Unashamed
Submitted by Paul Barnes on June 29, 2010 - 3:20pm.One of my favorite songs, not a new song by any means, says "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ." That comes from the apostle Paul's famous line in Romans 1:16, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."
What amazes me is that those people who are not Christians often find it unfathomable that followers of Christ are reluctant to witness. They will say things like, "If I believed what you claim to believe, you would not be able to silence me." David Harsanyi, who writes for the Denver Post, had an op-ed piece in the Columbus Dispatch on Monday (6.28.10) about this subject. Harsanyi is an atheist. He says, "Everyone has the right to proselytize, after all, to try to convince others that their moral, religious, economic, political or ideological notions are best. Even my fellow atheists are getting in on this game." He writes about what he calls our "aversion to conversion." He quotes Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a former Muslim human rights activist who says she "believes that Christians should become more active in countering the growing reach of Islamic radicalism in the Western world with their own outreach program." Harsanyi expects Christians to state their position and witness for their Savior. He says, "I am no Christian. Never have been. But even a God denier cannot alter history. It would be difficult not to concede that liberty, tolerance, basic rights of women, education, free inquiry, free speech and freedom of religion thrive in predominantly Christian nations." Isn't it amazing that those who patently reject Christianity are encouraging Christian to get with the program and present their message!
Folks, not only do we have the right to share Christ with others - we have the need to share, we are commanded to share Christ, we have a mandate to share Christ. We have to get over that "aversion to conversion" and present Christ and his gospel at every opportunity. If you had the greatest news in the world, you would not be able to keep silent. You do have the greatest news in the world! Share the message!
