[live unashamed]
As a follower of Jesus, I want to always have an overwhelming desire to share Christ with others and to live different. I have a desire for others to see Jesus in me and live a life that reveals the power of the gospel. The issue I encountered in my Christian walk was that I became aware of my image and I became self-conscious about my image. I struggled with a great deal of insecurity for a long time. First, I was slightly overweight and then the way I dressed became an issue.
Insecurity is rooted in acceptance. Sometimes it can be difficult to pinpoint the reasons why we live a certain way but when we understand the root cause, we can begin to address those issues. The insecurity didn’t just disappear either; it became a way of life that I had to struggle and wrestle with, even after being in church leadership.
At first, it wasn’t hard to allow the insecurity to go unchecked because I did a lot more “behind the scenes” stuff at work. Doing behind the scenes things gave me the opportunity to serve without addressing some issues in my heart. Yet, God called me to do something different. I was serving where I could because there was a need and I was given a talent for it.
Yet, when it came time for me to step up and step into my calling and stand before people, I would often become a total wreck. I would shut down and become extremely quiet, even more quiet than usual which meant I was quieter than a mouse.
God brought forth the issue of insecurity through the words of other people in my life. When I became more aware of insecurity and sometimes a desperate need for attention, I began to unravel the truth that I felt unaccepted.
Romans 15:7|
“Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.”
As the people of God, our mission to others must be birthed from a proper theology and understand this-we are accepted. When I think of myself, I don’t think I have much to offer. Much of my life and much of my work has been in small quantities and a percentage of my work has gone unnoticed.
That isn’t a complaint either; just the reality as I see things the way they are. I find myself doubting myself and struggling with insecurity because I don’t see myself as someone who has much to offer. I don’t have those great leadership characteristics that I often read about. I don’t have the most disciplined lifestyle or even the most consistent devotional time. I fall short in so many areas of my life.
This is where God wants me though. His desire is not that I focus on my inabilities and my insecurity but that my focus is centered on this, “In Christ, I am accepted.” I am accepted because this marvelous, amazing love that God has for me. A love that I don’t fully understand and never will on this side of heaven. I am accepted to the point where God is willing to give his Son for me. I am accepted and I am loved and I am cared for.
Listen to this Christians, you and I will never be who God calls us to be until we understand how much he loves us. His love is without limit, his grace is unending, his mercy goes on forever. God speaks our names, he writes our names down. He calls us sons and daughters. We are loved by the King of the Universe!
It is the love of God that must be the driving force of all we do and say. It is the love of God that ignites all that we do. As I share my story of being ashamed of sharing the gospel, I bring up Romans 1:16 which has long been a favorite Scripture of mine.
Romans 1:16|
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-the Jew first and also the Gentile.”
How powerful are those words, penned by the Apostle Paul, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? While I admit that I love(d) this verse in theory, the practice made me uncomfortable and discouraged because there are times when I do fall short and become ashamed of the Gospel. It is of course of great importance to understand the context of what Paul is saying here.
The book of Romans shares many similarities with the Book of Galatians. In these letters, Paul is sharing the freedom we have in Christ and the truth that we are no longer under the bondage which came as a result of the Law.
Paul was a man of great stature and he had it all. To begin with, he was a true Hebrew; Jewish by birth and his lineage was from the Tribe of Benjamin. (Phil. 3:5-6)
Secondly, Paul was a Roman citizen. During the Roman Empire era, a Jewish family could purchase Roman citizenship, thus obtaining dual citizenship (Roman and Jewish), but it was rather expensive to do so. Roman Citizenship could also be granted to a Jewish family that had great influence and served Rome. Paul came from one of those backgrounds. Whichever the case might be, Paul was most likely fairly wealthy. (Acts 22:27-28)
Third, Paul was circumcised the eighth day, in accordance with the law of Moses, and he was a Pharisee who obeyed the Law of God with absolute obedience! A number of Biblical scholars have articulated that Paul was potentially in line for being a candidate for the position of being High Priest. (Phil. 3:5-6)
Fourth, Paul was highly educated as he received instruction from Gamaliel. While we don’t know much of this man, we know he was honored by all of the people, which speaks highly of his own stature. (Acts 5:34, Acts 22:3)
Yet, for all Paul gained in his life, he learned two truths which set him free. First, he learned that nothing he had gained compared to knowing the person and work of Christ. (Phil. 3:7-11) The second truth Paul learned was being a servant is what made him great in the eyes of God. (1 Cor. 9:19-23). Paul learned to live unashamed through the transformation that only comes through the Gospel.
Romans 10:14|
“But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?”
We live unashamed when we speak the truth. Being unashamed of the gospel means you are willing to share your faith, verbally, with others. Sharing in the life of Christ includes sharing in his victories, his suffering and the burdens he has on his heart. Jesus loves his own but his heart longs for the lost. Jesus loves to adopt children. Our message to the world should be of reconciliation.
The message we share is centered on the work of Christ, always. It is never what we can do or what we can achieve but what God, in Christ, has already done for us. Our response to the work of God is to believe.
John 15:8|
““If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.”
We live unashamed when we are willing to stand for the truth. Being unashamed of the gospel means you will stand up for the gospel and stand against the world. And you will be hated for doing so. When you take that stand, you will be labeled as intolerant, judgmental and unloving.
There are countless stories that can be shared where a believer in Christ has stood up for the truth and was labeled in a negative light. One example of this is Phil Robertson of the Duck Dynasty. Following his statements that he believed homosexuality to be a lifestyle that is not aligned with Biblical standards, he was suspended from the network he worked with and subsequently, the show he was on.
Rick Warren said this, “Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.”
Hebrews 12:6|
“For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
Living unashamed means we are willing to confront and ring accountability into the body of Christ. Accountability has become a rather dirty word in Christian circles. We believe it exists but we don’t want to be “preachy.” Furthermore, we don’t want to offend others or jump down people’s throats.
One of the backlashes received is this idea that “Only God can judge me!” Well, Biblically speaking, judgment begins at the house of God. That means we are called to live in such a way that honors God and living outside of those boundaries mean we invite the accountability of others so we are brought back to the right way of living.
So often we take easy road of not saying anything and allow things to remain the way they are. Our undisclosed thought process is that since God works in the lives of his children, we shouldn’t do anything, right? Of course we should! We ought to be involved in others lives. Discipline and correction is vital to spiritual maturity and spiritual health, both for the individual believer and the church.
Jesus had no issue holding his followers accountable. When Peter tried to distract him from going to the cross, Jesus rebuked Peter by focusing on the one who was speaking into his life (Satan). Jesus wasted no time revealing the one who would betray him at the Last Supper (Judas). Jesus had no issue revealing the truth that false teachers and false messiahs would not only appear but were already in existence during his own lifetime.
The message of the gospel is grace and grace does not allow sin to have dominion over others. Grace eliminates sin through love. If we are unwilling to confront those who live in sin, we do not love them in the way Christ loved us. We love them in such a way that they like us and won’t be offended by us.
1 John 2:6|
“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.”
We live unashamed when our lives reflect Jesus. One of the biggest “Christian catch phrases” I heard growing up was this: “You talk the talk. Do you walk the walk?” There’s truth in that too. Believers in Christ are transformed by the Spirit of God. When a person places his or her faith in Christ, they are raised from death to life!
Before Christ, we were enemies of God. In Christ, we are his sons and daughters. Before Christ, we were hostile towards God. In Christ, we are called friends of God. Before Christ, we were slaves to sin and death. In Christ, we are released from the chains of oppression. Before Christ, we were dead to sin. In Christ, we are alive to God.
Following Jesus requires action. Paul said the “…the life I now live I live by faith in the son of God…” (Gal. 2:20). Faith is not a relationship with God, but rather what connects us to that relationship. We are called to follow the Person of Christ, not a set of beliefs.
1 Corinthians 15:58|
“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”
We live unashamed when we are willing to give. Whenever the topic of “giving” is discussed, people might become a little uncomfortable. I’m okay with that. God is okay with that too. Being someone who is unashamed of the Gospel is reflected in our obedience to sharing the story with others, having a boldness to confront others in regard to sin, being confident and making a stand for Christ and against the darkness and living our lives in a way that honors God. The gospel alone brings about that transformation.
Our work is just as vital to the Christian lifestyle. Giving means my time, my talents and my finances. Here’s some truth for us all. If I go to my day job and I have a bad attitude towards my co-workers and those I interact with at my job; I am ashamed of the gospel. I must remember that no matter what I do, I am called to live in the name of Jesus and bring glory to God through my actions.
It is the power of the Gospel that transforms lives. It is the love of Christ that reaches people. It is the kindness of God our Father that leads people to repentance. It is the Holy Spirit that leads guides and convicts. As the church, we are part of God’s plan to reach the world around us.
Believers are on a search and rescue mission for the cause of Christ. We are called to be the light of the world, to be salt of the world and to reflect Jesus with our words, our deeds and reveal the love of God to the lost. We are called to be searching for others who are searching for the same freedom that we have been given through Christ.
I know we can spot problems within the body of Christ. We can see false teachers on the rise and we can claim that people just aren’t committed anymore. We can look at the New Testament church and say that the movement is dying but the truth is this: God is on the move. God is still God and Jesus is still Lord of his church. We may have problems but even the New Testament church had problems too.
The unity that we are called to as the body of Christ is that we recognize Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. We follow Christ alone. The unity of the church exists when Christ is exalted, the Spirit of God is the one leading, God is the Father, love is at core of what we do and the mission of Christ is embraced as a way of life.
We live in a world that is exposed to hopelessness and emptiness and our response should always be to reflect the life and love of Christ. In our state of emergency, we ought to reflect, not the problems the world has but that the enemy has been defeated. Sin has lost its power to keep people captive. When we speak the Word of God, we release the power of God. We are to rise above that which holds us back and keeps us down. We are to imitate Christ, not the world around us. We are transformed people and as such, we should transform the cities around us.
As believers, we all have a testimony that can change the world. Our testimony is a reflection that Christ is alive in us. We are ambassadors for Christ. We are sons and daughters of God, living out his love. We are the hands and feet of Jesus.
My prayer for anyone who reads this book is simply that Jesus returns to you in a real and personal way. That through Christ alone, you are given the strength to overcome whatever battle you are facing. My prayer is that Christ gives you the strength to rest in his finished work. My prayer is that you are led to the cross and you fall to your knees and you recapture the love of Christ and the passion that once burned reignites. My prayer for all of us is simply that Jesus rebuilds our passion for the lost, he becomes the strength in what we say that our efforts to evangelize are awakened and that unity is pursued for the sake of the Kingdom.
We are the people of God, saved by grace through faith and called to the mission of loving the world around us and making disciples of all nations.
