Romans 1:15-16 “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
Today we look at a fairly well known verse that reminds us how we should think and be when it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord! Yesterday we were reminded of the importance of DOING for God, and today we look at something every single Christian is very well capable of doing for Him: preaching the gospel of Jesus!
I remember growing up and being told by many Christians, “I’m not called to be an evangelist. So I don’t have to witness to others or tell others about Jesus.” I tell you, I probably heard that from about 90% of all those whom I would ask whether they mentioned Jesus to this or that person, or ask if they would like some tracts that I had, to help them reach out to others. The truth of the matter though is that we are ALL called to witness. Nowhere in the Word of God does it say that in order to tell someone about Jesus we must have a special “evangelist calling” on our lives, or even that we must have God tell us specifically to witness to this or that person. Instead, every single morning when we rise up we should be asking God to guide our steps, give us the words to speak, and prepare the hearts of those who hear us so that we CAN witness to others. In addition to running into those who have the “blah mentality” like I mentioned yesterday, I also tend to run into those who believe God has to shove them everywhere they need to go, and give them special command to do things that He already gave us command to do in His Written Word! Again, I liken that to asking God whether we need to brush our teeth or not.
Remember though that I’m not saying we neglect God’s guidance and His preparing the hearts of those we speak to about His Son. I’m saying we should pray for such guidance and preparation in advance every day before we head out. We should pray, for God to guide us in the way He wants us to go as we walk throughout the day, instead of going nowhere and asking God to make the path before we even begin going and if we don’t see the path we won’t move.
Let’s face it . . . many Christians are very hesitant to talk to others about Jesus. It’s very unfortunate, and yet it’s seen mostly in the older Christians (not necessarily older physically, but also older Spiritually . . . oftentimes they’ve grown complacent). As a side-note I’d like to borrow a phrase that another brother of ours has often said, “Christians don’t ‘retire,’ we reFIRE!” In other words, no matter how old or how long you’ve known Christ Jesus, you never reach a point in your life where you decide you can retire and just relax and do nothing but “enjoy the golden years.” We retire from working for God the day we enter into Heaven! Not a moment earlier.
Looking at today’s verse we see something that we must remember to do and have in our own lives, every day! We see a huge zeal and eagerness and love for telling others about Jesus and getting people into the Kingdom of Heaven! It’s like Mark Cahill writes in his book One Thing You Can’t Do In Heaven, many people have the wrong mindset when it comes to the Gospel. They have the thinking that “I have to witness” As though it’s a chore. Instead, it’s more rightly, “I get to witness!” It’s a privilege! It’s just like prayer: many see prayer as obligatory when in fact it’s a huge blessing and privilege to be able to have actual conversations with the very Creator of all things!
Paul was eager to preach the Gospel to those in Rome. We should be eager to preach the Gospel to those we see every day, at work or walking past us on the sidewalk, or wherever! And yes, I used the “p” word (preach), that the world has deemed to mean something bad. Preaching is another blessing, and it has nothing to do with beating someone up with words of condemnation, and everything to do with sharing news of what God has done for us, and for them!
I suppose the problem that occurs when Christians don’t want to tell others about Jesus, is that most are afraid of the response, or they assume they know “they won’t listen to me; it’ll just be a waste of time!” (Since when do you know the future, or are a higher authority than God Himself who says to do it?) I like to look at it this way . . . the Word of God tells us to treat others as we’d like to be treated, right? And to love others the way Jesus loves them, right? Well . . . if we were in their shoes, lost and damned to hell, would you like someone to keep secret the only way to get to heaven . . . just because they’d be worried about how you’d respond? I sure hope not! Love them like Jesus . . . the same way you want to be loved!
Let’s not be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ! We all know what happens to those who are indeed ashamed to say anything to others! Always remember also, that it’s not your job to get the person saved, but rather you are commanded merely to preach the Gospel to them. Once you plant those seeds into their hearts, God’s job picks up and He gives the increase. We must be there to offer ourselves to help water that seed, but we must never get discouraged or upset if they don’t positively respond, or try to force their hands thinking WE are the ones who are to save them! We are not God. God is in us, making us very well capable of doing every single word and line in the Bible, but the power to fulfill such things is God. Therefore, let God flow and move in you as you speak of Jesus to others!
I continue to pray for you daily and pray for complete healing and wisdom and strength to stand strong in the Lord, walking in His Spirit, and glorifying God as He holds you close to Him! Please keep me and the rest of the Body of Christ in your prayers as well. Thank you for all you do for Him, and I will see you again tomorrow!
Love Always in Christ,
Your Friend,
And Brother,
Michael
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Psalm 104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
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