Living a Life That Points to Christ

There's something powerful about a reputation that precedes you. Not the kind built on personal achievement or social status, but one forged through unwavering faith that transforms communities and echoes across distances.

Imagine a church so on fire for Jesus that word of their devotion spread throughout the entire known world. No social media. No viral videos. Just authentic, radical faith that couldn't be contained. This was the church at Rome in the first century—a community of believers whose commitment to Christ was so evident that people hundreds of miles away were talking about it.

Their faith wasn't quiet or private. It stirred up entire cities. It caused controversy. It made people take notice. In fact, their witness was so bold that Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome in AD 49, unable to distinguish between traditional Judaism and this new movement of people proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. The believers' voices were simply too loud, their conviction too strong, their transformation too visible to ignore.

This raises an uncomfortable question for those of us who follow Christ today: What is our reputation? When people in our community think about our church, what comes to mind? Do they see a group of people genuinely transformed by the love of God, or just another building on the corner?

The Power of Persistent Prayer
The Apostle Paul, writing from Corinth to believers he had never met, made a remarkable statement: "God is my witness...without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers." Think about that. Paul was praying constantly for people he had never laid eyes on. He invoked God as his witness—the one being in the universe who cannot lie—to verify the truth of his claim.

This challenges us deeply. Do we pray for one another with that kind of consistency? Not just the quick "bless them, Lord" prayers, but genuine, sustained intercession? Do we pray for the people on our church prayer list? What about those not on the list—the struggling family member, the difficult coworker, the neighbor going through a crisis?

Prayer isn't just a religious duty; it's the lifeline of the Christian community. When we pray for one another, we're holding the rope for those descending into the deepest pits of life. Missionary William Carey, facing overwhelming discouragement as he prepared to sail to India, told his friends: "I will go down into the deepest pit itself if you will hold the rope."
That's what we do for each other through prayer. We hold the rope. We anchor one another to the throne of grace when life threatens to pull us under.

The "If God Wills" Life
Paul desperately wanted to visit the Roman believers, but he always qualified his plans with a crucial phrase: "if God wills." He understood what James would later write so clearly: "You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

There's an old saying: "If you want to make God laugh, make a plan." Our lives are vapor, here one moment and gone the next. This isn't meant to paralyze us with uncertainty but to humble us with reality. We make plans, set goals, and look toward the future—but always with open hands, recognizing that our days are numbered by Someone far wiser than ourselves.

"If the Lord wills" isn't fatalism; it's faith. It's acknowledging that God's plans are better than ours, even when His path leads through valleys we'd never choose to walk.

Paul did eventually make it to Rome, but not as he planned. He arrived in chains, a prisoner being transported for trial. He ended up in a Roman prison, where Emperor Nero would eventually execute him. God's will looked vastly different from Paul's vision, yet it was precisely where God wanted him.

The Gift of Mutual Encouragement
One of the most beautiful aspects of Christian community is how encouragement flows in multiple directions. Paul wrote that he longed to visit Rome "that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you—that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine."

Even the great Apostle Paul needed encouragement. He needed to see faithful believers pressing on. He needed their stories, their testimonies, their presence.

When we gather as believers, something supernatural happens. We're not just attending an event; we're participating in a divine exchange of strength. Your presence encourages someone who's struggling. Your testimony strengthens someone who's doubting. Your faithfulness inspires someone who's weary.

Think about the person who has every reason to stay home but shows up anyway—the elderly saint who makes the effort despite physical limitations, the single parent juggling impossible schedules, the person battling depression who gets out of bed and comes to worship. These people are living sermons, preaching hope without words.

The Harvest That Matters Most
Paul expressed his desire to "reap some harvest" among the Roman believers. He was talking about souls—people coming to saving faith in Jesus Christ. There's no joy quite like seeing someone's life transformed by the gospel, watching them move from death to life, from darkness to light.

Yet research shows that 99% of Christians who claim to be born again never lead anyone to Christ. This statistic should break our hearts. Jesus gave us one final command before ascending to heaven: "Go into all the world and make disciples." This wasn't a suggestion for the spiritually elite; it was a commission for every follower of Christ.

Making disciples means more than just getting someone to pray a prayer. It means walking alongside them, showing them how to follow Jesus, sharing how God works in your life, and helping them mature in their faith. It's investing in transformation, not just conversion.
Are we eager to see harvest in our communities? Do we long to see drug addicts set free, alcoholics delivered, broken families restored, and lost souls found? Or have we become comfortable with our holy huddles, content to keep the good news to ourselves?

A Life That Speaks
The church at Rome had a faith "proclaimed in all the world." Their lives were megaphones for the gospel. They didn't need marketing strategies or publicity campaigns. Their transformed lives, their bold witness, and their unwavering commitment to Christ did all the talking.

What if we lived that way? What if our faith was so authentic, so vibrant, so life-changing that our communities couldn't help but notice? What if we prayed for each other with Paul's persistence, encouraged one another with genuine love, surrendered our plans to God's will, and actively pursued the harvest of souls around us?

The call hasn't changed since the first century. We're still created to praise God. We're still commanded to make disciples. We're still called to be the light of the world.

The question is: Will our faith be famous for the right reasons?