I recently found myself thinking back to my sophomore year of college. That year I moved out of my parent’s house and into the dorm of my Bible College. I was rooming with some old friends and soon made new ones that would become more like brothers to me. The friendships that developed during that first year are still ones I hold in high regard today. We did a lot of things that would make for great stories and embarrassing retellings. We still come to tears sometimes when we relive some of those moments and revisit the actions that easily could have gotten us kicked out of school. The girls we chased after, the stupid pranks we pulled, and the lack of attention to hygiene were all indications that for many of us it was the first time living away from parents. But it was all in good fun and it was a great way to keep our minds off of the homework we were procrastinating.
But one day in particular stands out in my mind. It was the day before classes started and like me, many were moving in and setting up their would-be home for the semester. I met someone who would become a close friend and future roommate. As we talked for the first time he began to share to gospel with me. In my head I began laughing thinking about the absurdity of someone not only sharing the gospel with someone who has been in church their entire life, but also that we were both at a Bible College. We would all poke fun at him for such actions when we retold the stories, but we always considered him a good friend.
Years later I would find him to be a roommate of mine and we often would laugh at the retelling of his evangelism on campus. One day, however, he finally offered an answer for his actions. He said straight faced, “I just didn’t think there was anything else worth talking about.”
The thought was never on evangelism, it was never about converting people, there was just nothing that captured his attention and thoughts like the gospel. He was overcome by the transforming power of the words of Christ. I think about the words of Paul in Romans chapter one: “So for my part I am eager to preach the gospel to you who are in [the church in] Rome.” Paul here is adamant about preaching the gospel to the church, the very people who are already saved. The power of the gospel when it consumes us is transforming not only to conversion, but also is renovating the believer every day.
Are we overtaken by the gospel? Is the church at a place where we so treasure the transforming power and nature of Christ that is permeates from our every action? Or do we show the gospel has changed us at all? At the end of the day I find myself asking whether the gospel is transforming me and making me more like Christ, or do I carry it as if it were nothing more than an accessory to my life?
When I saw my friend walk up to me and tell me about Jesus I didn’t realize that he was doing this because his mind was being overcome by the love of Christ; I didn’t know that he was driven by the only thing that offered him joy, the only thing that gave him purpose.
