Romans 15
Recently I have been confronted with a
term that makes me feel a little uncomfortable. For over a decade now I have
been reading about “postmodernism” and the shift from belief in universal truth
to more pragmatic and relative view of truth. As this shift has taken place,
those who study such things have begun to call this shift in thinking “post-church.”
The idea is that we live in a society where the church is no longer the center
of truth and has lost most of its influence in the world.
At first this bothered me – actually, it
still bothers me. How could the truth that Jesus has died to pay for our sins
and risen to give us everlasting life be irrelevant to people? How can God’s
Law be seen as just one more voice in the babble of advice on how to live? But,
I have also come to see that this is an opportunity for us as God’s people.
Paul speaks of his desire to reach
people with the gospel in Romans 16 saying, “I make it my ambition to preach
the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on
someone else's foundation, but as it is written, ‘Those who have never
been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.’” Basically,
he is saying to the Roman believers, “Hey, I am really glad you are my brothers
and sisters in Christ. I am thrilled that you have salvation. I can’t wait to
spend a little time with you. However, my passion, my deepest desire is to tell
people who have never heard about Jesus that God sent Him to save all of us
from our sins because He loves us so much!”
My own experience in sharing the gospel
with people who don’t know Jesus is sadly limited. When I think about it, I
sometimes feel scared at how they might react to the message of sin and grace.
It is easier to just be nice to people and do good without ever actually
talking about Jesus. However, the times I have shared Jesus’ love with people
who didn’t know Him, the experience of seeing someone hear the gospel for the
first time, is incredible – joy, life, celebration!
God is bringing people to us who do not
know the Lord. We are now surrounded by them. Instead of being intimidated by
that, let’s realize that God has them and us right where He wants us – right where
we can share the hope we have for life and forgiveness in Jesus with them.
Lord, give me Paul’s passion for sharing
Jesus with people who don’t know Him, and fill me with joy to tell them about
You. Amen.
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