17
Apr '20
Eager to Preach
17
Apr '20
Romans 1:15 says, “So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.”
That sentence burns with a passionate fire for the gospel, for the God of the Gospel, and for the lost to hear the Gospel. Paul was eager. He was ready and willing to preach. Not his preferences, not his pet peeves, Paul was eager to preach the gospel. Should we be any different?
Life had but one value for Paul. To do the Lord’s work. Paul was consumed by an eager desire to glorify God. He served his Lord with a cheerful and joyful readiness, and in so doing he served others also. This zeal of service was evident in the “faithful men” that Paul mentored. Men like Epaphroditus who, Paul said in Philippians 2:30, “For the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.” Of course, Paul penned those words while in prison for unapologetically proclaiming the gospel!
With All Our Might!
Paul said, “as much as in me is…” that’s passion. Paul had given himself completely to the mission that Christ had given him. Every church has the same mission: going, winning, baptizing, and teaching! Have we given all? Are you willing to give as much as is in you? Our Lord has not asked for little pieces and parts of our lives. Serving Jesus is not about convenience and comfort. We are to serve our Lord and Savior with all our might, offering Him our time…our talent…our treasure…our totality of being so that we might see others rescued from the wages of sin. As J.I. Packer said in Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, the driving force of this evangelistic zeal is a love of God and concern for His glory, and a love of man and concern for his welfare.
Love for the Lost
Having compassion on those in need is Christ-like. Such compassion should mark us and motivate our evangelism. This certainly marked Paul’s evangelism. He loved Jews and Gentiles alike, and he was motivated to become “weak” if necessary in order to “save some.”
We all know what it is like to share good news with someone (having a baby, been promoted, found a job, got a raise, bought a car, the Reds’ won!). We are excited to share good news with others because we know they’ll benefit from hearing it. We know they’ll like it. So we want to be the one who shares the good news.
Can you imagine being less excited about telling someone the infinitely better news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Yet too often I am. How about you?
Love for the Lord
The greatest motivating force for our whole life, including evangelism, must be our love for Christ. Only our love for Him, and more importantly, His love for us, will keep us on track. Ultimately, our motive in evangelism must be a desire to make God’s glory known. When we tell the truth about God to His creation, they benefit and He is glorified!
The call to evangelism is a call to turn our lives outward from focusing on ourselves and our needs to focusing on God and on others made in His image who are still at enmity with Him and in need of salvation from sin and its penalty.
Paul said, “As much as in me is.” Let’s give ourselves, with all our might, to this purpose, with this passion.
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