People are reading your book

In the first century the Gospel was not something read in a Bible, or listened to on the radio or TV. The Gospel was read in the lives of those who were followers of Jesus. Every follower of Jesus revealed to those they came in contact with something about God and something about the values, priorities and life of Jesus. The Gospel came to people in the flesh and blood, the words, attitudes and actions of those who were following the risen Savior.

One of the earliest writings about the Gospel was the letters to the church in Corinth. In 2 Corinthians Paul was defending his apostleship against the accusation that he was not really an apostle. He told the Corinthian believers that they were his letter of recommendation, that every time someone looked at them they could ‘read’ what Paul had taught and how Paul had lived.

The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This "letter" is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
(2 Corinthians 3:2-3 NLT)

Today, every follower of Jesus reveals something about God and theology. Every follower also reveals something about the values, priorities and ways of Jesus. Is your ‘book’ telling the truth? When someone reads your life do they read truth about who God is and what God is like? When someone reads the ‘book’ of your life, are they getting the truth about Jesus’ priorities, values and ways or are they reading a lie?

Paul continually encouraged people to follow him. He wrote:
You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1 NLT)

Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:9 NLT)

Paul wrote these words with confidence because his ‘book’ was telling the truth.

Is your ‘book’ telling the truth?