How Do I Live Out the Gospel?
Pastor Thian Chye shares a practical example of how we can live out the gospel in this local body of Christ.
Over the past four weeks, we seem to be hearing the word “gospel” almost in every sermon as the pulpit ministry preaches through the Book of Galatians. I hope that by now, you are clear about the gospel of Jesus Christ! But the question we need to ask ourselves is: how does the gospel guide and shape the way I live each day or does it really matter? Afterall, I am already saved by the gospel!
As for me, I do struggle living out the gospel in my life. There seems to be a gap between the gospel and my life. If I am living out the gospel-centered life, then why am I finding myself to be fearing men or seeking their approval in the way I serve God and members? At times, I do receive unhelpful remarks or members expressing unhappiness with ministry related work and it does discourage my heart and causes me to doubt myself to the point where I am tempted to give up the ministry work that God has entrusted to me. As a result, service to God through His church becomes a burden rather than joy. As I reflected upon those situations, God in His mercy and grace directed me to His Word. It is also what Elder Eugene spoke about during last Sunday’s sermon on how one can be out of step with the Gospel in many ways. Galatians 2:20 (NLT) says,
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I realised that I have not been fully crucified with my Lord Jesus. I have kept some areas of my old self living in me, so much so that it is I who live and not Christ who lives in me. This results in me wanting to avoid any potential conflict that comes with standing firm in God’s truth. I want to be in control, I want to be praised and appreciated for my service, I desire approval from men and I fear men instead of God.
Apostle Paul, in his letter to the churches in Galatia said this, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Gal 1:10) Subsequently in Galatians 2:14, Paul recounted his opposal to Cephas—his fellow apostle—saying,
But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
Paul is an example of what it means to live out the gospel of Jesus Christ in service to God and His people. In humility and in repentance, I obey and submit to God, like Paul, to be crucified with Christ such that all my wants and desires of my old self are nailed together with my Lord Jesus at the cross. Unless my life is guided and shaped by the gospel, I will always struggle with what I'm constantly struggling with.
When we do this, we actually fall into a similar legalistic works-based salvation that Paul has been writing to the Galatians and warning them firmly about.
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (Gal 3:1-3)
When we base our relationship with God on what we do, our joy in serving God suffers. Serving God is burdensome because we are doing things in hopes to make our relationship better.
Instead of resting in the salvation that Jesus provides for us, we can get exhausted and bogged down with trying to be “good enough” for God. The truth is we will never be good enough when we try to follow the law. The truth is doing things does not make our relationship with God better.
Our relationship with God is based solely on what Christ has done for us on the cross. The gospel gives us joy, peace and satisfaction in God because we know that our salvation and adoption as His children is not dependent on what we have done. We rest secure knowing our identity and relationship with Him is certain because of Christ.
Here, I would also like to urge my fellow members to refrain from unedifying or unkind comments and words to those serving among us in church. God’s servants (such as elders, deacons, ministry and admin staff, CG leaders and anyone serving in GBC) do make mistakes and are not perfect and certainly will fall short of men’s expectations. However, it is by the enabling of the Spirit and the grace of God that they serve among us. If the gospel tells us that Christ loved us and died for us (Gal 2:20b), then likewise, we should love and embrace them as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, who are labouring for the Lord’s work. Our leaders’ service, despite all their weaknesses and imperfections, must not be viewed as a performance that we tend to assess by our human standards. Instead of being disappointed when things are not done according to our expectations, we should rally alongside them in prayer and show them Christ’s love in any practical ways possible so that their hearts may be encouraged and strengthened to serve God faithfully and zealously.
We need to care and support God’s servants as ministry work is often tough and challenging. As members of one another in this local body of Christ (GBC), we learn to speak words that bring encouragement and not discouragement, words that bring healing and not hurting and to speak God’s Word, the truth, to one another!
Let us live our life only according to the gospel of Christ and not any other gospel that we may cling to tightly according to our liking. May we serve alongside our leaders in partnership with the gospel so that others may come to know Christ through the gospel for the glory of God!
