Ashamed

Paul said in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew and then for the Gentile.”  There are many that claim to be Christians today that seem to be ashamed of the gospel.  Think about this, how many non-believers have you shared the gospel with in the last few months?  I am not saying that you have to witness to everyone that you come in contact with but have you led anyone to the Lord since you were converted?  

Paul seemed to share everywhere he was at any given time.  I’m not saying that it is always easy to share the gospel because I know it isn’t but it was much harder in Paul’s day.  In the days when Paul shared the Word there was a very heavy price to pay for such an act.  Paul paid that price many times, being persecuted over and over again.  We suffer very little persecution when we share the Word, if we suffer at all it would be more verbal than anything else, although some around the world experience heavy persecution for sharing the gospel.  

Even knowing the consequences, Paul and Silas didn’t allow persecution to stop them from proclaiming the gospel, in fact, I recall a time when Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for being faithful to proclaiming the gospel when they could have avoided it if they had spoken up and said they were Roman citizens, but they were willing to suffer for the cause of Christ.  Check it out in Acts 16.  

Because they were willing to suffer for the cause of Christ they experienced many miracles.  In Acts 16 when they entered Philippi a leading city of Macedonia they found a place of prayer and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.  There was a lady there named Lydia who was from Thyatira who was a worshiper of God.  She worshiped God just like Paul did before his conversion but she hadn’t been converted to Judaism yet, then God opened up her heart so that she believed Paul’s message along with all the members of her house, praise God.  Without a personal relationship with Jesus all you have is religion.  

Next there was a slave girl who was a fortune teller who was set free of a demonic spirit by Paul and because of it Paul and Silas were stripped and flogged then thrown in prison.  They were so happy that God counted them worthy to suffer for Him that they started praying and singing hymns to God while the prisoners were listening to them.  They were not ashamed of the gospel, they were rejoicing and all of a sudden there was a violent earthquake that shook the foundation of the prison and the doors flew open and all their chains fell off.  Everyone was able to leave but no one did, must have been the power of the Lord that kept them there.  Then the jailer ran in and was going to kill himself thinking that the prisoners got away, which would have cost him his life but Paul persuaded him not to. The jailer asked them, “What must I do to be saved?”  They said, “believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”  Then they spoke to him and all the others in his house and the jailer and his whole family were baptized. The jailer was full of joy because he and his family had become believers. I am sure that Paul and Silas were far more excited than they were. None of these miracles would have happened if Paul and Silas weren’t willing to suffer for the gospel.  

In case you don’t think they had a choice this is what it says in Acts 16:35-40, “When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: ‘Release those men.’  The jailer told Paul, ‘The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released.  Now you can leave.  Go in peace.’  But Paul said to the officers: ‘They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison.  And now do they want to get rid of us quietly?  No!  Let them come themselves and escort us out.’  The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.  They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.  After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them.  Then they left.”    

Paul and Silas were not ashamed of the gospel and were even willing to suffer so that people could hear it and be converted.  This ought to be an encouragement to anyone who might be timid or leery of sharing the gospel.  If the Lord counts you worthy to suffer He will bless you and give you the boldness to do it.  So pray for boldness and then step out in faith and see what the Lord will accomplish through you and your witness.  God bless you and have a great day!!