Unashamed of the Gospel

One of the big problems in this “woke” culture is the fear of saying anything that someone might be offended by. For Christians, churches, and ministry organizations there is growing antagonism and pressure to keep quiet about social issues like abortion, gender, sexuality, and certainly religion for fear of backlash, or even violence. As the Apostle Paul awaits execution in Rome, he writes a letter to his friend Timothy who is facing growing antagonism in Ephesus. Paul encourages him to stand strong and not be tempted to soft peddle, or downplay the gospel message under any circumstance. This call to be unashamed is especially important as Christ taught that persecution towards believers would increase in the last days. Believers will be “hated by all nations because of Christ and consequently many will fall away" (Matt 24:9-13). Over the past several decades a movement has been sweeping over our churches called – the seeker friendly movement. Its basic premise is that the biblical message of sin, condemnation, and Hell, offends too many people. It’s too strong, and harsh, and must be minimized, if taught at all. Rather, God's love and grace is what people want to hear about, so that must be emphasized above all else. The problem is, unless people realize they are totally lost in their sin, they won't grasp the radical solution in the cross of Jesus Christ. Paul instructed Timothy to remember the big picture and not get side-tracked. He says in effect, "it doesn’t start with you, it doesn’t end with you...it’s not about your health, and wealth, and happiness, it’s not about your status - it’s all about Christ's undeserved love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us so - "don't be ashamed!" Give God your best no matter the cost. Press on! Pastor Brian Richard