A Christian should always project what they profess to be otherwise you’re what the Greeks called “an actor” - a “hypocrite.”

 

                                                                FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

 

For today's editorial lesson I'm going to make use of a design scheme that I've used in the past and that is to use the message of one of our old hymns to make a spiritual point.  When you really consider it, our songs, hymns and spiritual songs are just sermons put to music.  When we join our voices in song worship we're not only offering praise to God, but we're preaching a message to each other at the same time. 

 

And, when someone leads us in prayer service, our hearts are joined with the prayer giver just as our voices are when we sing.  Having said that, my efforts today will be to see if I can connect some thoughts pertaining to those two worships, song and prayer, and see if we can't come up with a spiritual application.

 

The design of this lesson is to hopefully make us aware of how we, as Christians, should present ourselves to the world around us.  To see how we can set the right example and be of benefit to Christ and the Father.  And always keep this in mind, if you say that you're a Christian, the world is watching you.  They know what you say, but they're watching what you do.  A Christian should always project what they profess to be otherwise you're what the Greeks called "an actor" - a "hypocrite."

 

Before I get to the song I'm going to use today, I'm going to apply the thoughts on prayer and let that lead us into the song and it's message.  What I'm going to use about prayer comes from what I once heard a brother say as he was offering a congregational prayer during a Lord's Day service.

 

His words left such a profound impression on me that I immediately wrote them down so I wouldn't forget them.  He said, and I'm quoting verbatim, "We pray that those who don't know Christ will know Him through us."  Think about those words he spoke.  It's a statement that should cause us to be aware at all times as to how we present ourselves to others. 

 

You know, Christ spoke to that very nature of a Christian when He said that we are to be "a light to the world."  A "city set on a hill." (Matt. 5:14)   What that means is that we are to be conspicuous.  Something easily seen.  Think of it in the negative sense - if Christ can't be seen in the life of a Christian, then their claim of being one is simply a lie.  Like I mentioned earlier, the Greeks called these kinds of people "hypocrites."

 

This thought leads me into our song, but before we look at it I'm going to return to an earlier thought, that being the "world is watching us."  The reason why it's so important that we live what we profess is because much of the world doesn't read the Bible.  They never study to know the gospel.  But, even though they don't do those things, they will watch (read) what Christians do and will judge God's Word by their actions.  How we talk, live and behave.  Do we practice what we preach.  And never forget that we can be "conspicuous" either for or against Christ.

 

That brings us to the song I've chosen to illustrate our lesson today.  You may be familiar with it or this might be the first time you've seen the words of it.  It's title is simply "The World's Bible" and it's lyrics are so fitting to our thought here.  Read them with me:

 

    Christ has no hands but our hands, To do His work today.

    He has no feet but our feet, To lead men in His way.

    He has to tongue by our tongues, To tell men how He died.

    He has no help but our help, To bring them to His side.

 

    We are the only Bible, The careless world will read.

    We are the sinners' gospel, We are the scoffers' creed.

    We are the Lord's last message, Given in deed and word.

    What if the type is crooked, What if the print is blurred.

 

    What if our hands are busy, With other things than His?

    What if our feet are walking, Where sin's allurement is?

    What if our tongues are speaking, Of things His life would spurn?

    How can we hope to help Him, And welcome His return?

 

As we go through our lives, whether we realize it or not, we are preaching a sermon to the world.  And that's my point today is to make us realize that fact.  To make us always cognizant that our "sermon" can be an example to the world in two ways.  We're either promoting Christ or we're demoting Him.  He told us this Himself when he told His disciples "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." (Luke 11:23)

 

In today's parlance, we'd say "if you're not helping, you're hindering."  And, you know what else we need to be aware of here?  That there are no "maybe's."  You either are or you're not.  In respect of this thought, I like what John was told regarding the church at Laodicea when they were described as being "lukewarm" thus, they were rejected.  (Rev. 3:16)   In our equation here, "lukewarm" equals a "maybe."

 

The apostle John tells us that Christ is the "true Light" (John 1:9) and that He states "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."  (John 8:12) Christians are to be a reflection of that "Light."  And, as long as we are truly mirroring Christ, we're leading others out of "darkness."  But, should our "light" get dim or cease to reflect the "true Light," we've become a hindrance rather than a help to Him.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Ron Covey