Preach the Gospel, Use Words...........
Ezekiel 36: 21
But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.
22Therefore say unto the house of Israel , thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel , but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.
23And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
24For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.
25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
28And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
29I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
30And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.
31Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.
32Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel .
We are sinful in nature. The Bible makes it clear that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Most of the time, our own selfishness and pride makes us behave in ways that bring shame and bad consequences on us. However, there are often times when we, as Christians, fall into a situation where God’s name is at stake. A situation where the underlying premise of those who may be against us is that our God is being humiliated, by proxy.
I have friends who seem, on a worldly level, to be so much better than me in charctaer and disposition. They do good works and seldom loose their temper. Thye are sacrifinign of their time and money to help others. They treat their colleagues very well and aid their friends selflessly. Yet they cannot and will not, accept that they are sinners in need of grace, in need of salvation. It is a mystery. How do we share the gospel with them? How does God make Himslef known to them, when we, his followers, are no where as “good” as we should be, and may actually be behaving in a way that is inimical to the gospel?
The passage today tells us that it is not our actions but that God is sovereign. In the context of Ezekiel 36, the chosen people are Israel . They have been so disobedient to God that they lost it all. Their homes were destroyed and they were carried away to Babylon as captives. This resulted in their shame. Who would then serve their God?
Would someone who sees you at school, or in the office or work place want to serve your God? Want to know Jesus?
In this passage, God says that they were a chosen people. Just like us; “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light They carried God’s name. And God cares for His Name” 1 Peter 1:9.
Despite our failings, God still is sovereign, He will guard His name.
21But I had pity for mine holy name
23……….for mine holy name's sake
23And I will sanctify my great name
Often as Christians, our life ends up as a poor witness because we do not live, act or serve as we should. And we profane the Name of our God. Each of the verses above (21-23) ended up with God saying they had “profaned His Name”.
There is a saying, falsely attributed to Francis of Assisi, that goes something like this “Preach the gospel, if necessary, use words”.
This is the premise of lifestyle evangelism. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this will be the main determinant of whether communities can be won for Jesus. I have seen, on the mission field in India and Africa , better lifestyle and better services, given by adherents of other religions. The 2004 tsunami drew help from not just Christians but also Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. Medical and surgical services to the poor are much better funded by the god-men of India than by Christian missions.
It is essential therefore, that the gospel is actually shared or preached. Our lifestyle, while important, is not the determinant of whether a community will accept Christ. While we are working on our own character change in Christ, we are called to sahre the gospel. That is His sovereign will and plan for us. Bringing people to Christ is finally the work of the Holy Spirit. He will do it for His Name’s sake. All we are asked to do is share the gospel.
