Romans 1:16-17 “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” Today's episode reminds us to be unashamed of the Gospel. It is our job to spread the Gospel so we can lead others to Christ. It also reminds us of the power that is found in the Gospel. Music: "Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Live Unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Romans 1:16-17 “ For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.”
I first read this verse in the Passion Translation this morning, and it says, “I refuse to be ashamed of the wonderful message of God's liberating power unleashed in us through Christ! For I am thrilled to preach that everyone who believes is saved – the Jew first, and then people everywhere! The gospel unveils a continual revelation of God's righteousness – a perfect righteousness given to us when we believe. And it moves us from receiving life through faith to the power of living by faith. This is what the scripture means when it says: "We are right with God through life-giving faith!”
I love how these verses emphasize that God’s power is for everyone who believes. The message we are tasked with spreading is not just for the Jewish people, or any group of people. It is for anyone who believes. This is important to remember because at times we can get very selective about who we do and do not give the message too. Sometimes we can avoid sharing the message with some people because they may not fit our idea of what a Christian should be. We might look at them and immediately judge them by what they look like or how they are dressed.We were tasked with bringing the message to every single person in all corners of the earth. It is not up to us to decide who is worthy or not worthy of hearing the word. We never know who needs to hear the Gospel.
I recall a story about a group of people in Ireland who were learning to use the evangelization tool called 'Jesus Knocking'. They were taught how to use it, and then they were sent out on the streets to knock on doors and begin telling people about Jesus. These two men, who were particularly shy, knocked on this one guy's door. When the man answered, they could see he was a biker, part of a gang, and he looked kinda scary. The first thing he did was tell them they had to come inside because he couldn’t be seen. He had a warrant out for his arrest. They were very nervous to go inside this guy’s house, but they did. They were certain that he would not want to hear what they had to say, but they asked him anyway. He said, “Sure, I will listen.” Then, when they got to the part where they asked if he wanted to have a personal encounter with Jesus, he said yes. They were so surprised.
It turns out he was very nice and that Jesus was just what he needed in his life. Once he turned his life over to Jesus, everything changed for him. A few weeks later, he happened to be in a car with fellow gang members when the car got stopped. He thought about lying about who he was so that he didn’t get arrested because he still had a warrant out for his arrest. Although now that he had found Jesus, he knew he couldn’t lie. When they asked what his name was, he told them. They looked him up in the system and said he was free to go. He has no idea what happened to the warrant, but he was so grateful to God for saving him.
The verse also says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.” I love to think about the power of God that we have living inside of us. However, this reminds us that the Gospel is also the power of God. I think we forget how powerful the Gospel can be. I think we can take it for granted sometimes and forget that not everyone knows how great God is. Not everyone has heard that Jesus died on the cross for their sins. Jesus loved them so much they he took every bad thing they ever did and will ever do to the cross with Him.
The amazing thing about the Gospel is that even if people have heard it before, they may hear it again, and it hits them in a different way. Maybe something they have gone through in their life has prepared them to hear it differently this time. Maybe life has been rough, and the idea that Jesus loves them and would do anything for them is exactly what they needed to hear that day. Being Catholic, we get to hear the Gospel every Sunday at Mass. The Gospel is not something new to us, and if we are honest, probably not always exciting. We can let it become mundane and ordinary if we are not careful, because we do have ready access to it, and we do hear it all the time at Mass.
However, we must never forget the power of the Gospel. When the apostles first started bringing the Gospel to all parts of the world, people were hungry for it. They were baptizing several people everywhere they went. The world is just as hungry for it today. We just don’t think to spread it because we live in a culture that seems to be open to everything except Christianity. Nowadays, we are afraid of talking about the Gospels and about Jesus because we don’t want to offend someone, or we don’t want to be attacked for our beliefs.
The time when Jesus lived, the time after he died, when the apostles were spreading the Gospel around the world, it was not a friendly place for Christians either. I mean, we might get rejected, or maybe even yelled at for trying to share the Gospel. However, the apostles were stoned to death or crucified for sharing the Gospel. Over the last 2000 years or so, there have been times when it was dangerous for your life to share the gospel. It still is in some countries.
I remember when I lived in England, we went to visit a historic house, and when we took the tour, they showed us the hidden hole in the wall where the Catholic priest would hide if the police came to search the house. In 1559, it became illegal in the United Kingdom to practice mass. It did not become legal again until 1791.
We might not live in a particularly friendly culture when it comes to sharing the Gospel, and yet, if the apostles can do it at the risk of being stoned to death, surely we can do it with the risk of rejection? There are people still in this day and age who are risking their lives to bring the Gospel to people in countries that do not allow freedom of religion. I don’t think we are all called to do that. I do believe we are all called to be an example of the Gospel to all those we meet.
We are all called to live our lives as an example of Christ and His love for us. We are meant to live out the Gospel in our day-to-day lives. You know all those parables found in the Gospels, those are to show us how to live our lives so that others will see how we live, what we have, and they will want it. I don’t mean what we have, as in possessions, I mean what we have, as in the love of God, the peace of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. How are we doing with this? Are we being brave? Are we asking the Lord for a Holy Boldness so we can live our lives unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
You all know how much I love a good song. I have had the chorus of a song going through my head this whole time, and yet I couldn’t quite make out the words. Has that ever happened to you? You know a song, and yet you can’t think of it when you want to. Well, writing that last sentence in that last paragraph finally jogged my memory. The song is called Unashamed, and it is by Matthew West. I know we are a bit on the longer side today, but I really want you to hear the lyrics.
Three brothers in a fire
Willing to die for their faith
But You were with them in the fire
And they walked out the next day
And Daniel met a lion
Because he chose to pray
But You shut the mouth of that lion
And he walked out the next day
[Pre-Chorus]
So what's gonna be said of me when it's all said and done?
Will I stand for my beliefs or will I turn around and run?
Well, let the whole world hear me say
[Chorus]
I'm unashamed
Of the gospel of Jesus Christ
And the truth that changed my life
For the name above all names
I'm unashamed
And I will live my faith out loud
Take a stand and stand my ground
For the One who took my shame
I'm unashamed
[Verse 2]
I don't answer to the crowd
I answer to a king
So the louder they shout
Oh, the louder I sing, yeah
[Pre-Chorus]
So what's gonna be said of me when it's all said and done?
Will I stand for my beliefs or will I turn around and run?
Well, let the whole world hear me say
[Chorus]
I'm unashamed
Of the gospel of Jesus Christ
And the truth that changed my life
For the name above all names
I'm unashamed
And I will live my faith out loud
Take a stand and stand my ground
For the One who took my shame
I'm unashamed
[Bridge]
At the name of Jesus
Every knee will bow
And every tongue confess
So let it start right now
Before you come back, Lord
Before the rocks cry out
I will lift my praise
Let it start right now
[Chorus]
I'm unashamed
Of the gospel of Jesus Christ
And the truth that changed my life
For the name above all names
I'm unashamed, yeah
And I will live my faith out loud
Take a stand and stand my ground
For the One who took my shame
I'm unashamed
(I'm unashamed)
Oh, I'm unashamed (I'm unashamed)
I want the world to hear me say
I'm unashamed
(I'm unashamed)
Oh, I'm unashamed
For the One who took my shame
I'm unashamed
[Outro]
Lord, I will stand for You
I tell the world about You
I'm unashamed
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all of those who are listening to this episode. Lord, you are amazing, and we are so grateful to you for all you have given us. We are grateful for the Gospel. Help us to be bold and to live out the Gospel in our lives. Help us to share the Gospel with all we meet. Please help us to be unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Let it be said of us one day that we lived as an example of Jesus to all those we met. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name. Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. There is a link in the show notes for the upcoming retreat in October. Please check out the link and consider joining me. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I! Have a blessed day!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in January 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “I am your God and I am telling you, I am pouring down my outpouring of love and joy. I am filling you with me.”
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