Preach This:

It was a rainy morning as I sat in the truck with a guy I work with. We sat parked on Hospital Hill talking while we waited to start the day. The windows fogged over as we watched for the first employee to arrive to let us in. It was good to spend time with him even if it was a brief moment.

Without breaking confidence I want to share a little bit about the guy without going into great detail. See, he had a “relationship” with a gal. That gal happens to be married still. “In the process of divorce” he tells me. Then there is another man she lives with, “But they’re not together,” he adds. On top of it she lives in another state. She came up to visit one time. Shortly after her arrival back home she called to inform him of her pregnancy.

That’s as far as I want to go into his life. As you can tell by just reading the brief synopsis his life plays out like a story in far too many young men’s lives. He meets a girl. The girl has issues. He has issues. They fall in lust and another child is brought into the world out of wedlock and in poverty. Not your typical ingredients for success.

But here’s my point; here’s what I want to talk about. You see, I sat there wondering what to say. Should I remain silent? Should I listen and say nothing further? Should I rebuke him and tell call him an idiot for falling into a trap set by himself?

I’ve talked to him on numerous occasions about the road he is headed down; this time however he really done it. He’s been kicked out of his residence, he has no money, he fights with this woman constantly, she has drug problems, she is controlling, he tells her so – you know, same old story when two people put their clothes on and realize that they don’t have much in common with the person they just had sex with.

The Paul in me wanted to lash out into a Corinthian-esque rebuke of Biblical proportions. I wanted to scream , “I TOLD YOU!” But in that moment I am reminded of what John MacArthur taught: We are not to preach morality but Jesus. We are not to talk about do’s and dont’s but rather the Gospel. We are not to give a list of wrongdoing and judge but rather talk about the One who can free the spirit: Jesus.

In a world where sin is ever snowballing and the end draws near, I must be reminded that I am to preach the Gospel message of freedom in Christ first, then discipleship second. How can I lead anyone to Jesus if first I give them a list of proper living? That’s not Christianity. Christianity is to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified. It is after one draws near to the Cross they find an inner drawing to live a life worthy of the call. But first, I know, the call must be made known.