The story is told of a preacher who was preaching in an old fashioned tent revival. During the revival, a couple young men decided to harass the preacher, in the hopes that he would pack up and leave town. So one night after the preacher had started his sermon, one of the young men stood up and asked, "Hey preacher! What's the difference between a preacher and a fool?" Without missing a beat, the preacher responded by saying, "You two come up here and stand beside me a moment and I think the audience can see the difference." It wasn't the preacher who packed up and left.
Of course we can get a chuckle out of a story like that, but hindering the gospel is no laughing matter. And while we may never stand up and so rudely attempt to impede the preaching of the gospel, we may be guilty of hindering it in other, more subtle ways. For example, consider the following....
Do you think you're helping or hindering when you miss worship services, fail to attend Bible classes, criticize the preacher, the elders and song leader for their weekly "performance" and fail to financially give to the work of the church? Do you think you're helping or hindering when you whisper and gossip about others in the church family?
We hinder the gospel when what we do fails to match what we say. When we claim to follow Christ but allow our actions to betray our words, a watching world scoffs at the gospel, and rightly so. When we claim to have been transformed by God’s grace but live as if God has made no change at all, we cause others to heap contempt on the gospel.
These are but a few of the ways that Christians hinder the gospel of Christ. Surely, Satan is having a "field day" with many professing Christians. Brethren, "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ" (Philippians 1:27).
Realistically speaking, WE Christians are the greatest hindrance to the gospel. Thankfully, God is in charge and not us! The Bible assures us that nothing and no person is able to hinder the gospel. It tells us to place our confidence in the God whose plans cannot be stopped. Our lack of confidence in the gospel, our indifference to it, and our unfaithfulness in spreading it, cannot truly hinder the work of God. God reigns supreme over all things, all actions and HIS purpose cannot be stopped or dulled by our failings.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” (Daniel 4:34b-35)
