Know Your Audience

In high school I was something of a leader in my home youth group. And I was a hell raiser. At church I was usually the good kid, leading discussion, asking question, even taught a time or two. But outside of church I kind of did what I wanted. My friends around me knew that I went to church, knew I called myself a Christian, yet I rolled with them in all sorts of evil and sin.

One night while at church I was playing with a lighter setting arm hair and stuff on fire and my youth minister pulled me aside and told me, “Know your audience,” then walked away. Well that definitely got me to stop playing with my lighter for that night.

Years later I was reading Romans, and those three words popped into my head.

Read Romans 2:17-24

I have a note in my bible from when I read that, really read it not just skimmed it over, but got into the text to see what Paul said, and what God was saying to me. The note says, “You do these things? Well do you do these as well? Gentiles sin because of you.”

Paul is writing specifically to the Jews in Rome in this chapter. And in this section of text he is going through all these things they take pride in doing.

“You rely on the law?

Brag about your relationship with God?

You know his will?

You’re a guide to the blind?

A light for those in the dark?

An instructor of the foolish?

A teacher of infants?

All because you have the Law?

“Well…

If you teach do you also teach yourself?

If you speak against stealing do you steal?

If you condemn sex outside of marriage do you still do it?

If you hate idols do you worship any?

Do you brag about having the law and yet break it?

“You are making people sin by your actions.”

Know your audience.

If you call yourself a Christian, do you act like Christ at all times?

If you say you died to sin, do you still purposefully sin?

If you say there is only one God and that you serve him, do you still serve yourself?

How do people around you look at you when you claim to be a Christian?

“Psh. You? A Christian? No way. You can’t be. The things you do and say. The way you act and treat others? If that’s what Christianity’s about I want nothing to do with it. I’ll keep doing things my way.”

Are you a stumbling block for others?

Do you cause others to sin?

You are constantly a witness, 24/7/365 and sometimes 366.

Know what you do, do everything with purpose.

Learn from the mistakes shown here in Romans, from my own life, and the lives around you.

I’m not telling you to be perfect, that’s impossible. But I am telling you to try your hardest to be like Christ.

Go this week, do all you can to be like Christ, and know your audience.