Surely we’ve all heard the quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi encouraging believers to “Preach the gospel daily, use words when necessary.”
It turns out that there is no record of St. Francis ever making that statement. In fact, since Francis was a member of a preaching order, he probably would have disagreed with a “zip your lip” kind of Christianity –but that’s not the point.
The point is that this quotation is accompanied by a call to live out a gospel lifestyle (which is good), but plays down the importance of a verbal proclamation (which is bad).
To make the case that verbal proclamation of the gospel is unnecessary betrays scripture. Consider Romans 10:14-15: “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
To believe that a silent witness is sufficient for fulfilling the great commission is like a parent believing that if their 16 year old just watches them long enough, they will figure out how to drive without needing any verbal help. Would you want to ride along during that kind of training?
I totally agree that our lifestyles must be so saturated with the gospel that when we verbalize the message, our lives validate it –and not the opposite.
But, when evangelizing and discipling others, we must realize that example, and instruction work together. “Teachable moments,” after all, are only as effective as the message is communicated.