Just Why Do We Share The Gospel?
Good Morning Friends,
Now with people like Stephen getting stoned to death and others persecuted, incarcerated and suffering one would naturally begin to reconsider the reasons behind putting oneself at risk. So today we will have a little review about what it means to look like an angel, even as we ask: Just Why Do We Share The Gospel?
Scripture: In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. Through Silvanus, whom I consider a faithful brother, I have written this short letter to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. Your sister church in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
1 Peter 5:5b-14 (NRSV)
And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.
Mark 16:15-20 (NRSV)
Message: What was happening in the early stages of the development of the church and what we are called to today as well, is a mission of new evangelization. It is the same story but in each time, we need to make it our own. However, in this century with technology the ways of deploying the message is more extensive than ever and fraught with new challenges of fractured traditions. But make no mistake about it we are still called to share the Gospel and for the same reasons. The first is that scripture tells us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone. So, we are to tell the stories of Bible with words and live it through our actions and manifest the Word creatively. And in our own ways we each are called to be evangelists and preach the Gospel, if necessary with words. So we are to find a way to do it in an engaging way that shows forth the power in the message and the reality that it is the only way to overcome death and this includes all the little deaths we face as well as the ending of this earthly body. And because of this I am sometimes moved to share the Gospel in difficult situations that poses a real risk of failure. The thing is, even with all the science and best practices in the social services I do not know anything that can change lives more than the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sometimes the very name of Jesus makes a surprising and immediate difference. I am particularly moved by this reason for it has been shown on occasion to unite broken homes, draw the alcoholic from the drink, the gambler from the roll of the dice, the addict from the drug, and the human trafficked for sex in the streets to new life. It is always with challenge but love in time wins out. For the Gospel without love is nothing. So, friends, ultimately the reason for the Gospel is to draw all people into the Kingdom of God, God’s presence and love. This experience changes lives. It changed my life and that is why I share these devotionals in the hope that others might be connected to this resource of unending and self-sustaining power. So, the Gospel continues to change lives and what is most relevant here is that it does so in our suffering, and the Christian’s response to suffering. Peter makes this a recurring theme throughout his first letter. And this theme resonates with Scripture ranging from the trials of the patriarchs, prophets and Psalmists in the Old Testament to the passion of Jesus, and the persecution of believers in the New Testament. It may come as a shock to the uninitiated, but the road into the kingdom of God is paved with tribulation. And it is for this more so than the church that we are to suffer through the valleys of life. Friends, we are to share the Gospel to the glory of God. It is the primary purpose of our very being.
Pray for the spread of Christ’s word and kingdom so that people everywhere would give thanks and praise in a unified witness to the Gospel. Pray we have a mission, and are called to a new evangelization we can call our own but also be humbled enough so that God might use us for a purpose that is eternal. Pray we appreciate the importance of the Gospel for our time and place in the stream of Holy History. Pray for the spread of Christ’s word and the assembly of believers who have been empowered to love. Pray in the power of the Gospel so others may give thanks and praise in a unified witness to God’s love. Pray our suffering not be in vain. Pray we are reminded of God’s grace, of our calling, and of the eternal glory which is ours in Christ Jesus. Pray with an overflow of joy that is not only for our future hope but, by the Spirit, our present reality.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 