Viji Roberts is an Evangelist. He lives in Toronto, Canada
The popular narrative is that we are to live our lives and share our faith.
That is, we are to go about living our lives while looking for opportunities to share our faith. This makes for a very self- satisfying life; and the sharing of faith merely transactional.
However, we need to switch it around for it to be biblical and empowering. It is then when we begin to bless others with our lives, as they see us live out our faith.
What does it mean to share our lives?
It means to remind ourselves constantly that we are mere stewards of this life. It means to look to Jesus as our role model and example. Our Lord shared his life and likewise we are to share our lives by giving of ourselves. The best examples of what I refer to are not that of David Livingstone or other one-way-missionaries. These shared their lives with those living in the ends of the world as they took the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ. They shared their entire lives, as they packed their belongings in coffins and left for the unknown with no hope of return to their earthly homes. These lives are stellar. We may at best be like David's 30 mighty warriors who were unable to 'achieve unto the three' [2 Samuel 23].
The best examples that's relatable to our ordinary lives, well at least to mine, are lives that are shared with their neighbours, colleagues, gym partners. A faithful life that is lived as if their eternal souls mattered. That's the challenge for me and for you -- that is if you allow me to include you.
What of faith? What does it mean to live our faith?
Faith is not intended merely to be a courier package ready for delivery. It is not merely an evangelism project that's still left unfinished 2000 years in. We are called to be more than spiritual FedEx couriers of the gospel. We are not to be couriers who deliver packages that neither benefit from it nor are transformed by it. That should never be us!
Faith then is living. We live it because we trust it and because it has transformed us. We are both witnesses and testaments of this faith. The package has been opened by the courier and its contents sampled. We are like Jonathan whose eyes were brightened on tasting honey [1 Sam. 14:27]. We have tasted the good faith that is barred and detested by the world that refutes it.
The impact and the influence of this lived out biblical faith, is now believable, acceptable and ready for delivery.
When we merely serve as couriers of faith without being ambassadors of the Christ of our faith, we abet in proclaiming a false gospel.
True faith insists that the truths gleaned from Scriptures must first transform me the messenger. Its effect must first be made visible in me, during the week, at home, at work and at social settings before I will find the satisfaction of seeing communities impacted by this living faith.
The jury has spoken.
Christian, we are being indicted by the communities we are called to impact for selfishly living our lives and antiseptically sharing our faith, if at all.
This article appeared in the April 2019 publication of Harvest Times.
Kind Permission taken from HARVEST TIMES FOR YOUR FAMILY, GLS MUMBAI, INDIA