Jump Start # 757

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also t the Greek.”

The Gospel is God’s gift to us. Through it we come to know Jesus Christ and God’s will for us. The Gospel is the bridge to connect us to Christ. It seems there are two extreme attitudes believers have about the Gospel.

One attitude is to make the Gospel cool. They want the Gospel to look good, feel good, and be hip. The Gospel is given a softer, more appealing edge to it. Less talk about doctrine and more life stories. This marketing attitude is thought to make more folks interested. Grandma’s church is out. Contemporary is in. No pews. No ties. No “church-like” atmosphere. To go along with all this, the message has to be just like that. It can’t be long, stuffy, reading of passages. Humor is in. The thought is, make the gospel, make the church, make the services like a sit-com, and people will come. The problem with this whole premise is that the Gospel isn’t cool. It doesn’t fit in. It goes against the way we think and what we want. It’s about the Lordship of Christ. It calls for obedience and commitment and counting the cost. Laughter makes us feel good, but no one is saved through humor. Marriages aren’t rescued by a lite– gospel. A hard look at what sin does and how forgiveness works is what changes a person. The message must be Christ crucified.

The other attitude many believers have is to be embarrassed about the message. Some apologize that they have to do what the Bible says. A friend offers them an alcoholic drink and they refuse, apologizing. There is no apologizing for doing right. There is no “I wish I could, but I can’t I’m a Christian.” The ashamed Christian wishes his message, his life, and his ways were more like the world. He’d like to fit in and not be left out. The ashamed Christian can’t share the gospel because He is ashamed. He has opportunities every day to say things, but he doesn’t. He knows people who are seeking, but he never invites. He’s ashamed. He says little about God or the saving message of Christ. His conversations are totally secular and superficial. He longs to fit in with a world that is going the opposite direction. Lessons about personal evangelism brings extreme guilt to this person because he knows his lips are silent about Jesus.

Two extreme attitudes, and neither one is correct and neither one will do any good. The Gospel will never fit in with a sinful world. The gospel calls for all to change to be righteous. The message of Jesus offended folks then and it still will with some today.

Shaking the salt and shedding the light, or “shake and shine” as my friend Rickie calls it, gets us noticed and brings attention to what we believe. The world is dark and rotting. It needs light and salt of the Gospel. Invite. Ask. Let people see you bowing your head and praying. Let them see you reading your Bible. Some will be offended. Some will walk away. Some will respect you. Some will be curious. Some will seek answers from you. Show it. Live it. Walk it. Do it. As we teach our children in the little song, don’t hid your light under a basket. “I’ve got to let it shine, shine, shine.” People will see you. You will be noticed. Blending in is not an option when you are a Christian.

I am not ashamed…I am not ashamed of what it says. I am not ashamed of what it calls me to do…I am not ashamed of where it draws the line…I am not ashamed of God.  How about it? Are you ashamed? Are you ashamed to admit that you are ashamed? Are you more interested in what others will say or what God will say?

Paul before Caesar…Daniel in the lion’s den…Moses before Pharaoh…often God’s people have had to stand alone and stand for what was right. They did it and so can you.

I am not ashamed…I am glad to be a Christian. I am glad to be on God’s side. If that be true, then let’s act that way!

Roger

Jump Start # 721

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

It’s getting close to election time. Political ads dominate TV commercials. This year I have a sign in my yard for one of the presidential candidates. A neighbor across the street also has one. His sign is for the other candidate running for president. Everyone who drives up and down our streets can see those signs and make judgments about us. I have visibly declared who I am wanting to win the election. The rest of the neighbors do not have any signs. It’s a secret who they are supporting.

Once the election is over, I’ll be taking my sign down. Life will return to normal where all we do is notice each other’s yards and landscaping.

There is a greater declaration that we make and that is that we are disciples of Jesus. We do this not with yard signs, but with lifestyles and choices we make. People that see us ought to notice that we are Christians. This ought to be apparent to them.

First, neighbors ought to notice us leaving every Sunday morning for worship services. It’s pretty obvious to know that when you see a family dressed up, with Bibles in their hand getting into the car about the same time every Sunday. Neighbors notice.

Second, they ought to notice by the caring attitude that we have. Neighbors ought to see us helping others shovel snow, doing landscaping and being there for one another.

Third, they ought to notice that we have a lot of people over to our house. Christians engage in hospitality. They might notice people coming to our house carrying food and Bibles as we have a study in our home.

But it’s not just the neighbors who ought to see these things. The people at work ought to notice that you are a Christian. They’ll quickly detect that you don’t cuss. You don’t laugh at off color jokes. Monday’s are not spent telling of wild weekend drinking parties. They notice that you work hard. They notice you are willing to chip in and help others. Your work is honest and reflects quality. They see that you do not abuse the company by coming in late, asking to leave early or wasting time when you are at work. It shows. They notice a Bible at your desk. It’s not hidden. Sitting there, it makes a statement. It’s like a political sign in your yard. People will make judgments because they see a Bible on your desk.

Family will notice that you are a Christian. Holiday times brings families together. Negative talk, gossip, mean spirited conversations can be the norm at some of these gatherings. Family will notice that you don’t go along with those things. They notice that you don’t try to show off and impress others by the “stuff” you own. That’s not you. They notice that you don’t brag about yourself as the rest do. You are different.

Finally, people notice how you conduct yourself in a crisis. The emergency room, the funeral home are times when we lean upon our hope and faith in God. This calm hope shines. They notice. Peter says that they may ask about that hope in us. That’s good.

I’m not ashamed to have a political sign in my yard. My neighbors know who I am voting for. I have publicly declared. I am not ashamed that the world knows that I am a Christian. I have declared myself and am trying to publicly show it.

Public declaration of our allegiance is letting your light shine. Shine it bright. Shine it for all to see. Shine it in such a way that others will want to learn more about Jesus.

Roger

Jump Start # 541

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

  Paul defines the powerful gospel message of Jesus Christ. This message defined his life. He preached it everywhere. He believed it, lived it, taught it and shared it with the world. That message, that gospel, was the chosen avenue of God to connect a dark and broken world to Jesus Christ, and through Jesus Christ, to God. It’s through that message, the Gospel, that we know God, come to salvation and have the hope of Heaven. Without the message, without the Gospel, there is no avenue to Jesus or to God.

  Notice a few interesting thoughts from our passage today.

  First, the gospel is the power of God for salvation. The word “power” is from the same root word that our word dynamite comes from. Explosive. Powerful. Mighty is the gospel. It can do what nothing else can. It can lead a person to change their bad behavior. It can turn a stubborn man into a generous man. It can lead a sinful person into being a righteous person. It can turn sorry attitudes into godly thinking. It’s powerful. Don’t give up on it. It doesn’t do this work on it’s own, against a person’s will or without their knowledge of it. No, it doesn’t do that. But working through a person it can. As a person reads the Gospel, is taught the Gospel and begins to obey the Gospel, things change. Outlooks, priorities, attitudes all take on a different look once they have been shaped by the Gospel.

  The greatest thing that happens is that they learn Jesus. They become a believer and a follower of Jesus. They see that their sinful ways have destroyed their relationship with God. They see that God hasn’t given up on them, but wants to save them. Forgiveness, grace and hope are the gifts of God through Jesus Christ. It’s a powerful message. It’s a living message. It’s a message for all ages. Jesus died and lives, so we can live. His way is the only way. Thousands have bowed their knees to Jesus and have journeyed with the Savior. Their lives became meaningful as they untied with other believers to encourage, learn and share the rich message of the Gospel. God has conquered more people through this preached message than all the armies of the world. God’s message has crisscrossed the ocean, found it’s way behind closed doors and brought goodness and light to this dark planet.

  The other thought here is Paul’s feelings about the Gospel. He was not ashamed of it. He was not ashamed to live it, share it, nor follow it. When people are ashamed they tend to lower their heads, find a place to hide, and slip out of sight. Years ago, teachers put a dunce hat on students who misbehaved and made them sit in a corner with that hat on. The intention was to shame them. I had to sit in a corner a time or two, never with “the hat” on my head, but the experience alone was embarrassing.

  Paul is not embarrassed by the Gospel. This means, he is not ashamed of what it says. He doesn’t have to apologize for what it says. He is not ashamed of Christ. He is not embarrassed by the righteous life that the Gospel calls us to. Quit apologizing to a wicked world that doesn’t care about Jesus!

• Not ashamed of the Gospel means, not ashamed to read it, anywhere—at the office, on airplanes, on a park bench, in a doctor’s office, or at home. Not ashamed to carry it. Not ashamed, not at all.

• Not ashamed of the Gospel means not ashamed to talk about it. We tend to talk about things we are excited about or proud about. Sport fanatics will talk about the game anywhere. Grandma’s will show pictures of her grandkids to just about anyone. Those not ashamed of the Gospel, will share the message to anyone who will listen. Discussing the Gospel is not a chore that has to be done, but rather an exciting passion. They love the story. They love thinking about it, talking about it, writing about it, and sharing it.

• Not ashamed of the Gospel means not ashamed to defend it, to defend what it says, to defend the Savior who gave it, nor to defend what it’s about.

• Not ashamed of the Gospel means not ashamed to live the message. Praying in public, keeping your language, attitude and behavior in check, engaging in good deeds are simple ways of living the message.

• Not ashamed of the Gospel means a person makes no apologies for going to church services, for following the Bible or for doing things the Bible way. Not ashamed to be part of a church that strives to be Biblical and to follow that Biblical pattern. The worship pattern comes straight from the Bible. The method of raising money for the church—straight from the Bible. The organization structure of the church—straight from the Bible. I have found that there are many churches that talk the message but they don’t follow the message. They are doing things not found in the Bible. The message they preach is more pop culture than the Gospel.  Not ashamed means you are not ashamed to be conservative, primitive, fundamental—which ought to mean nothing more than, Biblical.

  I am not ashamed – that’s what Paul said. How about you? Do you hide your faith or only bring it out when it is safe and around other believers? Do you go along with co-workers and friends that say and do things that are not what God wants? Is it natural for you to be Biblical?

  Not ashamed—not at all. Not of the message, not of the church, and especially, not of Jesus. There’s an old hymn that goes, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus…” That song is hard to sing while sitting in a pew. It’s harder to sing, knowing that I down play my faith around others because I’m embarrassed for them to know. Maybe it’s time once again to “Stand up, Stand up” for Jesus. If we don’t stand for Jesus, who will?

  I am not ashamed…also means, “Let you light shine…”

  Roger