Not Being Ashamed Of Christ

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DAILY DEVOTIONAL MONDAY AUGUST 19, 2002
(Romans 1:16)

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is God's powerful method of bringing all who believe it to heaven. This message was preached first to the Jews alone, but now everyone is invited to come to God in this same way.

Not being ashamed of Christ. One of the things that has puzzled me for so long, is why so many who know Christ as their Savior, seem to be ashamed of Him. I ask that question because there really could be no other explanation why we, the people of God, His church, are so afraid of telling this world that Jesus Christ really is the ONLY way, the ONLY truth, the ONLY life. I watch this world promote itself each and every day. Slick Madison Avenue ad campaigns, incredible marketing efforts, a blatant boldness about things that have no redeeming qualities to them at all. The world is not ashamed of the things they believe in and go to extraordinary measures to get its message to the masses. Yet those of us who know Jesus Christ in the pardon of our sins, seem to be content to sit back and keep this life transforming information to ourselves. The only conclusion I come to is that we either don't really believe what we say we believe in, or we are ashamed to be identified as followers of Christ.

Let me say here, that there have been many, many bold servants of the Lord who have gone out to proclaim the God News of Jesus Christ in a very visible way. Many people have a personal relationship with Christ today because of their boldness. Which is exactly the point I am making. The Kingdom needs more people to get serious about promoting Jesus in a bold and visible way to the world at large. A popular beer company has created a fad with their ad campaign of friends greeting each other in a special way.... whats uppppppppppppp. That is an example of a marketing campaign to promote their product to the public at large, and trust me, it has worked.

I am not suggesting that the church needs to do anything off base or gross to promote the Gospel, but we need to be sensitive to the culture we live in and be able to get our message to the masses in an effective way. Listen, this is not a test run, we get one very short opportunity here in this lifetime. When it is over it is over. Why should we be holding back? Why should we be hanging onto the absolute TRUTH of God's Word like some classified government secret that we leak out in drips and drabs. It is time to get bold, creative, and fearless in sharing our faith with this lost and dying world.

One of the things that has upset me more than anything over the last 10 years has been the psychic hotlines. Here is something the Bible clearly says is rooted in the pits of hell itself. The companies promote these services as an "answer to your problems". There are so many people out there hurting and going through difficult times, people in many cases the church has totally missed, and they become sitting ducks. Not only do they get into bondage to this garbage, but of course end up in financial troubles from all of the money they pay for these "answers." The church of Jesus Christ has the one TRUE answer and we sit passively and watch this happen. This is wrong, and we are going to be held accountable by God for possessing the truth and not sharing it with this world that is hurting and in search for answers in their life.

I want this message today to really make you think personally, about what you can do to be a bold witness for Christ. God has blessed so many of you with great talents and gifts to be able to reach the lost. We do a fair job of internal maintenance, but the job of the church is not to just maintain the saints, but to go out and bring people to Christ. God is looking for boldness among His people. He is looking for creativity among His people. It is time to quit hiding our candle under the bushel, but hold it proudly for all the world to see.

I love you and care about you so much. I pray today that you will be challenged and encouraged since we each have a responsibility for getting His message out to the world. Let's not be ashamed of the Gospel, but proud of it. We need to be boldly visible in every facet of society. Next to the slick ad campaign for the newest snack food, needs to be a slick ad for people to know more about this guy called Jesus. In the magazine promoting the newest make-up, needs to be an ad for helping others like Jesus did. We need to be creative and bold to proclaim to this lost and dying world that Jesus is THE answer. I pray today that the Lord will inspire you, open your heart and mind, and use you to help bring forth to this hurting world the love and hope we know in His son Jesus Christ.

Never forget that I am here for you in your time of need. Don't ever hesitate to contact me so that I can be in prayer for you and your situation. Many of you have issues and questions that you need answered, and I will do my best to get you sound, Biblical direction to help you. The Bible tells us to bear each others burdens, so always know that I am here to help share yours. Jesus loves you and wants to bless you in ways you cannot begin to imagine.

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com.

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