5 Gospel Helps
We are surrounded by objections to different opportunities in life. “This costs too much” … “I’m happy with things as they are” … “I’ve done it this way for more than 25 years” … “How do I know you are the real deal” … “My family has always believed something different” … “I’m too busy” … “I need to see if my friend or spouse agrees.” Do some of these sound familiar when sharing God’s saving grace with someone else?
God has satisfied any objection to His gospel plan. The church must apply the gospel! However, we have all struggled with sharing the gospel at some point in our lives. What can we do about that struggle? Please grab a Bible and turn to Romans 10.
1. The Call for Freedom – (Romans 10:9-13)
Perhaps we have not rehearsed enough God’s call for freedom. Some do not understand how powerful this call for true freedom is, because they do not yet understand how desperate their situation is! They may even have everything they want in the here and now, so they have little to no desire to change anything.
Here’s the truth: what you have in the here and now is temporary. Maybe it seems good, but there is something much better. There is good, better, and best. Some may have what they think is best, but without Jesus, you only have good or better. Without Jesus there is separation from God for all eternity in hell, there is complete darkness in hell, there is pain that never ends in hell, and there is eternal judgement in the lake of fire in hell. But Jesus calls us all to something far more! He calls us to:
Freedom from the power of sin
Freedom from the penalty of sin
…and eventually, e calls us to freedom from the presence of sin (heaven)
This is GOSPEL-RECEIVING! (click on “gospel-receiving” to find out more)
I read the words of a well-known preacher recently that went something like this,
“The thing I look forward to most in heaven is not the streets of gold, or the heavenly mansions. What I most look forward to in heaven is the absence of sin.”
Have you answered the call for this freedom? It is available to anyone for the asking! If you have accepted this gift of amazing freedom, then wonderful! Who have you told of this amazing news?
2. The Call for Objections (Romans 10:14-15)
A soap manufacturer and a pastor were walking together down a street in a large city. The soap manufacturer casually said, “The Gospel you preach hasn’t done much good, has it? Just observe. There is still a lot of wickedness in the world, and a lot of wicked people, too!”
The pastor made no reply until they passed a dirty little child making mud pies in the gutter. Seizing the opportunity, the pastor said, “I see that soap hasn’t done much good in the world either; for there is much dirt, and many dirty people around.”
The soap man said, “Oh, well, soap is only useful when it is applied.”
And the pastor said, “Exactly, so it is with the Gospel.” (Source: 1002 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking, Michael Hodgin)
God has satisfied any objection to His gospel plan, but the believer must still apply the gospel! This is GOSPEL-LIVING!
How are people supposed to hear this good news? What keeps them from hearing the gospel? The answer is “me.” I am the one called to spread the word of the good news. I am my own biggest struggle! The truth is, we all are called! So, what keeps us from it?
This week I did a quick survey on social media. I simply asked, “what are the roadblocks or struggles that keep you from consistency of a gospel witness.” 22 people responded and several had multiple answers. Here are the results for gospel witness struggles:
7-Fear of rejection or loss of relationship
4-Fear of mockery
4-Lack of Bible knowledge
3-Time/Schedule/Priorities
2-Not knowing answers to questions that come up
2-Thinking on your feet to respond, finding the right words
2-Myself
1- Fear of being misunderstood & stereotyped
1-Fear of getting in trouble with the law
Here are the results for roadblocks:
1-Respect for a family member, telling them they are wrong
1-Increasing number with no “absolute truth” world view
Just as knowing that soap will clean the dirt off our hands does nothing for us until we use it, knowing the facts of the Gospel does nothing for a man until he personally applies them. So, staying in the position of my struggle for years on end is not an excuse. We find God’s path past the human struggle to freely talk of God’s saving grace. For example:
Start with prayer. Does my daily prayer life include petitions for strength, wisdom, knowledge to share the gospel (Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 7:7-8; John 15:7)?
Rehearse Your Gift. Do I find myself thinking about the gift God gave ME? On a daily basis, do I think about the sacrifice He made for me? Do I rehearse regularly about the immense love God has for me, even in my own struggles (John 3:16-18)?
Live in Reality. God has commanded me to witness (Matthew 28:19-20). My lack of witness is disobedience. Jesus went through much more for me than He is asking of me (John 19-20). Jesus is always with me (Proverbs 15:3; Hebrews 13:5). Jesus promises to help me (Acts 1:8). I will give an account to God almighty (Romans 14:12).
Grow. It is one thing to say we do not know all the answers today, but we do know where we can find the answers for tomorrow! So, start studying the Bible like someone’s life depends on your growing knowledge of the Bible. We cannot spend our lives using these struggles as our excuse for disobedience. We must grow in grace (II Timothy 2:15; II Peter 3:18)!
Look into the Future. Make it a daily choice to remember what my future looks like…and what the future of lost souls looks like?
3. The Call for Observations
“Who hath believed our report?” (Romans 10:16)
Isaiah 53:1. Emphatically stated by Isaiah of those in his day, “Few or none have believed.” He is speaking specifically of the message about the Messiah that Isaiah delivered. The Isaiah passage also implies the same would happen when the Messiah came. In Isaiah 53, Isaiah begins to state why the Messiah would be rejected.
“So, then faith cometh by hearing….” (Romans 10:17)
All that hear will not obey. All that hear will not heed the call of the only path for salvation. We need to anticipate there will be some “nos.” Remember that every “no” you hear only gets you closer to the “yes!” However, to obey you must hear the message. The message is the Word of God. It is forgiveness of sin through a relationship with Jesus Christ alone.
“Have they not heard?” (Romans 10:18)
The reference to “they” seems to refer to the Gentiles. The apostle emphatically affirms the Gentiles have heard.
“Yes, verily” – an intense expression denoting strong affirmation.
This last phrase, “their sound went out” – is taken largely from Psalm 19:4 … “their sound” – references a string instrument or voice – they have spoken or declared truth.
So, summing it up…
1. The world is in danger without the gospel.
2. The provisions of the gospel are more than enough.
3. The commands of Jesus remain the same (“preach the gospel to every creature”). They have never changed nor repealed.
4. People must be sent out!
5. God will withdraw His favor from nations disobedient and rebellious
Christopher Sercye was playing basketball with his friends on May 16, 1998 when he was shot in the chest, and a bullet perforated his aorta. His friends helped him get to within forty feet of the entrance to Ravenswood Hospital and then went inside and asked for help. The hospital staff refused to help Christopher saying that it was against the hospital’s policies to administer aid to those outside the hospital. Eventually a policeman was able to get a wheelchair and wheeled Christopher into the hospital where he was helped by the hospital staff. It was too late, however, and Christopher died about an hour later.
Many times it seems that churches are surrounded by people that desperately need to hear the Gospel, yet Christians are content to share it only with those that manage to come inside their church. (Source: An Introduction to Healthcare Organizational Ethics, Robert T. Hall)
Today’s missionary is racing to get to the Philippines to help those in need of the gospel…and looking to help many others along the way. Who would God have us to help along our path this week?