Unashamed

by Natalie Maglaris

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” -Romans 1:16

Have you ever found yourself intimidated to share your faith? Maybe it was out of fear of sounding foolish or not wanting to seem close-minded and offend someone. As believers in Christ, we are called to share the “good news,” so why is it so hard for some of us?

Most of us know the Scriptures well enough that we should be confident in His commission. Despite understanding the gospel, there’s been more than one occasion the fear of man has gotten the best of me, and I have not shared my faith with others. Romans 1:16 is a reminder that we are not to be ashamed of the gospel and that it is the power of God for salvation to all who believe. This a good verse for us to memorize and rehearse.
   
The truth is that the gospel is offensive. Not everyone is going to accept what we tell them, but there will be some people who do. A good reminder for us, is that if we trust Jesus, we can trust that the gospel truly is “good news.” Despite how someone may receive it, it is life changing. In fact, it is life-giving. It is not our responsibility to change hearts; it is God’s. We are messengers.
 
Mark 16:16 says that "He (Jesus) said to them, 'Go into all the world. Preach the good news to everyone.'"
 
   Jesus spoke these words to his disciples. The ones that we read about in the book of Acts who turned the world upside down. He commissions us to do the same. Acts 4:13 says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” How encouraging this is to those of us who feel unequipped and “unschooled”.  

God uses “ordinary” women and men to astonish the world. If we look back to Mark 16 and read verse 20, we see that God worked with the disciples as they went out and proclaimed the gospel. He gave them authority and He gives it to us too. So, brothers and sisters let us take courage, pray and build ourselves in our most Holy faith when we’re feeling intimidated. Let’s remember God is with us and there is power in the gospel.