"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." -Romans 10:17.
Faith in Jesus Christ, and Christ alone; that is the way of salvation (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). As believers, we understand that apart from receiving the atoning work done by Jesus on the cross, no one can be saved.
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." - from Is.64:6.
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." -John 3:18.
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." -Rom. 3:10.
"But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." -Gal. 3:22.
Yet it was from a long time ago that I observed a fundamental shift in the presentation of the gospel. It was a shift away from the promotion of Christ, and toward church attendance. Back in the 1970s, I can remember witnessing as a teen. The emphasis was on salvation through Christ, above and beyond all else. It is truly wonderful to know how God's love reaches to all people, regardless of social standing. The scriptures confirm this focus;
"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father... But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." -John 4:21,23,24.
But the focus now has become CHURCH. You will hear inquiries of, and invitations to church, but seldom of anything else. This means, of course, a church organization which meets in a building; not the Biblically referred to church, which is the spiritual body of Christ. If while speaking, a person reveals that they are a Christian, the response usually is, "What church do you go to?"
In our day, this "shift" in emphasis makes perfect sense. As we head toward a worldwide single religion, you can readily get members of different "faiths" to agree on church attendance as important (Though the non-Christians may not refer to their place of worship as a "church."). Due to such a shift in practice, the blessed name of Jesus Christ usually gets left behind.
Many think that the way they live will be sufficient testimony; this is lie from Satan! The Bible refutes this type of reasoning. Now, I am not saying that a person's life is not an evidence; it always will be, and should be. "Faith without works is dead." - James 2:14-26. "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness" -from Matthew 25:30. But the name of Jesus must be lifted up in the literal, vocal sense.
Think of the problematic inferrences from the philosophy, "I don't preach to people; I let them see how I live." 1) You are promoting a works-type salvation (Eph. 2:8,9; Titus 3:5,6). 2) You are proudly promoting yourself ( Luke 18:13,14; I Cor. 10:12). 3) Perhaps most important, you are denying Christ by neglect of the incredible atoning work that He did ( Rom. 5:8,9; I Cor. 3:11). 4) You are showing the unimportance of Jesus in your life, the one that you call "Lord"; people always talk about what is important to them (Luke 6:45,46).
Ultimately, it is the SCRIPTURE that will speak to the importance of vocalization. Bold or italicized type has been added for emphasis of the point;
"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." -Rom. 10:8-11.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?... So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." -Rom. 10:13,14,17.
Pretty conclusive, isn't it? Brethren, I say these things not especially to condemn you, but to "provoke" you unto good works! PRAY for a greater infilling of the Holy Spirit. Pray for opportunities to share, and the wisdom of words. Also, "try the spirits" to see whether or not they be from the Lord. Church promotion should be a low priority; I can guarantee you that churches are filled with many souls on their way to eternal damnation. God is looking at the inward parts, not the outward behavior (I Sam. 16:7).
Start making it a priority to speak up for the Lord that you claim to love.
"Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." See Matthew 7:21-25.
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