Combat Sin By Preaching The Gospel

The past few months have been absolutely incredible because of the opportunities that God has given me to present his truth to others. These past couple weeks in particular have been unique because of how God has allowed me to see the truth of the gospel more clearly in the midst of my own sin, and through conversations I’ve had with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. A common theme that I’ve seen among many of my brothers in Christ is the thought of not leading ‘the’ Christian life, and therefore not feeling worthy to share the gospel with others. They are fearful that the person being ministered to will perceive hypocrisy and thus be turned away from the gospel. They put up a screen of superficiality that prohibits others from seeing their true self. This type of falsehood doesn’t only prevent evangelistic encounters, but it also prevents the prospect of truly intimate relationships with fellow believers. Why is it that we too often try to present ourselves as perfect Christians who have it all together? That’s a lie and therefore a sin towards God.

I am by no means taking my self away from this specific sin, but I rejoice in the hope of confronting this sin through the truth of the gospel. I had some guys over for dinner at my house this past week, and it was abundantly clear that many of us desire to share with others the joy that can be found in Christ, but we are hindered because of our perceived-sinful status. We tell ourselves that we must get to point ‘x’ on the holiness scale before someone will listen to how Christ has changed our lives. I think that one of the best ways to get over the fear of being known is to frequently reveal your true self to others. Tell others of your sin and let them know that you still struggle with sin but you are no longer marked by that identity.

My evangelism professor often told us, ‘If you’re ever feeling down, go out and tell someone about Jesus.’ This is so true. Think about a witness encounter that you’ve recently had… How did you feel during and after the encounter? Don’t think about the argument that you had or how sufficient or insufficient your own words were. But think about the fulfillment that you had. Did you feel God’s pleasure in what you were doing? Every time I present the gospel to someone I feel simultaneously my own insufficiency to change someone else’s heart and the true fulfillment that comes from Christ. I feel the pleasure of God. As the Scotsman Eric Liddle felt God’s pleasure when he was running, we too should feel God’s pleasure when we present his truth to those who don’t know him.

Think about the apostle Paul, the best missionary who ever lived. Nothing allowed him to feel the pleasure of God more than the opportunity to present Christ to others. Here’s my favorite passage in the book of Acts that so eloquently describes how Paul sought the pleasure of God.

“And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” ~ Acts 20:22-24

Paul eagerly sought the pleasure of God, and his previous sin is greater than much of our own. Paul, the great persecutor-turned-missionary could have had reason to keep Christ to himself, but he chose to speak even amidst his sinful past. In fact, the book of Galatians tells us that his sinful past contributed more powerfully to his testimony of the gospel. So let us not prevent others from enjoying the pleasures of Christ out of our own self-imposed false humility, but let us present Christ as the redeemer that He is. One of the best ways to combat sin is to meditate on Christ’s redemption. Part of meditating on Christ is presenting him to others, so let us all preach the gospel in order to overcome our own sinfulness. When we do this, the spark of Christ that exists in our hearts will feed on the infinite glory of God and become a flame that will never be quenched.