Tuesday, September 4, 2012

We Are Not Ashamed of the Gospel

By Samuel E. Ward

 

September 2, 2012

 

John Wimber says that . . .

God has arranged it so that we are the only Bible that some people will ever hear. If we proclaim the message of the Cross in the power of the Spirit, Jesus will do the rest. Paul wrote, "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tables of human hearts" (2 Cor. 3:3). Spiritual growth is important not only for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others who will be changed through the message we carry.[1] 

Let us never forget that . . .

I. We Are to Communicate the Gospel:  If we aren't communicating it then we are being disobedient to the Lord's command to share Him with others.

II. We Are to Carry the Gospel:  We have a worldwide mission to complete and each of us is called to witness wherever and whenever we find an opportunity.

III. We Are Contend for the Gospel:  Because the gospel contains truths that are so essential to its nature and purpose, they must be defended and protected lest they be stripped of their saving message.

IV. We Are to Persuader Others Concerning the Gospel:  "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men."  (2 Cor 5:10-11a NIV)

V. We Are to Possess the Gospel, Yet We Are Meant to Give it to Everyone.

The final responsibility we have toward the gospel that we will address in this study is that…

VI. We Are Each to Work Together for the Gospel

This may require us to take on many roles and wear many "hats" in order to relate to different types of people with a variety of needs.  To some we might need to minister as . . .

A. Servants for the Sake of the Gospel, Col 1:23b

(Col 1:23 NIV)  This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

We are here to grace others with our service of the gospel—even to the point of death.

(Mat 20:28 NIV)  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

B. Partners for the Sake of the Gospel, Phil 1:5

(Phil 1:4-5 NIV)  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy {5} because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,

We are here to be partners with each other in the sharing of our faith, not leaving the communication of its precious truths to a precious few.

(Phile 1:5-6 NIV)  I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. {6} I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

C. Mentors for the Sake of the Gospel, Phil 2:22

 

(Phil 2:22 NIV)  But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.

1. Timothy and Titus were both mentored by Paul and he passed his ministry off to them:

(1 Tim 1:2 NIV)  To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Titus 1:4 NIV)  To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

2. If we have faith, we need to mentor others by allowing them to share in our ministry so they can continue ministering when we are gone.  Paul wrote to Timothy,

(2 Tim 2:1-2 NIV)  You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. {2} And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

D. Prisoners for the Sake of the Gospel, Phil 1:12-13

1. The gospel is going to enrage some people,

(Acts 16:19-23 NIV)  When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.  {20} They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar {21} by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." {22} The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. {23} After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.

2. The gospel will not be silenced even if some of its proclaimers are made prisoners, Phil 1:12-14.

In fact, history shows that the effect of persecution on the church's proclaimers is that many more become courageous and fearless in their own witness to Christ. 

(Phil 1:12-14 NIV)  Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. {13} As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. {14} Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

E. Custodians (Trustees) of the Gospel,  1 Thes 2:4, 1Tim 1:11

1. This is a sacred privilege of which there is none higher, 1 Th 2:4.

(1 Th 2:4 NIV)  We speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.

2. This is a sacred responsibility of which there is none greater, 1 Tim 1:9-11.

(1 Tim 1:9-11 NIV)  We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, {10} for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers--and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine {11} that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

People's souls are in real peril as long as they continue to reject the gospel which is able to save them if they repent and trust in Christ.

(2 Tim 2:24-26 NIV)  And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. {25} Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, {26} and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

F. Fellow-Workers in the Spreading of the Gospel, 1 Thes 3:2

(1 Th 3:2-3 NIV)  We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, {3} so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them.

Besides Timothy, Paul treasured the ministries Priscilla and Aquila, Urbanas and Stachys, the church at Corinth, Titus, Epaphroditis, Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Philemon, Demas, and Luke, all of whom he called his fellow-workers in sharing the gospel.

G. Heralds of the Excellent News of the Gospel, 2 Tim 1:11

(2 Tim 1:11 NIV)  And of this gospel I was appointed a herald . . .

1. Peter used the same Greek work for "herald" as a designation of the warnings proclaimed by Noah to his generation in the days before the Flood.

(2 Pet 2:5, 9 NIV)  if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; . . . [9] if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.

2. Luke writes of Jesus' compulsion to be a herald of the gospel, Luke 4:43-44.

(Luke 4:43-44 NIV)  But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." {44} And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

3. Angels were the first to proclaim the gospel in Luke, and according to the Revelation may be the last, Rev 14:6-7.

(Rev 14:6-7 NIV)  Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people. {7} He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

4. We have been appointed to continue as heralds of Jesus Christ, announcing that according to our own choice He will be either our Judge or Savior.

(Acts 10:42-43 NIV)  He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. {43} All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

H. Apostles (Missionaries) Sent for the Sake of the Gospel, 2 Tim 1:11.

(John 20:19-21 NIV)  On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" {20} After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. {21} Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

I. Teachers of the Gospel , 2 Tim 1:11

(Mat 28:19-20 NIV)  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, {20} and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

There are so many ways in which we can present the gospel to others within the array of spiritual gifts that God has entrusted to us by His Holy Spirit.

We all have been made custodians of the gospel.  Some of the ways people in the early church shared the gospel were as servants, partners, spiritual mentors, prisoners, co-laborers,  heralds of good news to those who are suffering, missionaries, or teachers.  We, too, can wear many hats.  We should wear many hats.  This was Paul's frame of mind.

(1 Cor 9:19-23 NIV)  Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. {20} To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. {21} To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. {22} To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. {23} I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

James R. Krabill, missionary in Ivory Coast, writes,

I am sometimes asked by people my age and younger how in this world I can still be committed to something as messy as mission. I believe it is time we ask how in a place as messy as this world we can legitimately be committed to anything but mission.[2]

We cannot, however, allow ourselves be intimidated into silence or hiding our faith.

(John 12:42-43 NIV)  Many among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; {43} for they loved praise from men [or needed the approval of men] more than praise [or approval] from God.

Neither can we any longer ignore the most effective means of reaching others for Christ.  Wayne Zunkel observes that "From time to time we hear statistics about how people first came into church membership".

The Institute for American Church Growth asked 10,000 people about what led them to attend church.

Their answers were:

Special need, 2 percent

Walk-in, 3 percent

Pastor, 6 percent

Visitation, 1 percent

Sunday school, 5 percent

Evangelistic crusade, 5 percent

Program, 3 percent

Friend/relative, 79 percent[3]

Where do you think we ought to concentrate our efforts?

[2] James R. Krabill, missionary in Ivory Coast. Christianity Today, Vol. 40

[3] Wayne Zunkel, Leadership, Vol. 5, no. 3

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