30th May 2020
THE GOSPEL IGNOMINIES
David Abankwah
READ: 2 Timothy 1:8-11
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.
-Romans 1:16 | NKJV
The Gospel ignominies are those who who feel deep personal humiliation, disgraceful or dishonorable conduct, quality, or action about themselves and those who preach the Gospel. There are many believers who are suffering from this spiritual disease. They believe Jesus Christ is there. They believe His Word is grace and truth. They believe the Great Commission that, lost souls need to be saved, yet, they are not willing to preach the Gospel. They don’t even make an attempt. They feel intimidated for even mentioning the name ‘Jesus Christ’ before unbelievers. They have fear that something will happen to them when they preach the Gospel before other religions.
With the fear of unable to go through the persecutions meted out for preachers, the Gospel ignominies lack the bluntness to face its sufferings. Many believers can advertise about their secular workplaces. They are best when it comes to product and service commercials but these same people find it shameful to preach the Gospel. Such people don’t want other people to know who they are in the Lord. Hiding yourself from the work of God is not humility but shamefulness. You can’t be a Christian, if what you know best doing is to serve God for yourself and not sharing your faith. Where will we be if Jesus Christ was selfish?
Inability to evangelise and win souls is a indirect saying that, the first coming of Jesus Christ was a foolish decision! You want to say eternal life is in vain. You want to say God was unwise to give His Son for us. You want to insinuate that, the Gospel lacks the power to save. When you are ashamed of the Gospel, there is sin in you. Shame is the presence of guilt and where guilt goes, sin accompanies too. When you find it shameful to preach about fornication, then it means the Spirit of lust lives in you. When you find it a shame to preach about theft, then it means you are a secret armed robber, just that you have not been caught by the police yet.
The Gospel is a stumblingblock to the Gospel ignominies (1 Corinthians 1:23). The shamefulness of the Gospel is foolishness to those who don’t preach it (1 Corinthians 1:23). The shamefulness of the Gospel is an indirect saying that you are selfish about your salvation and envious of the salvation of the lost. It is an indirect saying that you want the lost to go to hell. The Gospel ignominies don’t have the mindset of Jesus Christ in them (Philippians 2:5). If you can gossip about unnecessary things, argue your lungs out, pull the strings of Christ-less debates, then you can do better by preaching the Gospel.
•| Prayer Diary |•
Lift up prayers for deliverance from the Spirit of shamefulness, fear, intimidation, and shyness for preaching the Gospel in the name of Jesus Christ.
Quote
The five-fold ministry is all about the restoration of the divine likeness that was lost in the Garden of Eden.
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© 2020 David Abankwah
David Abankwah 