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. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

—Romans 1:16-17 (TNIV)

Are you ashamed of the Gospel? Are you eager to share the Good News with others or have you let secular culture beat you into submission and silence? Do you have News that is Good or just half good (or not good at all)? Are you worried that you will be labeled a religious nut or a bigot or narrow-minded or intolerant, etc., etc.? Are you afraid to share the Gospel because doing so would not be respectful of diversity and risk offending the senses of others?

Paul had no such reservations and he lived in an empire that was overtly hostile to the fledgling Christian faith. In fact, Paul gave his life for the Gospel—literally. He spread the Good News wherever he was and suffered insults, beatings, threats, and alienation by those who hated the cross. He did so because as he tells us today, the Gospel is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.

Yesterday we saw that the Gospel is from God and not a human invention. If this is so, then sharing the Good News with others literally is a matter of life and death. Paul knew the One who loved him and claimed him forever. He knew the stakes and he loved others enough to want to share real life with them, not something that masqueraded as life.

If you believe the Good News but are reluctant to share it with others, then you might really be ashamed of it, assuming you know what the Good News is really all about. When you stand before the judgment seat of Christ, do you think he is going to be interested in secularism or diversity or anything else that opposes the Gospel? Or do you think he is going to want to know why you claimed to have Good News but didn’t want to share it with others?

We live in a world today that desperately needs to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Will you do your part to share it with others as opportunities permit in the course of your natural interactions with others each day? When you fully understand what God in Christ has done for you, there is no reason to be ashamed of the Gospel or let yourself be bullied into silence by the various enemies of the cross. No, you will not be ashamed of the Gospel but rather you will be profoundly thankful that it exists.

If you really do have the Good News of Jesus Christ, then share it so that others may be exposed to its message of life.