Loud Life

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”
Albert Schweitzer

“The tongue is but three inches long, yet it can kill a man six feet high.”
Japanese Proverb

“Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises because it spends nothing in its performance.”
Edmund Burke

“The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere.”
Anne Morrow Lindbergh

“Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right.”
Ezra Taft Benson

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
Frederick Douglass

“Love is not just looking at each other, it’s looking in the same direction.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“We cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20, ESV). And yet... many are speaking. Few are heard. Let us be honest. Christians talk a lot. We have podcasts, pulpits, playlists, and pews. But as anyone who has shared the Gospel knows, the world is not always listening. Sometimes, that is because of hardened hearts. But other times, it is because of our own self-sabotage. Our lives scream so loud, no one can hear the message. So what exactly are the things that destroy our witness? What sins, attitudes, or habits flip the spiritual mute button and make people say: “I cannot take you seriously”? If we want to reach a lost world, we have to stop sending mixed signals.

Blurred Lines, Blurred Gospel
Let us face it—there are times when Christians are their own worst enemy when it comes to evangelism. We pray for open doors, rehearse our testimony, invite people to church, and then sabotage it all with a lifestyle that whispers—or sometimes shouts—“I don’t really believe what I say I believe.” It is one thing to share the gospel, but it is another thing entirely to live it in such a way that people can hear you before you speak. Or to put it more pointedly: if people cannot see Christ in you, they probably will not listen when you talk about Him. This is not a new problem. It is a recurring theme throughout Scripture. God has always been concerned not just with what His people say, but how they live. Our witness is not merely what we preach, it is what we practice.

The Power—and Fragility—of a Witness
The Greek word for witness in Acts 1:8 is martys, the root of our English word martyr. Originally, it meant “one who testifies.” Eventually, it came to describe those who testified at the cost of their lives. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses...” (Acts 1:8, ESV). This is not a suggestion. It is not a volunteer position. It is a mandate. Witnessing is not reserved for extroverts, pastors, or Instagram influencers. It is the baseline for every believer. But our witness is fragile. It is not fragile in power—but in consistency. A single lapse in character can wreck ten years of testimony. That is not legalism; it is a reality. The world may not understand theology, but they absolutely understand hypocrisy.

The Great Christian Mute Button
“So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:28, ESV). Nothing repels people from Christianity faster than a Christian who is fake. Jesus reserved His strongest words for religious leaders who preached one thing but lived another. Whitewashed tombs, He called them. Pretty on the outside, but dead on the inside. And let’s not pretend this is only a Pharisee problem. It is a human problem. We all have the temptation to appear holier than we are. To post the verse but hide the vice. To correct others while covering our own sin. And yes, the world is watching. Always. When we talk about grace but live gracelessly...When we preach forgiveness but hold grudges...When we post about purity but flirt with compromise... The message becomes noise. And unbelievers do not just reject us—they reject the Christ we claim to follow. Do not advertise a Gospel you do not actually live. People are looking for authenticity, not religious theater.

Loose Lips and Toxic Tongues
“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:10, ESV). Oh yes, the tongue. Small instrument, massive damage. Scripture says it is a fire (James 3:6). A restless evil. Capable of destroying relationships, reputations, and yes, our witness. You cannot evangelize effectively if your words are full of gossip, sarcasm, slander, or constant criticism. Your message of hope is instantly undermined when you sound more like a TMZ host than a Spirit- filled believer. And it is not just what we say in person. It is what we post, comment, and share. Social media has made it far too easy to wreck your credibility with a few clicks. Just one cruel post, and people stop listening. If your mouth (or keyboard) is not under the Spirit’s control, neither is your witness. Blessing and cursing do not mix well in Gospel communication.

Love Missing in Action
“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35, ESV). Here is the mark. Jesus did not say the world will know us by our theology, our worship style, or our political leanings. He said: “by your love.” So where is the love? Far too often, Christian circles are just as divided, hateful, tribal, and cancel-happy as the rest of the culture. We devour one another over secondary issues. We nitpick others’ flaws and call it “discernment.” We tolerate bitterness, envy, and arrogance while singing songs about grace. The watching world sees the infighting, the backbiting, the stone-throwing, and they shrug. “Why should I listen to you about love, peace, and forgiveness? You cannot even love each other.” The Gospel is believable when love is visible. Otherwise, it is just words.

The Elephant in the Sanctuary
“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed...” (1 Corinthians 5:11, ESV). Paul did not hold back. Neither should we. You cannot live in open, ongoing sin and expect your witness to have power. Grace is never an excuse to trample God’s standards. And if people see us indulging in the very things we call them to repent from, they will not see hope, they will see hypocrisy. Sin is subtle. It seduces. It desensitizes. But it also destroys our effectiveness. Not because God cannot use broken people (He always does), but because people naturally doubt a message that is not backed up by the messenger’s life. And let’s be clear: we are all sinners, saved by grace. Not one of us can say there is no sin in our lives. But there’s a difference between struggling with sin and snuggling with it. Unconfessed, unaddressed sin dulls your light. And a dim light does not lead anyone home.

The Stealth Assassin of Influence
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18, ESV). Spiritual pride is often cloaked in religious language. It looks like boldness but smells like arrogance. And while it may impress some, it repels most. The Gospel is a message of humility. It says: “I was dead, but Jesus gave me life.” When pride enters the picture, we twist the narrative into something about our performance, our holiness, or our superiority. That is not the Gospel. That is moralism. People are not drawn to puffed-up perfection. They are drawn to honest humility. To someone who says, “I do not have it all together, but I know the One who does.” Arrogance builds walls. Humility opens doors. And humility makes the Gospel look good.

Closed-Heart Christianity
“In passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things” (Romans 2:1, ESV). Ah, finger-pointing. Yes, we must call sin what it is. But Scripture is equally clear: if we judge others harshly while excusing ourselves, we lose credibility. Fast. There is a way to confront sin that reflects Christ’s character. And there is a way to do it that reflects the Pharisees. The former draws people to repentance. The latter pushes them into rebellion. If people feel like Christianity is a club for the morally superior rather than a hospital for the spiritually sick, we have missed the point. Lead with truth, but wrap it in grace. Otherwise, the world will only hear condemnation.

Blending in and Dimming Down
“Do not love the world or the things in the world” (1 John 2:15, ESV). The more we resemble the culture, the less we influence it. You cannot win the world by imitating it. You win the world by offering something better. Something eternal. Something the world cannot give. If your lifestyle, entertainment choices, priorities, speech, and values look exactly like the culture’s, people will assume your faith is either shallow or fictional. Jesus said we are salt and light (Matthew 5:13–14). Both stand out. Salt preserves by being different. Light shines by being distinct. There is no such thing as a stealth Christian. If your faith does not challenge the culture, your witness will not change it.

Fighting in Front of the Children
“There is quarreling among you... Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:11–13, ESV). Imagine inviting someone to dinner, and then your family breaks into a shouting match before the appetizers. That is what many unbelievers experience when they step into church drama. Doctrinal fights. Personality clashes. Power struggles. Ministry turf wars. The Church is called to unity, not uniformity, but we have often settled for factions over fellowship. Jesus prayed that we would be “one,” so the world would believe (John 17:21). Unity is not just pleasant, it is powerful evangelism. Division is not just ugly, it is a turn-off to seekers. You cannot offer peace to the world if your church is a war zone.

Grace with a Catch
“But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:15, ESV). This one is difficult, but essential. If we preach a Gospel of radical forgiveness, but refuse to forgive others, we look like frauds. No one wants to hear about the grace of God from a person who holds grudges, rehashes old wounds, or keeps emotional scorecards. Forgiveness is messy. It is costly. But it is also the heart of the Gospel. We were forgiven everything. So when we withhold forgiveness from others, we are not just sabotaging your witness, we are denying the very grace that saved us. Forgiven people forgive. Anything less is a contradiction.

Dear reader, being a witness is not about being perfect. It is about being honest, humble, and holy. It is not just about knowing the Gospel, it is about living it in a way that makes people lean in, not back away. “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders... Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:5–6, ESV). If your life is full of contradiction, your message will be full of confusion. But when your life reflects Christ, flawed but faithful, humble yet bold, your words carry weight. You will not have to shout. You will not have to argue. You will not have to go viral. People will see. They will hear. They will listen. Because your mic will be on, and your life will match the message.