How to show Christ – or, ‘When in Rome…’

We often remind ourselves that our lives are the only gospel that people in the world will see. We therefore make the most of every opportunity, honour God with everything we say and do; being a good witness.
But do we think the same when we are in church? Are we as careful to reveal Christ to one another on Sunday, or at house group or at any time during the week?
I have to be honest with you; I will not always reveal Christ to you as I should. There are times when you will see more of me than you will of Jesus, and as a result I may hurt or hinder you. I’m sorry if this happens because I don’t mean it.

To address this we have to be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that nothing is perfect yet. One day we will be (hallelujah!) but because we are becoming more like Christ and are not yet like him, we must realise that we are going to be in a church of bruised feet because we simply cannot help stepping on each others toes occasionally. This does not mean that we can stomp around the place; there is simply no excuse for this. But when two people start dancing together (ballroom style) they will occasionally step on each other, not maliciously but because they are not yet synchronised. This is done by accident but we still bear the marks of it and we must lean to respond to this correctly and not by knocking the other persons block off.

When Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome he suggested a way to live which will develop their faith, build the church and be a witness to those around them. We often apply his teaching to our lives in the workplace etc, but it also applies to how we live in the church.

We are not always going to get on (because I like things my way and I think I know best and when I realise that I don’t I get irritated) and we may step unintentionally on each others toes, but we need to know how to handle this is a way that reveals Christ and allows us, as well as the other person, to grow.
Paul’s ‘advise’ (although we’d be foolish not to view it as a command) is simple, occasionally difficult to implement, but in the end is transformationally impressive. Go on – try it out. Step outside of that box you have made for yourself or which people have put you in.

Paul’s advise on how to handle people when they ‘step on your toes’ in such a way as to give God the glory:
Be affectionate. (Rom 12:10)
Be prayerfully patient. (Rom 12:12)
Bless your persecutors. (Rom 12:14)
Be humble. (Rom 12:16)
Don’t take revenge. (Rom 12:19)
Defeat evil with good. (Rom 12:21)