Are You Preaching The Gospel?

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!...For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more; and to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might win those who are under the law; to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law; to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." (1 Corinthians 9:16, 19-22, NKJV)

Apostle Paul did not consider preaching the Gospel as something extraordinary. He felt, for a Christian, it was the obvious thing to do. He did not expect to receive accolades, applause and commendations from people for preaching the Gospel. He considered it to be one of the most fundamental responsibilities of any truly born-again Christian. As far as he was concerned there were no excuses. It was a God-given task that had to be accomplished at all times. Do you feel that way about the Gospel?

Let us remind ourselves that Apostle Paul was simply obeying the command of Jesus, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). His commitment to Jesus and understanding of the Gospel, I believe, motivated his determination to reach all people by all means necessary. No stone was to be left unturned.

In Romans 1:16, Apostle Paul writing to the Roman believers stated, "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." A reluctance to preach the Gospel is an indication of an underlying apprehension of the Gospel. For a true Christian, the communication of the Gospel should be like inhaling and exhaling air. The Gospel should be our manifesto. Incidentally, many Christians have been deceived by the devil to think that our needs are the top priority of our lives. Nothing is farther from the truth. In terms of priority, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness comes first (Matthew 6:33). What is the Gospel?

"Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve." (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)

The birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus for the sins of mankind is the summary of the Gospel. Why did Jesus come to earth? That whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). By keeping silent about the Gospel, we do the people of the world a great injustice; we become participants in the devil's scheme to keep as many people as possible ignorant of the truth and power of the Gospel. We don't have to look too far to find out what our primary calling is - PREACHING THE GOSPEL. God calls every Christian to preach the Gospel and be a witness for Jesus. You do not need a pulpit for the preaching of the Gospel; you don't have to be an apostle a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, a teacher to preach the Gospel. The moment you are born again, God ordains you into the ministry of reconciliation and you become a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

The question before you is: Will you preach the Gospel? The message of the Gospel is so simple and can be understood by everybody irrespective of race, background, beliefs or inclinations. God is calling you today to be a minister of the Gospel. You have the responsibility to tell people about Jesus in your area of influence. Will you?

Finally, we must be aware that the consequences for not preaching. "Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand." (Ezekiel 33:1-6)

We are watchmen appointed by God to be on the alert for souls. Remember, there is no exit from hell. If you miss Heaven, you can never miss hell. There is no purgatory and no second chance once life on earth is over. Our neighbors, friends, acquaintances, enemies must be warned of the impending danger and also given an opportunity to make intelligent decisions about God, Jesus and salvation. Granted that it is customary to feel overwhelmed by the requirement to preach the Gospel, we must depend on God. It's not by might or power but by the grace of God (Zechariah 4:6). God bless you and empower you to be a vessel of honor in His hands bringing the Good News to as many people as God brings your way. Have a blessed day.