Life Worth Sharing
Romans 1:14-17; 9:1-3; 10:1,14-15; 15:17-20
Have you ever had news that was so exciting you just couldn’t hold it in – you had to find someone to tell? Maybe it was news of your engagement to the love of your life, or perhaps the wonderful news of the birth of your first child. Whatever it was, you couldn’t hold it in – you had to share it with someone else.
That is how the apostle Paul felt about the gospel. He had lived a legalistic, religious life, and then when he discovered the grace of God in Christ, it turned his world upside down. That is why he had a burning desire to tell others wherever he went; as he said in Romans 1:15, “I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”
It is a gospel of power. Paul wanted others to know about the good news of Christ, because it is in the gospel alone that we find “the power of God for salvation” (1:16). There are lots of religions and spiritual teachings in our world; you can dabble in Buddhism, immerse yourself in Islam, or learn about any of the many human ways that people try to reach God. But the gospel alone has power to save, because only in Christ has God come to us.
It is a gospel worthy of sacrifice. Paul so longed for his own countrymen to know Christ that he would have been willing to be condemned himself if that would mean his people could come to know Christ (9:1-3). That kind of burdened heart is what it takes to reach people for Christ. Do you have friends, family, co-workers who need to know Christ as Savior and Lord? What kind of sacrifice are you willing to make to get the gospel to them? And what about the masses around the globe who have not yet heard the gospel? Are we willing to make sacrifices of our own time and resources in order to send the good news to them?
It is a gospel that must be shared. Have you ever gotten flowers or a celebratory note from someone sharing good news? What did it take for you to receive that kindness? Someone had to care enough to send it! Paul reminds us that those who are lost and without Christ will only hear the gospel if someone carries the message to them, and that person can only go if they are sent by others who care (10:14-15). God is calling each of us to be involved in His kingdom mission of sharing the gospel – some may be called to go as career missionaries; others may go on short-term mission projects; all of us are called to help provide the support that makes missions possible. Sharing the gospel is a task that requires all of us to participate.
It is a gospel that is still waiting to be told. Through the power of God, Paul was able to carry the gospel to lands where it had never been heard (15:17-20). Through more than 2,000 years of Christian history, the story of the gospel is a story of God-called men and women enduring hardship, punishment, even death, in order to share the good news of Jesus with a lost and dying world. Even today, there are places where the name of Christ has not yet been named. Are you willing to be part of that great kingdom adventure of carrying His name to those who have not yet heard? Whether you go in person or whether you help make it possible for others to go, God is calling you to help tell the good news.
Michael Duduit– Lessons by Michael Duduit, dean of the College of Christian Studies and professor of Christian ministry at Anderson University. He also serves as executive editor of Preaching magazine.