14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. Romans 1:14-19
Evangelism is worship. Worship is not only coming to church and singing a few songs. Worship is about how we live our lives. Why is it necessary for us to evangelize? To entrepreneurs, it said to find the real need and when you do, find a solution. Paul makes it clear what the need is for mankind. He says that mankind is sinful and needs a Saviour. In Romans 5:20-21, he gives the solution to that need, Jesus Christ.
In verse 14 of Romans 1, Paul says that he is obligated. He is indebted to the Greeks and non Greeks. One would think that he would be obligated to God but this was not what he was implying. Why is he obligated to them? In Romans 1:5, Paul says that we received grace and apostleship to call and to evangelize. He is here, he has been given a gift to evangelize. Grace is not only needed for salvation but also for our Christian walk. Whatever we are called to do, God gives us grace. Without His grace, we would be ineffective. When Paul recognized his obligation, he became eager about sharing the gospel. He accepted the call and went forth. The church is falling short of what they have been called to do. If we don’t feel the obligation to share the gospel to others then we are missing something in our Christian walk.
We cannot say that we were always Christians (Romans 3:9-11, Ephesians 2:8-9). We cannot say that we never sinned. We have all fall short of the glory of God. We have to be careful of not judging and condemning people. We hate the sin but not the sinner. Jesus died for all sins and for all sinners. God doesn’t hate the sinner but the sin. If we are obligated, evangelism would be apart of us. It would be on our mind. If we don’t think that evangelism is a duty, we wouldn’t care about the person who is living in the world or the person who is going to commit suicide. This isn’t what God has called us to do. We are called to deny ourselves and to be about the Father’s business. There are many people who have not heard about Jesus. There are many people, old and young who do not know that someone loves them. Many young people only use the name of Jesus when swearing and cursing. We have an obligation to the generation who does not know Christ.
In Romans 1:16, Paul says that he is not ashamed of the gospel. He was one who tortured and persecuted the church. If anyone was to be ashamed, it was him. Paul who was named Saul, played a part in the death of Stephen (Acts 7:56-58). Yet he said that he was not ashamed. Jesus redeemed him and delivered him from his past life. Paul’s life was filled with many hardships and tribulations (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). We need not to be afraid of what may happen when we evangelize. We have an obligation.
Why We Shouldn’t Feel Ashamed?
– The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to those who believe.Salvation is brought to us through the gospel. People need to hear the gospel. They need to hear the truth. They may not know that they have a need but we do.
– The gospel reveals the righteousness of God to us. We need the righteousness of God in our lives. God doesn’t see our mistakes and our failures but He sees His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
– God’s wrath is being revealed to all ungodliness and all unrighteous people (Romans 1:18). The world needs to escape the wrath of God but they can only do that through salvation which comes through the gospel. Sharing the gospel is not a waste of time. When we share, we plant a seed.
– Everyone is suppressing the truth of the knowledge of God (Romans 1:19-20). It is in our DNA to know God.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
– Was I always saved and committed to Christ?
– Did I ever have a need for God’s grace and mercy towards salvation?
– Now that I have received the gift of salvation, do I regret it?
– Are there any other persons in my family, relatives, friends, colleagues or community who I could grant the opportunity of this abundant life that is offered freely?
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