. We need to remember that there are still people who we know who do not know Jesus Christ. We need to urgently strive to make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel that we are given. 

• Gracious Speech: Our words should be spoken in love. It doesn’t matter if you are quoting Scripture; if it isn't spoken with compassion and the other person's best interest in mind, it loses its power. Sometimes we speak just to prove we are "right," but truth without love is void of Christ. We can stand firm on scripture and still be loving. We don't have to compromise the scriptures to speak the truth in love.

• Seasoned with Truth: While we must be loving, we cannot avoid the truth to stay "popular". Think of a doctor with great bedside manners: if he is kind but refuses to tell you the truth about your diagnosis, he isn't actually helping you . We must be biblical and honest about sin, even as we love the sinner. We must not hide the fact that our sin, all of our sin has a wage that must be paid (Romans 6:23). The good news (that Jesus Christ died for our sins) is only good news when you understand the bad news (that all of us are sinners and deserving the wrath of God in a place called Hell) . 

Why Your Consistency Matters

    We often treat our time as if it is infinite, but for someone in your circle, your interaction today might be the "appointed time" for them to hear the truth.

    If we want to be effective witnesses, we must be people of both Grace and Truth. If we have all grace but no truth, we aren't being helpful. If we have all truth but no grace, we are just being loud.

    Paul’s passion was that everyone would come to know Jesus. He understood that the most important factor in sharing the Gospel is prayer, but the second most important is letting your life be a witness.

    As you step out into your week, remember that you are walking among "outsiders" who are watching how you handle stress, how you treat your coworkers, and how you speak about others.

Is your life "seasoned" enough with the love of Christ that it makes others thirsty for the Truth?

How would your conversations change tomorrow if you treated every interaction as a "gospel opportunity" that might not come again?

As you reflect on your daily "walk," which of the four areas Paul mentions—mindful living, time, grace, or truth—do you find the most challenging to balance in your current workplace or social circle?