A good friend of mine in Inverness once suggested an evangelistic tool to me that he thought worked more than any other form of evangelism. He called it Lifestyle Evangelism.

Many Christians have a knack of making Christianity sound like the life you don’t want. This should not be. If we live and talk about our Christianity in a way that conveys it as a life of misery we are doing our Lord a disservice.

Do you give the impression that being a Christian is the best thing to be? Or do you speak as though God has dragged you kicking and screaming into the church and forced his morality upon you? That’s how the world often perceives Reformed theology. That is why Scottish Presbyterianism is painted as a sad bleak religion. This is not the picture our lives should paint.

Charles Spurgeon speaks about ‘soul-winning’. Thomas Boston (and Jesus) speaks of ‘man-fishing’. Both of these terms imply a desire to attract and lure men and women into the faith. The world, having met us should want to be converted!

In his new book, ‘The Me You Want To Be’, John Ortberg speaks of the Christian’s attitude to God and how we ought to desire God. He claims that we all have a ‘like-o-meter’ built in. Everything we are in contact with we rate from ‘I like – give me more’, to ‘I hate – I don’t want any ever again’. I wonder how the people we speak to about Christ rate us?

Obviously the gospel offends and some will hate us because of that. The more important question is where does the gospel register on our scale when we present it to others? Do you speak about Jesus as though He is the most important person in your life? Do you speak about God as though you love Him? As though He loves you? This affects the impression we give.

Here is the challenge for the Church in our day and generation. People genuinely know little about our faith. If we want them to want it then we need to make it sound good and look good. This is not difficult. The gospel is inherently good. We’re not trying to deceive anyone.

Drunkenness, sexual sin, lies, and every other sin – all these promise fun and freedom but bring misery and dissatisfaction. The devil promised good to Adam and Eve if they disobeyed but their disobedience brought death. The world continues to be deceived. What is the best way to show them the truth? It is the lifestyle of sincere, Bible believing, God-serving Christians.

Paul says we are living epistles, seen and read of all men. He doesn’t say that to frighten us into serving God better. He says it to encourage us to live out our faith so that we spread the good news. I saw a t-shirt the other day that said ‘you are the only Jesus that some people will ever meet’. That, sadly, could be true (in this world). How do you come across? Are you a soul-winner?

God’s law exists to convict us of sin. But it also shows humanity the best way to live. The way God wants us to live. If the world sees the Church obeying God’s law not as though it is a burden to us, but as the way we desire to live, then we will be soul-winners.

Isaiah speaks of this very thing when he tells Israel that the attitude they have towards the Sabbath is wrong and that the fourth commandment should be a delight to them (Isaiah 58:13). Our attitude to God’s law – to every command – will be far more winsome if it is positive.

Let’s worship God because He’s worthy. Let’s worship Him in the way He commands. Let’s be careful about the way we speak of our glorious God. Let’s call the Sabbath a delight. Let’s love and honour our parents. Let’s preserve life and never murder. Let’s be faithful to our spouses and avoid sexual sin. Let’s not take other people’s belongings. Let’s be satisfied with our lot in life and not envy others. Or as the saviour put it – “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27). If we seek to do this life will be better. That’s the message we wish to convey. Alistair Begg has a very good book on this called Pathway to Freedom. Real freedom and joy is found in following the paths of righteousness.

We can convey this attitude in every area of life. People should see us at work, school or university, in any group, club or society, wherever we socialise, mix and interact with others, and they should notice our faith. They should see our world-view is one where God exists, and Jesus is our Lord. We walk in his ways and love him in every context. They should see that being a Christian is a helpful and positive thing that impacts every part of life.

What do the Christians do on their good days? They praise God. What do the Christians do on their bad days? They seek God. The Christian life gives hope in all our struggles. They have joy in the Lord and walk in his ways.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.Matthew 5:16

This is what my friend called lifestyle evangelism. We have the greatest message to bring to the world. Jesus is the saviour for sinners. Let’s take it to the world positively, practically, joyfully, unashamedly and pray that God would bless our witness.