When we live by becoming the gospel, we are living to complement the gospel. We are living in a way that our conduct will reflect well on it. If we are working somewhere, we need to live in such a way that people will think well of the business because they think well of us. They note that we are honest, patient, and serving them in a way that is in their best interest. We may have a hateful boss, but most people never deal with the person at the top of the company. Therefore, you can cause them to think well of him because of the way you have treated them. Your actions complement the boss. Our actions either complement the gospel or repel people from it.
In Philippians 1:27, Paul says our conversation, which translates to conduct, is to become, meaning to act appropriately, to complement the gospel of Christ. How we act, what we say, the way we dress, and the places we go are all a reflection on the God we serve. There is nothing about us that can be exempt from reflecting on our God.
Philippians 1:27 “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”
We become the gospel when we are honest and treat people with respect. If we want them to listen to us and have a witness with them, we must show them respect. God created all of us equal. No one is better than anyone else in His eyes. He prefers no color of skin, no financial status, no educational status. Still, once we are saved, we are to act in a way that distinguishes us from those who are living in a worldly fashion for themselves. When we ask Jesus into our hearts, we are to live for Him. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, and whatever we do, say, or think, we are dragging Him into it.
Our ultimate desire should be to glorify God in all we do. We are to be honest and put away lying. One of the Ten Commandments is to tell the truth. Lying removes the trust others have in you. If you are a Christian and they can’t trust you, it will be hard for a lost person to trust God.
Ephesians 4:25 “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.”
We are not to allow our anger to cause us to sin. Throwing tantrums like a child, yelling, and cursing are not to be part of a Christians behavior. Luke 6:35 teaches us to love our enemies. While all of us may have problems from time to time with this, we should feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit, repent, and use the power of the Holy Spirit not to do it again. In Luke 6:36, we are to be merciful to them.
Ephesians 4:26 “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:”
Luke 6:35-36 “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
We are not to steal; we are to work for what we have. Do not pick up things at work and take them home when you did not pay for them. Ephesians 4:28 says that working with his hands is a good thing. When doing so, we will have funds to help others.
Ephesians 4:28 “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needed.”
Ephesians 4:29-32 teaches us that our speech should be edifying, not tearing down others. We must confess and forsake bitterness, anger, disorderly conduct, or speaking evil of others. As if he had missed something, he concludes verse 31 with all malice. In other words, nothing wrong or evil should come from us. When it does, we grieve the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.
Ephesians 4:29-31 “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.”
When we are under the influence of the gospel, we will be more concerned for others than ourselves. It will cause us to be kind to each other, we will be tenderhearted, and we will have compassion on those who are suffering in any way. We WILL forgive one another. An unforgiving heart goes against the core of our God. It goes against what He exhibited to us, and if we want to be forgiven, it is not an option to forgive others as He has forgiven us. It is simple: if you want forgiveness, you must forgive. I have had people tell me they can not forgive someone. To this I say, God will never command you to do something that He will not empower you to do. It is your own stubbornness and high opinion of yourself that leads you to see people as unworthy of your forgiveness.
Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Matthew 6:15 “but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Living so that our lives are becoming to the gospel gives the church, our God, and our families a good reputation. It allows us to die without regrets. Our families will not be ashamed of us, but most of all, we can stand before God one day and hear Him say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23)
