Many Christians live by the St. Francis creed: “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” Unfortunately, that creed often leads us to a lazy lifestyle marked by half-hearted attempts just to be nice. Opening the door for the people at school, bringing Starbucks to the people at work, helping the people next door with their rubbish cans. Hoping that eventually they’ll figure out we’re Christians, and that will make them want to become Christians too.
The gospel cannot be preached without words! Nobody can learn about sin, judgment, mercy, grace, and redemption just from our actions, no matter how loving they might be. So when is the right time to use words? John Piper answers that question in this video (transcript here):
[youtube width=”625″ height=”380″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohmqk7lb0B0[/youtube]