How to Share the Gospel with Integrity: Two Halves of a Whole {Part 2: Practical Integrity}

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” Colossians 2:6 {ESV}

In the first part of this article we walked through some simple practical ways to be prepared to be the feet of the Good News especially in effective communication.  I called this ‘Integral Practice’.

However this preparation is incomplete because sadly, the eternally changing, radically transforming power of the Gospel is easily lost in our lives.  This often translates to a dullness that strips us of the fullness that we are intended to know, first and foremost for ourselves, SO THAT we might compellingly live and speak the message.

So the second essential I am calling ‘Practical Integrity’.   

Integrity is defined as  The state or quality of being entire or complete; wholeness; entireness; unbroken state.

As we prepare to express the words necessary to clearly explain the Gospel, we also seek the wholeness the Gospel brings to every area of our lives.  We pursue the completion of ourselves through its truth.  We allow the light of the Gospel to illumine our hearts, lives, our very selves.  Thus we receive the healing from our brokenness.

So, how do we pursue this practical integrity that sees us emanating the life-giving truth we long to share in every way?

Meditate on the Gospel :  We train our hearts towards what Christ has done for us.  We allow His forgiveness to become the standard of our lives.  We make much of Him in our hearts by combatting the lies, doubt and fear about who we really are through embracing again, and again, and again and again the truth of our wholeness through the complete righteousness of Christ given to us for all eternity.  We become so familiar with ‘preaching the Gospel to ourselves’ {Jack Miller} that when we are NOT doing this, it feels very wrong and so we return to gospel-rooted life.

Live the Gospel where it is hardest:  This most often means the applying the radical forgiveness we have received to those who have hurt us.  Often, our greatest hurts are from family or other close relationships.  We can easily allow roots of bitterness and hardness to form which are in stark contrast to the Gospel love that constantly flows to us through the work of Christ.  We all need to make it a discipline to search our hearts for any way we are not being true to the Great Love we have received.  As we are convicted we confess to the Lord and if necessary the other. 

Share the Gospel at all times:  The famous quote “preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words” {attributed to St. Francis of Assisi} is lovely truth and I agree!  However, as anything, it can be distorted and somehow justify not sharing with our words.  It is a confusing world and there’s lots of universal grace that tickles ears and love that does the same.  

But Jesus?   Full of Grace and Truth?  Not so much. 

So, it is important to have our interactions and communication with others be seasoned with Him. His Gospel becomes so much a part of our self-talk, our relationship lifelines, that it naturally spills forth.  We share the Gospel that changes because it IS changing US.  We allow the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the face of Christ to become what we behold and therefore readily reflect.  We spill forth the love we are receiving to encourage anyone we can.  Sometimes we are lifting up a brother or sister and other times we are showing a non-believer what life can be.

We ooze Gospel.  Jesus in us.  His life.  His Name.  It’s all throughout us and in us and flows out of us in its inability to be contained, meant to be shared for it is the essence of the message.

 Life given for the world.

 Life sent to the world.

Life meant to transform the world.

About Abby

Abby is a small-town loving, big city adventurer.  She and her husband have worked with high school students most of their lives!  Since their internship in Budapest, Hungary in 2005-2006, they have been working with the ministry of CRU.  In May of this year, they moved to Hungary answering God's call to work long-term with the students of Central and Eastern Europe.  Abby loves to laugh, especially at herself, has a passion for God and making Him known and is ever learning how to do that with three small children, ages 5, 3 and one month.  She wouldn't trade the journey for anything!  She blogs regularly at Fan the Flame   

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