Modeling the Gospel Is Not Easy

    Yesterday was the child dedication service at my church and our pastor preached from John 17 when Jesus is praying in the garden for all those who will come to believe. Our pastor shared some beautiful truths from the passage on how we are created for union with God, created for glory and for more than this life, and that we are created for love. He gave us many things to think about, but something that really hit home for me is the importance of modeling the gospel to those around me, and especially to my children.
     What does it look like to model the gospel? Our pastor encouraged us to look at all the "one another verses" in Scripture as a guide to modeling the gospel and union with God. Some examples are:

     Romans 12:10-"Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."

     2 Corinthians 13:12-"Greet one another with a holy kiss."

     1 Thessalonians 4:18-"Therefore encourage one another with these words."

    John 15:12-"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

   Galatians 6:2-"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

    Ephesians 5:21-"Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."

    1 Peter 4:9-"Show hospitality to one another without grumbling"

    Ephesians 4:32-"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

    James 5:16-"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

    James 5:9-"Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door."

    2 Corinthians 13:11-"Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."

    Colossians  3:13-"bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive"

    I could go on and on, but I want you to keep reading, so I will stop there. As I look at these verses, I am able to extract the following ways to model the gospel:

• Love one another like family-be kind
• Greet others with an affection that reflects the love of God
• Encourage others instead of tearing them down
• Bear each other's burdens-get in the mess of life with people
• Submit to the authorities in your life
• Show hospitality
• Be quick to give forgiveness
• Confess your sins to those you have sinned against and seek forgiveness
• Pray for others
• Don't grumble about others
• Seek restoration and peace with the body of Christ

    I feel that I have a few of these things down-like hospitality and showing affection to others; but there are other areas where I fall seriously short-like confessing my sins, not grumbling, and not being quick to forgive. I was reminded yesterday, that my mission field is my children and that I need to model the gospel to them daily. Our pastor reminded us as parents that the most powerful thing we can bring to our children is our transformed and transforming presence. I need to be present with my children so that they can see how God's work in my life has transformed my heart and how God continues to transforming me into the person he wants me to be.
    I have been convicted that the model I am presenting to my children is not a model that brings honor and glory to God. When I complain about people in my life, I am modeling grumbling and disunity (I think I made up a word there, but I am going with it). When my children do something wrong and my response is, "I forgive you, but..." I am modeling that forgiveness has conditions. When I sin against my children and do not seek forgiveness from them, I am modeling that confession and forgiveness are not that important. When I yell at my kids because I am frustrated, I am not modeling the love Jesus has for me. When I don't take the time to greet my children, I am modeling that it is not important to show each other affection.
    Today I am thankful for God's grace that picks me up and gives me the courage and power to keep trying. It is not easy to model the gospel; the gospel is in contradiction to our human nature. Our sinful nature says to be selfish, while the gospel says to be self-sacrificing. My first instinct when I sin against my children is to just gloss over it because I want them to fear and respect me; the transforming power of the Spirit in my heart urges me to seek forgiveness and to model how we are all in need of a savior. It is a weighty burden to model the gospel to others, but the transforming work of the Spirit in our lives is the greatest witness that someone can see.  Today be challenged, encouraged, and empowered to model the gospel; it's hard, but worth it!