One of my
favourite Christian singers came to my town to perform at a music festival.
I’d seen him in concert three times back in the 1980s and I had eight of his
albums, so I was excited at the chance to see him again. He gave a wonderful
performance and I stood in line afterwards so he could sign the two CDs I’d recently
bought. He signed one of them, but when I tried to hand him the second one, he
just looked down at the CD and looked back up at me with a fairly neutral
expression—not smiling, not scowling, just ... nothing. I took that to mean
that he wasn’t going to sign it, so I smiled weakly and left the queue. I was
SO disappointed. He wasn’t the friendly, approachable artist I thought he’d be.
The example
I’ve given is fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. Maybe I caught him on
a bad day or he’d been told there was only time to sign one item for each
person. However, we sometimes hear of prominent Christians who have had a more
significant fall from grace. It could be moral issues, addictions, the lure of
money or even issues that involve criminal charges. How do we react as readers
or listeners of their material? Does it change how we feel about their body of
work and their ministry? And perhaps more importantly, what lessons can we
learn for our own creative enterprises and ministries?
The
Hypocrisy Factor
Although we
are all sinners and any of us can fail, God does expect us to pursue
righteousness and follow his paths so that our words match our actions. For
example, James 2:14–17 reminds us that it’s no use telling someone to ‘stay
warm and well fed’ if we don’t provide for their needs. Faith without works is
dead. Jesus also rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and told the people
not to ‘do what they do, for they do not practise what they preach’ (Matthew
23:3).
As writers,
words are our currency. We use them to tell others about the things God has
laid on our hearts. Some of us write overtly Christian material, such as
devotionals, theology books or Bible study materials, books on Christian
living, memoirs that tell of what God has done in our lives or novels that
share the message of God’s love. Others might not include overtly Christian
material in their books, but they are still writing from a Christian worldview
and infusing their books with godly values and perspectives.
But here’s
a sobering thought. We can write the most magnificent prose, we can win
prestigious awards, our books might be flying off the shelves, but readers
aren’t just looking at our words. They’re looking at our lives. Do our words
match the lives we are living?
It’s Not
Me, It’s Them!
It’s easy
to point the finger at Christians who haven’t measured up to our expectations. How could they do something like that? That
would never happen to us.
But here’s
the thing. They’re human and so are we. The Apostle Peter never dreamed that he
would deny Christ until he did. Jesus is the only perfect person who has ever
lived. All of us are sinners saved by grace, and we’ll continue to make
mistakes (sometimes huge ones) while we’re on earth. But God still wants
imperfect you and me to partner with Him in advancing His Kingdom. As the
Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:19-20a:
‘God was
reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against
them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are
therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through
us.’
So how can
we be intentional about living a life worthy of the gospel we are proclaiming?
Living as Christ’s Ambassadors
Who Gets
the Glory?
Always
remember that God is the one who has given us our gifts and talents. We can
certainly hone those gifts and talents, but we can’t do anything for God’s Kingdom
in our own strength. Are we pointing people to Christ or claiming the glory for
ourselves?
Good
Stewardship
God is the
giver of gifts, and He wants us to be good stewards of the things He has given.
Are we using our creative gifts for His glory? This doesn’t necessarily mean
that we will write overtly Christian material, as some of us are called to have
a voice in the mainstream marketplace. But whatever our calling, we should do a
stocktake every now and then to see if we are making the best use of our gifts.
Resisting
the Enemy
Satan is not
happy that any of us want to write for God’s glory. He’ll put obstacles in our
way, he’ll put temptations across our paths and he’ll attack our efforts at
every turn. We need not fear him, because Jesus has defeated him on the cross,
but we do need to be aware of his schemes and resist him. Some of the following
strategies can help in this regard.
Devotional Life
Are we
spending regular time in God’s word and prayer? It’s hard, if not impossible,
to minister to others if we’re not being nourished ourselves. God’s word is our
life blood and prayer is our lifeline. Let’s never neglect these essential
disciplines. The health of the words we write is intricately entwined with the health
of our devotional lives.
Fellowship
Some people
are involved in ministries that are run by particular churches or Christian
organisations, but writers are sometimes seen as a separate category. Aren’t
they just doing their own thing? While our writing may often be done alone, we
still need to be connected to other Christians. As we’re reminded in Hebrews
10:24–25, ‘let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good
deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but
encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching’.
Accountability
Ministers
and missionaries are usually accountable to a separate body such as a church
board or missionary organisation. If we see our writing as a ministry, we
should also take accountability seriously. Seek out trusted and godly friends
or mentors with whom you can be honest. Share your triumphs and struggles with them.
Ask them to pray for you and give them permission to ask the hard questions if
they see you going off track. Don’t just ask people to pray for your upcoming
book event, but also for your heart attitude and for those whom God will touch
through your words.
Repentance
and Forgiveness
When we do
make mistakes, which we’ll inevitably do from time to time, keep short accounts
with God. He has promised to forgive us when we genuinely repent of our actions.
Depending on the circumstance, it may also be necessary to apologise to others
we have wronged or make restitution in some way.
Power of
the Holy Spirit
Praise God
that we have the gift of the Holy Spirit and we can draw on His insight,
strength and power rather than our own. If God has called us to write for Him, He will empower us and partner with us to achieve His purposes. Let’s always
rely on Him.
This is not
an exhaustive list. What things help you to represent Christ through your
writing? I’d love to hear your examples.
Credits
All scripture references are from the New International Version of the Bible.
Featured photo from Pexels on Pixabay.
Author Bio
Nola Lorraine loves weaving words
of faith, courage and hope. She has had more than 150 short pieces published,
including fiction, memoir, devotions, and poetry. Her inspirational novel
Scattered
was a finalist in the 2021 CALEB Awards. Her devotional book
Comfort Zone
was published in 2025, with
No Standing Zone to follow in 2026. She also
loves helping other authors through
The Write Flourish—a freelance
writing and editing business she and her husband Tim have run since 2013.
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