For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. Rom 1:16

Let’s be honest: often times we are ashamed of the gospel. OK, so you may not wear a t-shirt that says “I’m ashamed of the gospel”, but do you see in your own life the same kind of zeal to preach and spread the gospel that Paul had? Perhaps that standard is too high so let’s try asking it another way – when was the last time you shared the gospel with someone? Do you make it your number 1 priority to preach the gospel? Well Paul tells us why he’s so passionate about the gospel – ‘because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes’. We have received the good news and have been the beneficiaries of the power of God because we have believed.

So let us not then keep the good news to ourselves. Jesus’s final command to us via his disciples as he left the earth was to go and make disciples of all nations, to baptize them and teach them. He told his disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them so that they may receive power to be effective witnesses. When they were faced with danger or persecution or even death, they still boldly declared the gospel. They were unashamed and unafraid. Let us do likewise.

I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit
Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has
been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow
down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense,
and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight
walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions,
mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or
popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised,
regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by
patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my
way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted,
or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the
pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of
mediocrity.

I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed
up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a
disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop,
preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My
colors will be clear for “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..” (Romans 1:16)

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