Author Of LifeSample

Author of Life

The most liberating moment for messengers of the Gospel is the moment we truly understand the power of the Gospel message alone. It is sobering to realize that there is no power in our opinions, thoughts, and persuasions, and that only God can draw men unto himself (John 6:44). We, as the body of Christ, are no more than messengers of God’s grace. While salvation is the end goal of our work, it is not our responsibility. Our responsibility is to simply “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15) 

I want to end with this final thought: It is our responsibility to proclaim the message of Jesus. If you are a believer, you’ve probably heard the popular quote “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” While this makes a cute bumper sticker and can be a great encouragement for us to live out our personal testimony, it has no scriptural backing. Remember, our thoughts and opinions can not change people. Our thoughts and opinions can not activate the conscience of others, and maybe surprisingly, neither do our actions. While our actions may point people towards Jesus and His Word, the proclamation of the Gospel is our only hope. As believers, we have no choice in the matter. In fact, Paul later quotes the Psalmist who makes a clear correlation between believing and proclaiming the Gospel in 2 Corinthians 4:13, “It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak.” 

When we believe, we have no choice but to speak. When we speak, something supernatural happens. Side note: whether or not we see the manifestations of that supernatural event is irrelevant. We know that the God who wrote the Word on every man’s heart still has a pen in His hand - only this time, his hand is hovering over the Lamb’s Book of Life, eagerly anticipating the prodigal’s cry.

Charge: Share the Gospel with confidence. Remember that you are just the messenger. When you speak, God will do the rest!