How do we present the Gospel to others around us? Are we embarrassed when we mention anything to do with Jesus? Witnessing can be difficult for some, however; the Bible tells us we are to spread the Good News of Jesus’ life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection to the world. Witnessing can be described as one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. The Apostle Paul didn’t seem to have that problem. He states, “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.” (Romans 1:16-17 KJV) He was not ashamed to share what Jesus had done for him.
Paul declares that he is not ashamed to share the Gospel with everyone and then he gives the reason… ”for it is the power of God unto salvation.” The word for power in Greek is dunamis, which is where we get our word for dynamite. The Gospel is dynamite power that leads to salvation! It is powerful to those who hear, believe in, and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. In his commentary on Romans, J. Vernon McGee says, “It is the kind of power Dr. Marvin R. Vincent calls divine energy! In itself, the gospel has power, innate power. It has power for a very definite thing: ‘It is the power of God unto salvation.’ That is the end and the effect of the gospel. ‘Salvation’ is the all-inclusive term of the gospel, and it simply means ‘deliverance.’ It embraces everything from justification to glorification. It is both an act and a process. It is equally true that I have been saved, I am being saved, and I shall be saved.” The Gospel gives us the power to live out our faith with confidence and it gives us the power to face up to the times when we find ourselves in a Spiritual battle with the enemy when he comes against us. The Gospel gives us the power to stand up and declare that Jesus is our Savior, to share what He has done for us, and to show the result in how we live our lives.
The Enduring Word website states that the Gospel gives power for salvation. Our souls are sick and need Jesus to come and save us from sin. The Bible says, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” (John 14:6 NASB 1995) The church is often said to be a hospital for the Spiritually sick. We come for Spiritual healing and the only place for that healing is to be found at the foot of the Cross. The power of the Cross is what is needed for salvation. It is also for everyone! Paul says it is to everyone who believes, Jew and Greek. In our day I suppose we would say regardless of race, creed, gender, etc. No one is excluded! The only prerequisite is a belief that Jesus is the Son of God, was crucified as the perfect sacrifice for our sins, rose again on the third day, ascended to Heaven, and is coming back to take His church home to Heaven to live with Him.
When we find it difficult to share what Jesus has done for us, we need to go back to the beginning. Remember where we were before we found Jesus and look at where we are now in comparison. He has done such wonderful things for us…he took us from a life of being in sin, saved us from a Spiritual death penalty, He walks with us each day, and is preparing a home for us to live with Him for all eternity. That’s better than anything we can imagine! Why wouldn’t we want to share Him? We can say just like Paul, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.”
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