When it comes to something that is foolish, many tend to do it without shame. They talk about it and encourage others to do the same unashamedly. But when it comes to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, even believers tend to avoid the topic if they can, or reluctantly share their faith if put on the spot. To counter this attitude and to encourage the preaching of the gospel, the apostle Paul boldly proclaimed, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16). In saying this, the apostle Paul underscored the goal of the preaching of the gospel which is the salvation of those who believe. This should be a good motivation for believers to testify of their faith to others.
One of the reasons why many are ashamed or hesitant to share the gospel is that it is looked upon as foolishness. This errant attitude was promptly rebuffed by the apostle Paul when he said, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate’” (1 Cor. 1:18-19). Since the gospel is to be received by faith, those who choose to walk by the standards of this world will reject it and consider it as foolishness. They could not comprehend the love and grace of God manifested in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly, their rejection will redound to their loss.
But what is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ? The gospel or good news of the Lord Jesus Christ is that there is hope. The apostle Paul said, “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve” (1 Cor 15:2-5). Yes, the good news is that Jesus came into this world to save sinners by dying on the cross. Since the penalty of sin is death and that we all have sinned, we are all doomed to die. But the good news is that God loves us so much that he sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our stead. But while Jesus died on the cross, he did not remain dead, for after three days he rose again. He is alive!
The gospel did not end at the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. The most awaited part of the gospel is the promised return of the Lord Jesus Christ. His reassuring words were recorded in the Gospel of John. He said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3).This gives special hope to us who believe in Him. There will not be a better day for the believers than when Jesus comes. It is on that day that believers will be rewarded for their labour in the Lord – eternal life.
If this is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, should we be ashamed to proclaim it? Are we not concerned for the salvation of people around us, especially those we love? Certainly, it is not right that we keep the message just for ourselves. We should have the attitude of the four lepers who lived outside the city since they were outcast, as mentioned in the Book of 2 Kings. Because there was famine in the land, they decided to do something about their situation. They showed up at the camp of the Arameans, the enemies of Israel, to see if they could find some provisions. When they got there, they found an empty camp because the Arameans fled. There was so much food that they ate all they wanted and carried away silver, gold and clothes until they were conscience stricken. They said to each other, “What we’re doing is not right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until daylight, punishment will overtake us. Let’s go at once and report this to the royal palace” (2 King 7:9).
Similarly, we are living in this day of good news. It is not right for us to keep this message just for ourselves. There are many people around that are perishing. Let us go at once and unashamedly tell them about the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. They need to hear that they do not have to die in their sins. Jesus had already paid the penalty of their sins when he died on the cross. All they need to do now is to repent of their sins and receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour of their lives. As they do, they are born again into the family of God and they shall never perish but have eternal life. Friends, we have nothing to lose but have everything to gain if we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let us go at once and proclaim it. Hallelujah!
