v 16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
I saw an interview on TV recently with a man who had a fascinating job. His role was to go round telling people when they had won a massive prize in the Lottery. What a job – knocking on front doors and announcing, ‘Do you know, you have won £10 million – yes, really you have!’
Throughout the interview he could hardly stop smiling about it. It must be one of the most joyous jobs to have, and he certainly wasn’t ashamed of it. The sheer delight of bringing good news to people was evident on his face and in his whole demeanour.
I sense that is how we should be as we pass on the Good News of Jesus. Paul was certainly not ashamed as he did, because he knew that the gospel was the power of God to bring salvation and would result in lives transformed by the Holy Spirit. Why on earth be ashamed to pass it on, or be reticent about doing so?
Now let’s be real, most of us – me included, simply don’t get that excited about it at all. I know deep down inside me that passing on the good news should be one of life’s great delights, but – well you know what its like. I guess any pleasure rarely shows on my face, my voice becomes hesitant, and you might be forgiven for thinking that I was about to tell you that income tax had been raised to 25p in the pound. My spirit says ‘Here is something fantastically important to share with folk. It could alter their eternal destiny. Wow.’ But my mind and my face fail to match that with enthusiasm. Much easier to talk about the weather, or the good coffee, or the backache we experience, or ….
So here is a challenge for you, and also for me. In the next week set out to speak about the Gospel and Jesus to someone – just one person this time. Talk about what happens when you next meet your Growth Group.