How personal integrity opens doors for the gospel.

Note: This month I’m posting a series of devotional thoughts from Acts. Many of these are reposts, some are new. I’m “working out the kinks” for submission to a compilation of short, pastoral writings in Acts to be published later this year. If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments, please let me know!

“You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me….After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.” From Acts 24:11-18

Paul would go on to share the Gospel with political leaders all the way up the Roman food chain. In fact the rest of Acts was the unfolding story of his transfer from prison to prison, and the great expansion of the gospel through his forced travels. In this time he also wrote some of the fantastic books we have in the New Testament.

None of that would have happened had Paul not been living a life above reproach. It was the condition of integrity that confused all the leaders who didn’t know what to do with this unique prisoner. Had ANY of the serious charges against Paul actually proven to be true, I imagine he could have been handed over to death, or to his opponents, or at least left rotting in a Jerusalem prison without having shared the Gospel with any of the important Roman leaders.

The point is this: We need to watch our lives carefully, and live beyond reproach.

I don’t want to do anything that could come back around to compromise the presentation of the Gospel. As long as I live in such a way that nobody can rightfully accuse me of anything and nothing can stick to me, the Word of God has room to live through me.

As Peter says, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” This sounds like a life above reproach; it’s the kind of life I want to display.