Have you ever heard the statement, “Preach the gospel all the time and if needed, use words”?

There are two things to remember about this: 1) St. Francis of Assisi never said it, even though he is often claimed to have; and 2) the main point of the statement is that too often we only talk about the gospel, but don’t live the gospel.

No one will ever be able to know about Jesus and the good news of His saving work on the cross without us telling them in words about it. We need to use salt and grace to always be able to speak the good news to others; we also need to listen to what they have to say and in love and conviction tell them about Jesus. Jesus offers forgiveness of sin to redeem our lives in the here and now, as well as to provide for our future resurrection life in heaven with Him. As Paul wrote using words in his Letter to the Romans, 10:14: “How can they believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how can they hear unless someone proclaims him? And who will go to tell them unless he is sent?” We must be able to use words to explain the gospel (and listen to the words of those to whom we are explaining it).

But a very clear point of the misquoted statement above is that we must not only speak and tell with words but must live it out through our deeds and lives. This is very clear throughout the New Testament, James makes this very clear and succinct:

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Living out Jesus’ Kingdom every day and in every way is what this is all about. The statement we started with resonates to us and it’s worth seeing how this applies to the way we all each live out our faith.

Do we merely tell or talk—or do we live and walk?