When I was much younger, I considered myself quite the poet. I still like to write poetry although God’s grace has revealed to me that it is not as good as I once thought.
Saying this, have you ever had a work of art that you were proud of as a kid?
This can be a poem, a picture, a macaroni sculpture, etc.
I know I did. In my sixth grade English class I wrote a poem called, “Sitting on a Bench.”
It was a masterpiece in my mind. The work was absolutely the greatest piece of poetry in the human mind that would have my teacher’s heart enraptured with thoughts of God’s glory.
The one problem however?
It was hot trash.
“Sitting on a Bench” made no sense at all to anyone who read it- Except for me.
For a poem about Heaven, it’s theology was self-constructed. It’s form was sloppy. The thought that I had invested into it did not translate into anything coherent.
So when it was not favored above my classmates I was crushed.
I say all of this to make a point.
As we live with the title, “Ambassadors for Christ”, we must faithfully present the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In our lives, Christians might hold it high as the crowning achievement, yet disregard what it is Biblically and saturate it with our personality instead of allowing the person of Jesus Christ to speak by His Holy Spirit.
“Overdoing” the presentation of the Gospel is a very real reality. We are not to preach ourselves; but rather, preach the foundation that is already laid (1 Corinthians 3:11; 2 Corinthians 4:5).
Do not boast in your eloquence, boast in Christ’s excellence (1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 10:17).
Lastly, do not get discouraged in rejection. As Christians, we are to present the Gospel and it will be rejected by many. After all Paul teaches that,
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).”
Our job is to simply present the masterpiece of our faith, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and rest assured in the saving grace and power of it.
In fact it is not only a masterpiece, it is the standard and level of our faith!
So put aside our own glory and lean in the beauty of God’s Word!