When
Paul wrote "I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God
for salvation to everyone who believes..." (Rom 1:16), he took an
unyielding, unequivocal stand for the Gospel and became a marked man by
ungodly people. But Paul knew the power of the gospel because it
radically transformed him and it also bring a fallen world from sin and
death to victory and eternal life in Christ.. If you've been touched by
the power of this gospel, you have no excuse to be ashamed and every
reason for hope and joy. Because in Him you have your true identity,
legacy and destiny. Life out now who you really are in Christ Jesus.
Dr.
Robert Morehead tells the story a young man from Rwanda who was forced
by his tribe in 1980 to renounce Christ or face death. He refused to
renounce Christ, and he was murdered on the spot. The night before he
had written the following commitment which was found in his room: Can
you make this kind of commitment for the Gospel of Christ and become a
member of the Fellowship of the Unashamed?
"I
am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit
Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision
has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let
up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present
makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low
living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,
tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.
"I
no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits,
or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized,
praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith,
love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
"My
pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my
way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is
clear.
I
cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back,
diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice,
hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the
enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of
mediocrity.
"I
won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up,
prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I
am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I
drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.
"And
when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me.
My colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it
is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.."
(Romans 1:16)."
These
"No Matter What the Cost" disciples of Jesus Christ are the ones who
consider the cost of God's call on their lives and then with perfect
freedom and with a clear understanding that this road will be very
difficult - overwhelming at times - they choose to answer by saying,
’Here am I Lord! Send me’ (Isaiah 6:8)
The Fellowship of the Unashamed are also the ones who like Paul in Phillippians 3:5-11 boldly proclaimed:
"But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead."
Dave Brown, WACMM Director and Pastor-at-Large
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