The World is Watching A Sermon In Shoes

A middle-aged couple holding hands as they walk the streets of a small village in Maine may seem ordinary…normal. But in reality, it’s a miracle! Jesus rescued Taza and Cathy from lives of addiction and sin that almost destroyed their marriage. But God! Those two words turned the tide, completely transforming this couple who previously had quite a godless reputation. After their rescue from slavery to sin, a young man, still struggling with addiction, saw Taza and Cathy holding hands as they walked. He thought to himself, “Can they really be that happy?” He shared this story with Taza and Cathy when they began studying The Exchange Bible Study together. With joy Taza and Cathy share that this young man and his wife confessed Christ as Savior both continue to follow Jesus. It’s been seven years!

When Taza and Cathy embraced Jesus, He changed them. He changed their marriage, and their fellow villagers beheld this transformation. A middle-aged couple holding hands as they walk the streets became a sermon in shoes. Why? The world is watching. Who but God could take a marriage on the rocks and turn it into a walking testimony?

Their story has much to teach us. Those people in your life who live ungodly, sinful lives are NOT past the reach of God’s grace. So, Lesson One – share the gospel no matter how far past God’s redeeming grace your friend may seem. No one is too hard for God to reach.

Lesson Two – The world IS watching. Have you ever tried to share the gospel with someone who won’t turn to Jesus or even step foot through the doors of a church because some deacon, neighbor, co-worker, or pastor forgot that the world is watching? The sinful lifestyle and actions of a believer brought shame to the name of Christ. So, we pray with David “Let not those who hope in You be put to shame through me, O Lord God of hosts” (Psalm 69:6). When instructing those under the yoke of slavery to “regard their masters as worthy of honor,” Paul gives the alarming reason, “So that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled” (1 Timothy 6:1). Just as people can be drawn to Christ through our actions, a believer living a fleshly lifestyle can cause great damage to the name of Jesus.

Lesson Three – We may be that person who blew our testimony by walking away from God. Not only is no unbeliever past the grace of God, those of us who belong to Jesus can experience His grace and mercy. We must repent of sin, turn to God and be willing to apologize for our actions to those we have wronged. Oh, the power of a humble apology! Let’s not let sinful actions go untouched.

Lesson Four – The young man who was drawn to Jesus through Taza and Cathy’s public example still needed to hear the gospel. Living a Spirit-filled life is vital, but we must also give a Spirit-filled gospel witness. We can’t let the passivity of simply living right but never sharing the truth slip into our lives. We need boldness to get out of our comfort zones, respond to the Spirit’s prompting and share the message of the gospel that transformed our lives.

May our transformed lives be sermons in shoes. “How are they to hear without someone preaching?…As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news” (Romans 10:15). Indeed, the world is watching.