How much does division of the Church hurt the Gospel?
I am not sure why you have said this. It's a little confusing.
I think it would be great if all believers would unite and share the Gospel. But sadly, many will not. They come up with all sorts of excuses so that they do not have to say it. If they do say the Gospel, it will be once every few years. To say it only once every few years does not seem as though the Gospel has brought much joy to the believer's heart.
Here are some excuses I hear:
-“Not all of us are called to share the Gospel.”
-“It’s not my gifting.”
-"I don't have the gift of evangelism"
-"We are all different parts of the body. My part is not the mouth"
-“It’s scary. I don’t want to be rejected.”
-“I don’t know enough Bible to answer questions.”
-“I don’t want to offend anyone.”
-“I’ll share by how I live, not by what I say.”
-“That’s the pastor’s/missionary’s job, not mine.”
-"We live in a post-Christian era, and so now it is better to share the Gospel by our deeds"
-“I’m too busy with work and family.”
-"I just run out of time to share the Gospel"
-“People won’t listen anyway.”
-“My faith is private.”
-“I don’t want to come across as judgmental.”
-“I’ll wait until I feel led by the Spirit.”
-“I’m still struggling with sin myself, so I shouldn’t talk to others.”
-“I’m too young/too old to do that.”
-“It’s illegal/frowned upon in my workplace or country.”
-“I don’t have the personality for it. I’m too shy.”
-“I’ll let my good deeds do the talking.”
-"Everyone has already heard the Gospel, so I do not need to say it"
-“I don’t want to ruin the relationship.”
-“It’s not the right time.”
-“I need to build more trust first.”
-"I'll wait until the Holy Spirit prompts me to share the Gospel"
-“I’m not good with words.”
-“Religion is a personal matter; I shouldn’t interfere.”
-“I’m waiting for them to ask me first.”
-“Evangelism feels pushy.”
-“I’ve tried before and failed.”
-“I’m too busy serving in other ways at church.”
-“It’s the Holy Spirit’s job, not mine.”
-“I don’t want to be labelled a fanatic.”
Division certainly hurts the witness of the church. Jesus Himself prayed in John 17 that we would be one so the world may believe. But honestly, one of the biggest sources of division is not so much denominational labels, but whether believers are actually obeying Jesus’ command to share the Gospel. That’s why I listed the common excuses. Some people might feel uncomfortable seeing their own reasoning exposed, but the goal isn’t to condemn; it’s to encourage self-reflection. If even one believer reads it and thinks, ‘I’ve been hiding behind excuses; I need to start sharing the Gospel more,’ then that’s a step toward greater unity in Christ’s mission.”
Great post! I agree that hospitality or good deeds are not the gospel. However, they do sometimes set the table for the gospel to be shared sometimes in the future, and I think you will agree are very important in some cases.
Yes. Hospitality and good deeds can create an opportunity in the future to share the Gospel. Our deeds can also be a witness to our character, and this can then bring glory to God.
Hospitality and good deeds give credibility to what we say. So, they are a witness. And we can either be a good or a bad witness.
If we do bad things, our word becomes compromised, and people will be less likely to believe what we say. The opposite of this is when we act in love; this will lend credibility to our word. For example, in a court of law, if you have 2 people with conflicting testimonies, one is a prostitute, and the other is a doctor. The doctor is the one most people would believe, as his word is not compromised by his deeds, like the prostitute's. He is a good witness.
So, your actions validate what you believe, and then, when you do say the Gospel, people will be more likely to believe what you say.
But when doing good deeds, we must not forget to share the Gospel. We need to share the Gospel by speaking it. Our good deeds are not the power of God unto salvation. They only give us an opportunity to share, and they give our words credibility. Then, when we do say the Gospel, it will give glory to God.
Another example. If I were talking to someone downtown and a passerby heard me use God's name as a curse word, that would not be very good. Then, if I were to go to a park a few days after this and say the Gospel to that same passerby, my words that I say have been tainted because of my previous conduct. He would think to himself, "This fuller does not even truly believe himself because he uses his own God's name as a curse word." So, I am therefore not a good witness. My actions did not bring Glory to God. Instead, they were a disgrace. Our actions substantiate our words. Therefore, bringing Glory to God.
So, love our neighbour by caring for their needs. But also, love them enough to warn them of the condemnation that they are under. It would be unloving to know of God, everlasting life, Judgement, death and the way out, and then not to tell people of it. Love by deed and word.
