Christ Community Church
Display, Defend, Declare
Sundays 930am 27 W. Genesee st. Clyde, NY
DISPLAY
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16
People in our life will be able to tell that we are Christians by our words and our behaviors. We will live in such way that the Gospel we preach behind our doors, will be evident and apparent beyond them.
The Gospel is not a private philosophy but the power of God that transforms lives (Romans 1:16). To display the Gospel means that our lives bear visible testimony to the grace of Christ. This is not moral self-improvement, such a thing can never be done. This is Spirit-empowered obedience which flows from and adorns our Doctrine. A husband loving his wife as Christ loved the Church, a worker laboring with integrity, a church gathering that pursues holiness and unity; all of these are windows through which the watching world sees the reality of Christ crucified and risen. We do not display the Gospel to draw attention to ourselves, but so that, as Jesus said, others may “see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
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Our lives, because of the work that Jesus Christ did within our heart independent of our own volition, will make the truth of God’s Word attractive and visible.
Displaying the Gospel does not mean putting on a show of outward religion, nor pretending to be more holy than we are. It means that in the ordinary, everyday details of life, the transforming grace of Christ; adopting children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) into His family by the means of the broken body and shed blood of His Son; is made evident.
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Displaying the Gospel is seen in the patience of a parent training their children, in the humility of an employee working with integrity, in the sacrificial love of a husband toward his wife, the submission of the wife towards her husband, and in the purity and gentleness of a young believer walking in a corrupt world.
These are not small things.
Jesus Himself said, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Our daily conduct, our words, our decisions, our behaviors, and how our beliefs manifest themselves into day by day actions, all serve as a living witness to the God who saves sinners.
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The world is watching. And when it sees Christians repenting quickly, forgiving generously, serving joyfully, and holding fast to the truth without bitterness or pride, it sees something that cannot be explained apart from a dead heart being brought back into God loving life by Jesus Christ.
Because we exist to Display the Gospel, it means that our homes & families; our friendships & hobbies; our work & money; our free time & gathering together, all become visible billboards of grace, pointing beyond us to the Cross.
