It has been said that Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.” Whether or not he actually said those words, I do not know. More importantly, some people actually believe those words can guide a Christian’s life. Wrong.
While I understand the emphasis in that statement of living what we preach – walking the walk and not simply talking the talk, it is not a good statement to live by because it is not a biblical statement and not even possible to achieve.
Why? Well, because to preach the gospel requires words.
Yes, we must also walk the walk and live out what we preach, but without the words of the gospel, there is no “preaching of the gospel.” The gospel, simply put, is the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our salvation. While loving and serving others can be (and is) used by God to point others to Jesus, what will they actually understand without words accompanying the necessary actions of love?
By only witnessing a good example of kindness and generosity, can someone know enough to be saved from their sins and have eternal life? Does an act of service declare that we must repent of our sins and surrender our lives to Jesus Christ in order to be made right with God? Of course not.
Words are necessary.
On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching from Acts 2:1-41 on “The Mission of Our Purpose” (which should be available Sunday evening HERE). We must rely on the Lord to live out the mission He has for us – every single one of us, and words are part of that mission.
What is that mission, though? How can we know? The Bible tells us (Matthew 28:18-20; John 20:21; Acts 1:8) that our mission is to follow Jesus and help others follow Jesus. To do that requires both words and deeds. Loving kindness is necessary (see Jesus’ words in John 13:34-35), and the Word of Truth is necessary (see Romans 10:9-17).
Words are necessary.
Yes, let us always be sure to love others by our actions, but let us also realize that we must explain where such love comes from – that Jesus alone enables us to live the life He has called us to live and that He alone can take away our sins and make us right with God.
Preach the gospel, which will always require actions and words. To God be the glory!
DrakeCity 