For I am not ashamed

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ ”
 (Romans 1:16–17)

Am I not ashamed of the gospel? Am I living by faith?

Yikes. When I first try to answer, I think, “Of course I am! I’m a Christian so that’s an automatic yes, right?” No.

A bit of backstory: I have been on a few missions trips around the world and I have one that will take place next summer. My first missions trip I was 13 and was with several adults so they were the ones sharing their testimonies. I was a lot more reserved then (I still am, just not as much) and most people we spoke to just were not interested in listening to a child. And other missions trips I went on weren’t focused so much on individual testimonies but more on connecting people to the local church. I still had to provide my personal testimony to “apply” to go on the trip, but other than that I haven’t used it much.

For this upcoming missions trip, we were told to practice sharing our testimony because it’s a lot of what we’ll be doing on the trip. And I froze. I didn’t know where to start since I haven’t done it in so long.

So why am I not sharing my testimony or sharing the gospel with others?

“I’m scared of what they’ll say.”

“I’m scared they’ll reject it or me.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m scared I’ll say the wrong thing.”

“It’s not the right time or place.”

I think there is some shame at the root of all of those answers. But what is there to be ashamed about? I have the greatest news in the world! And it’s available for everyone! We should be sharing it! I think it’s no surprise that John 3:16 is the most quoted verse of the Bible. It’s such a great picture of the gospel in just a few words. But I also think it can be looked over quickly and the magnitude of it can be watered-down if you aren’t careful.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

I’m going to take some time this week to meditate on this verse and on God’s love. The I am going to practice sharing my testimony with people I trust to give me helpful and honest feedback as I prepare for this trip. And then I am just going to start sharing it with others. People I know aren’t believers and people who I don’t know.

I know it’s going to be tough getting over my own hesitation, but I have a renewed awareness of the love in this verse and in the hope to share it with others.


 

Hannah Muñoz is a regular contributor to The Scroll. She also is the digital editor for The Alabama Baptist/TAB Media. She graduated from Samford University in 2017 and is a member of The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham.

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