Romans 1:14-17
"I am a debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. 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. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
When the apostle Paul penned these verses, we must remember the threat against his very life was an everyday issue. In the days in which he lived, it was commonplace for those who were considered zealots, or overly boisterous about their beliefs, to be killed for the stand they would take. Paul was no exception to this rule. We see time and time again throughout the book of Acts that Paul has either revival or riot happen in the places where he's preaching. My point in all of this is simple: Paul didn't consider his life to be more important than the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It's amazing to me that there are so many Christians running around today with a wealth of Biblical revelation and yet they are so unwilling to share it with those in need. Paul said he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Is that the problem the church is saturated with today? Is it that we're all just a little bit ashamed of what we've been entrusted to tell the world?
Now I realize that there are many strong believers who are out there sharing their faith in Christ on a daily basis. Praise God for those who are taking the command to "go ye into all the world" seriously! But I do think that in the Word of faith circles, we've been a bit guilty of passing that world evangelism thing off to our Baptist brothers while we believe for more financial prosperity.
As a pastor, I would have to say I'm preaching the message of Biblical prosperity as powerful as anyone! I believe in prospering and I believe that God wants His kids to be extremely blessed. But I also believe that we must have the lost in mind when we're setting our goals for increase in the financial realm.
Matthew 6:33
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
What is this kingdom that Jesus said we should be seeking? "Kingdom" in Hebrew thought is the "place where God is ruling and reigning." It's where the King is King. Christ is our King, and we are to be seeking His rule and reign in our lives daily. If I'm seeking first His rule and reign in me, in other words, wanting Him to have first place in my life, then I'm going to be hearing from Him and understanding that the lost are a high priority. Prosperity is great and for the Christian! But what we do with the financial increase has a lot to do with the consistency of that flow to us.
Let's get back to the subject of not being ashamed of the gospel. I have to ask myself the question, "Why are people ashamed in their own lives and what are they ashamed of?" Answering the question of "why" is easy enough. There is a root feeling of low self-worth, and insecurity is the foundation. "What people are ashamed of " is also quite easily answered. Looks, dress, abilities, education, wealth and possessions are the chief culprits.
When we look at Jesus, we see that He has a voice that thunders like the waves against the shore and eyes that are a flame of fire. (Revelation 1:12-16) He is called El Shaddai, (pronounced Ale-Shadahee), meaning the Almighty God (Genesis 17:1), and the Word says He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. (Psalm 50:10) The Lord Jesus also wears a solid gold band about his chest. (Revelation 1:13) Not bad!
We have no reason to be ashamed of our Lord and Saviour! Once we consistently see Him for who He is, we'll have no problem telling others about what He's done in our lives and what He'll do for them.
II Samuel 6:14-16
"And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. And as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart."
Michal, David's wife, despised him for being too demonstrative before the Lord. I know that this same spirit is floating around today trying to stop people from truly praising and worshipping the Lord. What we see in this Old Testament account is that the devil didn't like it when people praised the Lord then, and he doesn't like it today. We have to arrive at the fact that an evil spirit was prompting Michal to act this way, it certainly wasn't the Spirit of the Lord! It seems to me that Michal's father, Saul, listened to a few evil spirits in his day too! Being ashamed of the Lord is a thought the devil is interested in promoting.
In John 8:15-27, Peter denies Jesus three times. Matthew 16:22-23 records an event where the Lord Jesus rebuked a demon that gave Peter the idea that Jesus shouldn't die. Remember, Luke 22:31 gives the account where Jesus warns Peter that the devil would continue to make a play for his life and dedication to Him.
Later on in Scripture, we read of Peter and the wonderful miracles and bold acts he walked in as a powerful man of faith. Peter gained the victory over being ashamed! The other disciples prayed for boldness like they saw in Peter and John. (Acts 4:13,29) Peter preached his first sermon on the day of Pentecost and 3,000 people are saved! I think that's pretty good for a guy who just 53 days earlier denied he even knew the Lord!
Matthew 10:32-33
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."
As born-again, Holy Ghost baptized believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have authority over fear and all that fear can bring. Our bodies have become the temple of the Holy Ghost. The Hebrew equivalent to the word used for "temple" literally means the "holy of holies." I John 4:4 says that the greater One lives in us! Why should we be intimidated into keeping quiet about the greatest One who ever walked this earth? Let the revelation of Christ in you, your confident expectation of manifested glory become real. There's too much at stake if we fail to share what He's done and is doing in us. Let's go and shake the world with the only message that still works. Jesus Christ is Lord!
by Pastor Dan Yankunas