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Ashamed Of The Gospel
ARE YOU ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL?
by Contributor
Written By Grayson Pope, USA
I share the gospel like
it’s a gift card at a kid’s birthday party — an obligatory present I hope they
don’t open in front of me. Know the feeling?
If so, then we’re in good
company.
Timothy, the mentee of
the Apostle Paul, was a young man in over his head and out on his own.
He was being sent into
the marketplace, the town square, and people’s homes to tell them that Jesus
was crucified, buried, then rose from the dead after three days and that this
was good news for them, who were sinners by nature and separated from God.
When
the Culture “Doesn’t Need” the Good News
Timothy was known to be a
reluctant leader who was often timid and fearful.
We learn this because
Paul specifically writes to remind him of the power we have in the Spirit of
God to overcome timidity (1
Timothy 1:7).
Timothy also seemed to be
prone to sickness (1
Timothy 5:23), and was young for his position of influence (1
Timothy 4:12).
On top of all of that,
Timothy was being asked to take the gospel of Jesus into a culture that didn’t
want to hear about it.
The people of Ephesus
were living in one of the wealthiest places in the world.
Many of them would have
been living comfortable lives and were perfectly content to appease the gods so
they could continue their pursuit of pleasure and happiness.
Things were going pretty
well for the Ephesians, so who needed God?
Who wants to hear about a
suffering God that was killed on a cross then raised from the dead, and is now
calling us to lay our lives down and follow him?
No wonder Timothy was
timid and tempted to be ashamed of the gospel.
And no wonder we’re timid
and tempted to be ashamed. Surely you see the parallels in his task and
ours?
Like Timothy, you and I are
called to take the gospel to work and into people’s homes in a time where many
are apathetic or hostile to what they think of as Christianity.
They’re not quite sure
what it is, but they know they don’t want anything to do with it because
they’re doing just fine.
After all, they’ve got a
roof over their head, a job that pays, and a smartphone in their pocket.
Why add God to the mix
when things seem to be going okay? Why can’t they just keep pursuing the
American Dream?
These cultural pressures
make it seem so difficult to share Jesus with our neighbors and friends and
family.
When it feels hard, we
must remember why it’s good news, because that will help us combat the lie that
people are doing okay without the gospel.
.
We Must First Remember the Gospel
.
We Must First Remember the Gospel
Fortunately, we have a
record of Paul’s advice to Timothy. In his second letter to the young Timothy,
Paul writes,
“Therefore
do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but
share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called
us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose
and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which
now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who
abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:8-10).
In this exhortation, Paul
tells Timothy to remember the gospel.
He was reminding Timothy
of the gospel he believed, and he was calling Timothy to preach it to himself,
for it is in remembering the gospel we believe that we receive the power to
proclaim it.
Are you ashamed of the
gospel? Are you afraid to tell people about Jesus? Then remind yourself of the
God who saved you.
When I’m fearful of sharing the
gospel, I must remind myself of what I was like before knowing Christ
“I was
dead in my sins in which I once walked, following the course of this world,
following the prince of the power of the air, carrying out the desires of my
body and mind, and was by nature, a child of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3).
“But
God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved me,
even when I was dead in my trespasses, made me alive together with Christ — by
grace I have been saved” (Ephesians
2:4-5)!
As we preach the gospel
to ourselves, we are reminded of its powers and God’s grace, and it gives us
the strength to preach the gospel to our friends, family, coworkers, and
neighbors.
We Must
Remember Who Empowers Us to Share
There’s another piece to
us shedding any shame that might weigh down our desire to share the Gospel.
Later
in 2 Timothy, Paul tells Timothy exactly where he gets his boldness from when
he says, “… I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am
convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to
me” (2
Timothy 1:12).
An important part of Paul
sharing the gospel boldly was remembering that God was the one behind it.
Paul knew the power and
majesty of the One he believed in, and his faith convinced him that as he
sought to transmit the gospel to the nations, God would guard his efforts to do
so.
Just as Paul was, we too,
are entrusted with reaching more people for God’s Kingdom.
Our confidence can grow
when we remember that as we walk out that incredible commission, it’s God’s
power that is guarding our efforts to share the good news with others.
The courage to share the
gospel comes from the gospel. God gives us the gospel, saves us by the gospel,
then gives us the power to share the gospel.
Father,
keep the taste of your grace always on my lips and let me not shrink from
lavishing it on your children. Remind me of the grace and mercy you poured out
on me as I go and pour it out for someone else.
This article was originally published by
Gospel Centered Discipleship. This version has been edited by YMI.
Grayson Pope (M.A., Christian Studies) is a
husband and father of three, and the Managing Web Editor at Gospel-Centered Discipleship. He serves as a writer and editor with Prison
Fellowship. For
more of Grayson’s writing check out his website, or
follow him on Twitter.
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