Sunday Omori
I read a story of how a woman’s godly character made her husband and his friends to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This man wept when he surrendered to Jesus because his wife always tolerated his ungodly lifestyle and endured his ill-treatment. The worst happened when he went home one night with his friends for dinner without giving his wife prior information, in a bid to test whether she will maintain her godly character. He woke his wife up to prepare dinner and as she served them later, he angrily threw away the food complaining that it was not well prepared. As his wife apologized and was about going to prepare another meal for them, he broke down in tears and promised to follow her to church.
While children of God can lead unbelievers to Christ through their godly lifestyles and manifestations, it is important that they also share with unbelievers or sinners the gospel of Jesus Christ and testimonies of what God has done for them through various channels. Many believers are ashamed of Jesus Christ and because of flimsy excuses, they have failed to lead any lost soul to Christ since they accepted Him.
Flimsy Excuses
Some believers are too busy to prioritize preaching the gospel, some feel inadequate while others feel that friends, colleagues and family members would laugh at them. I believe that if one takes a poll to ask some believers why they do not preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the neighborhood and other places, they would have so many reasons that will add to my list. Be it as it may, some believers are yet to understand who they are in Christ and are yet to be fully convicted of Christ. At the point of conviction, the Apostle Paul asked the Holy Spirit about what God wants him to do in His Kingdom. This prayer point is missing in the list of prayers some children of God offer daily as they are after what they want God to do for them.
As children of God, our number one assignment is to preach the gospel as Jesus Christ commanded in Mark 16:15 – “He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”. This is because He does not desire that any sinner or lost soul should perish (See 2nd Peter 3:9) with Satan and He wants God’s Kingdom to expand. The equation of the salvation of unbelievers in not complete without committed preachers of the gospel. For this reason, Paul asked how the unbelievers shall hear the gospel without a preacher. He was not referring to just pastors, evangelists or missionaries.
“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14)
Paul also declared, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth..” Can you and I boldly make such a passionate declaration?
Dangers of being Ashamed of Christ
Jesus Christ has warned those who are disobeying His commandment of soul winning that He will be ashamed of them before the Father in the day of judgment.
“Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)
As a believer, are you reluctant to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to sinners because you feel you will be humiliated or embarrassed? What is your dominant post or conversation on social media and other platforms? It is high time we arose to obey the great commission. It is high we took the good news to the poor, to those who are about to commit suicide, to those who feel unloved, to those who are dejected, to those who are in the valley of confusion, to those who are raping innocent girls, to those who are causing violence and committing all manner of crimes; the list continues. By so doing, our world would be a better place for human co-existence.
The blind cannot lead the blind. So if you are offending God through your lifestyle and you are yet to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, say this prayer: Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I receive You as my Lord and Savior; I believe that You came, died for me and rose again to save me. Conform me to Your likeness. I declare that I am born again. Amen!
Congratulations, if you said that prayer. May the Almighty God grant you the grace to lead lost souls to Christ.
HEM Int'l 