Who’s the Biggest Sinner You Know?

My wife is daily a means of grace in my life.  She rarely realizes it, but the Lord has given her the uncanny ability to ask me the right questions at the right times as I think through various things.  I’m humbled when I think about this gracious gift from God.  That God sovereignly has placed us together so that we might together serve Him is increasingly clear and obvious.

Last night, as I was about to speak to a young man about the sin that had ensnared him, I was in a state of “righteous anger.”  At least, that’s what I told myself.  But honestly, I was really, really upset.  OK, fine.  If you must know, I was mad.  I was mad at this kid for living in a pattern of unrepentant sin.  I was mad that so many people had invested in his life, and yet he persisted in his flagrant rebellion.  I mean, time and time again this kid had been the recipient of prayer and counsel, but he still willfully chose to rebel against the Lord and live a life that has been focused entirely on what makes him happy.  (And I have never conducted my own life in that way.  I say this with a great deal of sarcasm.)

As a result of a series of events, I was about to get on the phone with this young man.  As I grabbed my phone and began to make my way toward the other end of the house, my wife said, “Matt, who’s the biggest sinner you know?”

Boom.

And that’s one of the many reasons I love my wife.

She was right, and that was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment to put things in their proper perspective.  And then so much of what the Lord has taught me over the past couple years came flooding back into my mind with a vengeance.  With just that question being posed, theology was unpacked and brought to bear on my heart. 

You see, all the things that angered me about this kid were, and often are, true of me to some degree.  For years and years and years, I’d wasted my life in selfish rebellion and pride.  Yet a gracious God was so merciful and patient with me, and instead of letting me continue to run from Him for the rest of my life, He kindly and lovingly waited and worked. 

This served to remind me of a few things.  First, who am I to decide who has had ample time and opportunity to get their life straightened out and who has not?  I am not the sovereign Lord of heaven.  And frankly, if the Lord had held me to the same standard that I would have held this young man to, I would have long ago been left for dead, spiritually speaking.  With a sovereign and omnipotent God, there is no lost cause.  There is no one beyond the reach of His powerful grace.

Second, as long as I have breath, there are battles that must be fought for the hearts, minds, and souls of others.  The gracious gospel of Christ must be preached, taught, and brought to bear on people’s hearts and minds.  It’s through His truth that the Spirit works, breaking wills and bringing individuals to repentance.  The gospel must inform who we are, what we do, and how we minister to others.

Third, we must fight for their hearts, showing them the glorious gospel of grace that we have already been recipients of.  We must be tireless.  We must be willing to be vulnerable, hurt, disappointed, and overwhelmed.  We must be willing to get down into the trenches and engage.  We must be willing to get dirty, grimy, and even bloody in this quest.  Ministry, as my friend Garry has said, is messy.  It gets on your shirt. 

The fight is on.

~ by Matt on January 11, 2009.