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Thoughts on the Gospel, Life, and Ministry
This past Sunday our congregation heard from Romans 1:16-17 during our morning worship. These two short verses contain Paul’s justification for his conviction that the gospel must be believed and proclaimed throughout the world. The gospel is the dynamic, saving power of God for all who believe in Jesus. Its power is found in its revelation of the righteousness of God.
Paul was, therefore, not ashamed of the gospel. He was proud of it. He lived by it. He proclaimed it to the world. He devoted his life to it.
Wouldn’t it be great if all the followers of Jesus had the same pride in the gospel? The Church would be empowered, and the world would be changed for the glory of Christ. Marriages would be strengthened, parents would rear their children in godly homes, people’s finances would reflect godly priorities, business owners would treat their employees with grace, employees would work hard as working for the glory of Christ, politicians would exhibit godly character and make appropriate decisions, the poor and hurting would have their spiritual and physical needs met, and missionaries would be sent around the globe. Men, women and children would live their lives boldly with Christ as their goal and his Word as their guide. They would seek his glory and the good of those around them. It would be awesome in the truest sense of the word.
But, sadly, we know the reality. We struggle with fear. We have doubts. We cower in the face of opposition. We fall to the temptation to be ashamed to build our lives on the gospel story — a story about a man who claimed to be God, lived 2000 years ago, died on a cross and then rose from the dead, a story that the non-believing world labels a fairy tale.
Paul faced the same temptation. John Stott, following the lead of the Scottish pastor, James Stewart, argued that Paul would have never boldly asserted that he was unashamed of the gospel had he never been tempted to be ashamed of it (Stott, Romans, 60). Boldness and pride are relative words that find their fullest meaning in the context of fear and shame. So, when Paul emphatically stated, “I am not ashamed of the gospel…”, he meant that he had learned to overcome the temptation to be ashamed of the gospel through the power of the risen Christ living in him in the person of the Holy Spirit.
The gospel is fanciful unless your eyes have been opened to it by the Spirit of God and your heart has been touched by his transforming grace in Christ. But, when that happens, you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the story is true. It is absolutely true. You, then, willingly build your life on it because it is the power of God. You proclaim it because it reveals the righteousness of God, not only to your soul, but to the world around you. And, you love it because it tells you about Jesus who is your only hope in this life and in the life to come.
May we be like Paul who learned through his experience of the power of God in his life to overcome the temptation to be ashamed of the gospel and strove to live a bold Christian life and to proclaim Christ daily. And, may our confession be that which he wrote to Timothy, “But I am not ashamed, for I know I whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me” (2Timothy 1:12).
poolsandpastures 
This is so inspiring and uplifting. Thank you for it. It also started that wonderful old hymn, “I know Whom I have believe-ed, and am persuaded that He is able,…”, looping through my mind – and that’s nice.
I wish I had Paul’s strength, I struggle everyday to maintain my strength in Jesus. It is very hard today with all of the negative influences of todays society.