MEDALS OF FAITH: Living in a way that adds luster to the Gospel (Part 1)

Broken Chains


He must have been quite a sight --

Naked under the desert sun...

Cut and bleeding...

Smeared with dirt and body fluids...

A noxious cloud of odor surrounding him that would turn the stomach of anyone who dared to draw near...

Shouting at everyone (but at no one in particular) as he stumbled through the parallel universe in his mind...

Gashing his flesh again and again with the stones that he gripped in his gnarled fingers...

Roaming erratically among tombs filled with corpses, perhaps with a shackle still jangling from his arm or leg.

The man's torment was unceasing and, while no chains could hold him, he was unquestionably bound -- bound to the point where even his identity as a human being had been subordinated by the dark minions of hell's prince.

On this day, though -- this Day of days in this man's miserable existence -- everything was about to change.

This was the day that the Son of God Himself, Jesus of Nazareth, would stare down the fiendish beings living within him, whose stratagems He knew all too well.

Jesus was about to command the ones who had taken possession both of this man's body and his soul to come out of him.

Jesus was about to consign them to a herd of ceremonially unclean swine where they could fulfill the agenda that was consistent with their nature -- to steal and kill and destroy.

Jesus was about to break the chains binding this man and to make him free, free indeed. Before another day dawned, this man who for years had been the byword for brokenness, was about to be made new.

According to the physician/Gospel writer named Luke, that's just what Jesus did...and in the aftermath of Christ's sovereign, gracious intervention in his life, the man was found "sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind" (Luke 8:35).

Those who had known him for years in his former condition "became frightened." Astonishingly, they "asked Him [Jesus] to depart from them" (verse 37). Jesus obliged them (what a tragic moment!) but not before giving the new man a new command:

"Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you" (verse 39).

Dr. Luke says the man did so. In my imagination, I hear him giving his testimony in words something like these: "I was bound, but not with humanly forged shackles and chains. You yourselves know that your hardware couldn't hold me. Rather, I was enchained in my soul, I was a slave in my spirit. But then Jesus came to me, and everything changed. I know Him now -- in fact, I sat at His feet -- and I'm here to tell you that whatever chains may be holding you, He can break them and make you free too. Will you let Him?"

And as incredible as it may have sounded to his hearers, they wouldn't be able to dispute him -- after all, the evidence was right there before them, plainly visible in his emancipated life. Surely if Jesus could unshackle him, He could unshackle them too.

Such is the power of a life that has been clearly transformed by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, I submit that "broken chains" are the first "medal of faith" that bears witness to the world about the reality of His presence and reign in our lives.

When you get right down to it, it's hard to argue with broken chains -- that is, with a soul that has been set free and a life that has been radically altered. Sure, some will be frightened by a dramatic change that forces them to reconsider their perceived superiority over one who was previously pitiful. They may even rue the presence of one who has found newness, because they themselves don't have it and aren't willing to seek it.

Still, though, a life that's been visibly changed can silence even the most bitter skeptics. This is especially true when that change is communicated with humility and love and not merely as religious rhetoric. Coupled with the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, it can convince people of their own urgent need to be set free by the Savior.

This raises a question: "What evidence of emancipation is present in our lives, that others can only attribute to the transforming work of the Son of God?"

Or, to be more personal, from what has God delivered you and me?

For some, it's the conditions we tend to think of immediately -- dependencies and addictions to alcohol, drugs, gambling, and various forms of sexual depravity.

But maybe none of those things seem to apply to you. Chains have other names, however. What about --

Greed...
Pride...
Hatred...
Bigotry...
Dishonesty...
Legalism...
Hypocrisy...
Lawlessness...
Laziness...
Fear...
Anger...
Selfishness?

Did some of these chains once hold you, till the Master came into your life and set you free? Probably, and they did me as well.

One thing is for sure: "...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

The Apostle Peter said, "...for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved" (2 Peter 2:19).

Therefore, all of us were enchained at some point by something incompatible with God's nature and with His loving desires for us. But the Good News is that, through Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave, the power of those chains has been broken. The Name of Jesus causes chains to snap and to fall away, freeing us to walk in newness of life.

The Apostle Paul said, "...as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

So, if you've turned from living in sin and been forgiven and changed by Christ, let your gratitude for what He has done "adorn, make attractive, and add luster" to the Gospel. Wear that medal openly and gladly.

Also, if you've never done so, consider "returning to your house" -- that is, to those who knew you best in your former condition --"and describing to them what great things God has done for you."

As you do, others may see it and dare to believe that He can change them too.

And as you do, you too will be "quite a sight" -- for good -- certainly in the eyes of God, and very likely in the eyes of some others.

More soon, including a video on this subject. Meanwhile, please consider whether someone you know might benefit from this blog, and let them know about it. And, by all means, sign in and give everyone the benefit of your comments.

Stay sharp,

Preston