Romans 1:13-16
In 2 Timothy 4:5 we read:
“5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5)
This verse tells us that our work is the work of the gospel, and that our ministry is the ministry of evangelists.
The apostle Paul had the heart of an evangelist, and he wanted his own attitude toward the Christian’s central ministry to be passed on to his disciple Timothy as well.
What is in the heart of an evangelist? In Romans 1:13-16 the apostle Paul reveals his attitude toward the gospel:
“13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:13-16)
FRUITFUL
In verse 13 the apostle Paul tells us that his desire is to have a harvest, to be a fruitful evangelist. In this the Holy Spirit is urging us to have the same desire. I love Proverbs 11:30 very much. There it says:
“30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.” (Proverbs 11:30)
If we are righteous, it is because we have believed the gospel and have been justified by faith. But if we are not only righteous but also wise, then we will win souls for the Lord by sharing the gospel with them. Then our fruit will be “a tree of life.”
In the verses that follow, the apostle Paul makes three confessions concerning the gospel. He said:
“I am obligated”;
“I am eager”;
“I am not ashamed.”
If these three confessions become ours as well, then we too will have fruit, and our fruit will last. This is our calling, the very thing for which we were chosen by the Lord. In John 15:16 the Lord Jesus said:
“16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” (John 15:16)
Here is how the apostle Paul fulfilled that for which he was appointed:
1. He was aware of the responsibility he had toward all people — the responsibility to share the gospel with them. In verse 14 he says:
“14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.”
2. The apostle Paul was not only aware of his evangelistic duty, he was also ready to fulfill it. In verse 15 he continues:
“15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.”
3. The apostle Paul knew the power of the gospel — for him it was an honor to be an evangelist. In verse 16 he completes his thought, saying:
“16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”
I. THE CHRISTIAN’S DUTY TO THE GOSPEL (Romans 1:14)
In verse 14 the apostle Paul says, “I am obligated.” In other words — “I am a debtor.” The Greek word for debtor that he uses — “opheiletes” — describes an obligation that must be met and a loan that must be repaid. It is also used for a moral obligation to someone or to something, such as military duty, civic duty, or marital duty.
THE EVANGELISTIC DUTY
From the use of this word we can conclude that just as there is military, civic, and marital duty, so there is also an evangelistic duty. The evangelistic duty is our moral obligation to evangelize, that is, to share the good news of Christ with other people.
The duty that the apostle Paul had toward the gospel was a duty entrusted to him by Christ himself. In 2 Timothy 1:11 the apostle Paul reminds us that he was appointed to be an evangelist:
“10 … Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher.” (2 Timothy 1:10-11)
In Acts 26, in his defense before King Agrippa, the apostle Paul recounts in detail how this came about:
“9 I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities. 12 On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. 19 So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.” (Acts 26:9-19)
The apostle Paul truly was not disobedient to the “vision from heaven.” As soon as he repented of his sins and turned to the Lord, he began to turn others to him as well. We find proof of this in Acts 9:17-20:
“17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.” (Acts 9:17-20)
CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS
The apostle Paul was appointed as an evangelist by the Lord. But can we say the same of ourselves? Thankfully, yes. Today God does not appoint us through a supernatural vision, but through his word. This appointment, however, is no less authoritative. The Great Commission at the end of the Gospels and the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles applies to all Christians of all times. In brief it reads (Mark 16:15):
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)
With these words of his, the Lord Jesus Christ authorizes us to be evangelists. In 2 Corinthians 3:2-3 we are told that we ourselves are “a letter from Christ” to the people around us:
“2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3)
What is more, according to 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, as evangelists we carry the authority of God’s ambassadors:
“18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
A TWOFOLD RESPONSIBILITY
The apostle Paul could say, “I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven,” but can we say, “We were not disobedient to the word of Christ”?
A day is coming when God will call us to account for how faithfully we have fulfilled our evangelistic duty.
In Ezekiel 3:16-21 we read of God’s warning to the prophet. I believe, however, that it applies not only to him personally but is a principle that applies to us as well:
“16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 17 Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. 20 Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.” (Ezekiel 3:16-21)
The apostle Paul clearly had this very passage of God’s Word in mind when he said to the Jews of Corinth, “Your blood be on your own heads!” He could say it because he had fulfilled his evangelistic duty toward them. Once they went on rejecting the gospel and living in unbelief, they now had to bear the responsibility for their own souls. In Acts 18:6 we read:
“6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.’” (Acts 18:6)
May God help us also to be innocent of the blood of the people around us. May we never stop sharing the gospel with them. May we fulfill our part of the responsibility for their souls. If they listen to us — good. But if they do not listen to us, the guilt for their eternal ruin will be entirely their own.
May it be that one day, standing before the judgment seat of Christ, we do not hear the words: “This loved one of yours, or this friend, or this colleague, or this neighbor, was not saved, because you did not share the gospel with him. If you had told him about Me, he would have listened to you and been saved. But now the responsibility for his blood is yours.”
Our evangelistic duty is universal. It is a duty toward everyone — educated and uneducated, men and women, old and young, rich and poor, no matter whether they are Roma, Bulgarian, or Turkish. God wants to save everyone!
In our verse 14 the apostle Paul says:
“14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.” (Romans 1:14)
May God help us also, like the apostle Paul, to be aware of and to fulfill our evangelistic duty!
To be aware of our duty to share the gospel with all people is not enough. In order to fulfill it, we must prepare ourselves.
II. THE CHRISTIAN’S READINESS FOR THE GOSPEL (Romans 1:15)
In verse 15 the apostle Paul, having shared the sense of responsibility toward the gospel that he feels, continues by saying:
“15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.” (Romans 1:15)
In order to be able to evangelize, every Christian must have gone through one necessary preliminary preparation. It includes a personal testimony, familiarity with the Holy Scriptures, and being filled with the Holy Spirit.
A PERSONAL TESTIMONY
From the Acts of the Apostles we see that the main way in which the apostle Paul evangelized was by sharing his personal testimony. In it he recounts what he was like before he believed, how he met Jesus on the road to Damascus, and how his life was changed afterward.
In order for us to be evangelists, we must have experienced our own “personal encounter” with the Lord Jesus Christ. It may not be as dramatic as that of the apostle Paul or of some of our contemporaries, but it must be a fact. An encounter with Jesus means repentance and salvation — it means change. A personal testimony is a brief description of that change. Every believer has his own personal testimony. It is like a spiritual identification, a way for him to be identified as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.
Every personal testimony consists of three parts — what we were like before we believed, how we met Christ, and how our new relationship with the Lord changed our lives.
If we do not have a personal testimony, we are certainly not ready to be evangelists. Therefore, if we are truly serious in our desire to serve the Lord and to fulfill our evangelistic duty, it is best to take a pen and paper and write out our personal testimony. This will help us to examine it more carefully and, if needed, to edit it.
If we then learn it by heart, or learn to tell it smoothly, we will have passed the first level of preparation for successful evangelism. If we have difficulty putting our personal testimony together, we can turn to a more experienced believer or to the pastor of the church to receive the help we need in this respect.
The personal testimony is of special importance for our evangelism, but by itself it is often not enough. It matters what an individual person says about his own experience, but it matters even more what God says.
KNOWING THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
The Word of God gives added authority to our testimony. This is seen very clearly in the way the apostle Paul evangelized. In Acts 26:22-23 he shares what the substance of his preaching was:
“22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.” (Acts 26:22-23)
The apostle Paul’s testimony did not go beyond the bounds of the Old Testament canon of that time.
Our personal testimony must be in harmony with the written Word of God. If it differs from it in anything, then it is defective and must be corrected.
Therefore, as Christians and evangelists, we must not separate ourselves from the Bible, but read and study it every day, praying that the Holy Spirit would give us light to understand it and strength to apply it in our lives.
The last and decisive level in our preparation for evangelism, after our personal experience and our familiarity with the Holy Scriptures, is being filled with the Holy Spirit.
POWER FOR WITNESSING
The filling with the Spirit was so crucial and deemed so necessary by Jesus for the advance of the gospel that he charged his disciples not to leave Jerusalem at all until they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Any evangelism without the participation and power of the Spirit is doomed to failure. In Luke 24:46-49 the filling with the Spirit was called by the Lord being “clothed with power from on high”:
“46 He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’” (Luke 24:46-49)
The filling with the Spirit is truly decisive for the success of our evangelism. That is why every day we must pray in unknown tongues, sing spiritual songs, and pray to God for a new and fresh filling with the Holy Spirit.
A PASSION FOR EVANGELISM
Readiness is a special prerequisite for evangelism. Whenever evangelism takes place, it cannot happen or move forward if there is no readiness for it. In Ephesians 6:15, where the armor of God is described, this is said concerning evangelism:
“15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” (Ephesians 6:15)
When the apostle Paul says “I am eager” in Romans 1:15, he uses the Greek word “prothumos.” The prefix “pro” in this word means before, and “thumos” describes someone who breathes hard, someone passionate and fiery. So the word “prothumos” creates the picture of someone who is prepared in advance, trained, warmed up, standing at the starting line and only waiting for the referee’s signal to begin the contest or to launch into the race. In this light, the word “eager” means someone who is willing, impatient, and driving forward.
What does all this have to do with evangelism? In order to begin evangelizing, we must feel a certain holy indignation and outrage against sin. In Acts 17:16 Luke says of the apostle Paul:
“16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.” (Acts 17:16)
If a person feels what the apostle Paul felt in that moment in Athens, then he will not remain calm and indifferent. He will not stay silent, but will open his mouth and proclaim the truth that alone can deliver and bless!
Evangelism cannot be done by force or artificially. Every normal Christian ought to feel an inner necessity to evangelize. This is the same compulsion that God’s prophets felt to speak the word of the Lord. In Jeremiah 20:9 the prophet Jeremiah shares his inner struggle with the Word:
“9 But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (Jeremiah 20:9)
The apostle Paul felt the same thing in Corinth. In Acts 18:5 Luke writes of him:
“5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.” (Acts 18:5)
The apostles Peter and John felt the same inner compulsion when they evangelized the inhabitants of Jerusalem after Pentecost. No one — neither the prison nor the Sanhedrin — could stop them. In Acts 4:15-20 we read:
“15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 ‘What are we going to do with these men?’ they asked. ‘Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.’ 18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’” (Acts 4:15-20)
Peter and John said: “we cannot help speaking.” If we, like them, have had a personal encounter with the risen Lord, know the Holy Scriptures well enough, and are filled with the Holy Spirit, then we too will not be able to be stopped!
Here I would like to add a balance. And it is that we must be tactful. For sometimes we become tiresome, and this provokes a backlash. In such cases it is better to bear witness by our deeds and character than by our words. Therefore, may God help us to be wise in our relationships with those around us.
I am sure that if we are ready to evangelize as much as “depends on us,” as the apostle Paul says, then the Lord will undoubtedly open a door for us to do it!
And yet, one more barrier remains that we must overcome — the barrier of shame, the barrier of public opinion. To be ready to evangelize means one more thing — not to be ashamed of the gospel.
III. THE CHRISTIAN’S CONFIDENCE IN THE GOSPEL (Romans 1:16)
THE BARRIER OF SHAME
As incredible and paradoxical as it may sound, it is precisely shame that is the chief barrier to the advance of the gospel.
In the dictionary, the word shame is defined as: 1. a painful feeling of dissatisfaction with oneself, caused by the awareness of an act one has committed. 2. an act that is contrary to commonly accepted morals, a disgrace.
THE WORLD’S ATTITUDE TOWARD THE GOSPEL
According to unbelievers, the gospel is an act that is “contrary to commonly accepted morals.” In this world it is not commonly accepted to evangelize. People do not want to hear about God. Moreover, after it declares God’s love, the gospel begins with the truth about human sin and its consequences. But worldly people do not like to hear that they are sinners, condemned to eternal death, who need salvation. This wounds their pride. To them the cross is an offense, because it shows what we deserve as sinners. The cross is God’s declaration that we cannot deal with our condition on our own. It reveals the truth that we need a Savior. It shows worldly people that they are not on the right path in life, and that the only way for them to be saved is to humble themselves, to repent of their sins, and to accept the sacrifice of Jesus personally for themselves.
In John 3:19 the Evangelist says:
“19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19)
In John 7:7 the Lord Jesus himself says:
“7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.” (John 7:7)
The gospel begins with an accusation of sin. In John 16:8-9 Christ said of the Holy Spirit:
“8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me;” (John 16:8-9)
This conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit toward the worldly person touches his pride. And if he does not humble himself but hardens his heart, he begins to reject the gospel and those who carry it.
THE PRESSURE OF PUBLIC OPINION
The pressure of the world can make us ashamed of Jesus. In John 12:42-43 we read of one such case:
“42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God.” (John 12:42-43)
These leaders did not want to confess Jesus. They were ashamed to do so, because it would make them look bad in the eyes of the religious and political leaders of that time.
WHO OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED?
The truth, however, is that it is not we who ought to be ashamed of the gospel, but the world that ought to be ashamed of itself and its sin. In Mark 8:38 the Lord Jesus said:
“38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38)
Notice that in this verse Jesus called the world an “adulterous and sinful generation.” And it truly is such. It is unbelievers who ought to be ashamed of themselves and their deeds, not we of our Lord and his gospel! It is not shameful to believe in God. It is shameful not to believe!
WHY WE OUGHT NOT TO BE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL
Why ought we not to be ashamed of the gospel? We ought not to be ashamed of the gospel for three reasons:
1. The gospel is, in fact, God’s plan of salvation.
We ought not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, but to be proud of it, because it is what saves people from sin and eternal ruin. In Romans 1:16 the apostle Paul says:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)
To the people of this world the gospel may seem foolish, but this does not make it any less powerful and mighty. In 1 Corinthians 1:21-25 the apostle Paul writes that God is the author of the gospel, and that he deliberately chose the cross itself as the means of salvation. God’s plan, even though it does not match human standards of right and wrong, could not possibly be foolish or shallow. As God’s children, saved according to this plan, we ought to be proud of it:
“21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:21-25)
2. We ought not to be ashamed of the gospel, because in our Lord there is nothing shameful.
In him there is nothing unclean or sinful. There is nothing weak. To give yourself as a sacrifice for the sin of all humanity is a feat and an act of heroism worthy of all honor and praise. If we truly know the risen Jesus Christ of Nazareth, we would never be ashamed of him and of our faith in him. In 2 Timothy 1:12 the apostle Paul exclaims:
“But this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed!” (2 Timothy 1:12)
3. We ought not to be ashamed of the gospel, because if we overcome our shame, it will lead to the salvation of new people.
God has arranged it so that people are saved through faith. Since by nature we are all sinners, we cannot save ourselves by our own works or efforts. Therefore God saves us through the sacrifice of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for our sins. He credits our faith in him and in his work as righteousness for us. A person, however, cannot believe in something he does not know. In order to learn it, someone must tell him. But if the one who is to tell him is afraid to do so, then that person will never be saved. In Romans 10 the apostle Paul asks the following logical questions:
“13 for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:13-15)
To all these questions we can add one more, and it is:
- And how will they bring the good news if they are ashamed of it?
Notice that in verse 15 the gospel is called “good news.” If we are not ashamed of it, then the following “chain reaction” will result:
- We will share the gospel;
- People will hear it;
- Those who believe in it will call on the name of the Lord and be saved!
And so, we are not ashamed of the gospel because:
1) it is the power of God that saves people;
2) in our Lord there is nothing shameful;
3) by sharing it with others we give them the opportunity to believe in the Lord and to be saved.
The overall conclusion we can draw from all these arguments is that to be evangelists is not humiliating and shameful, but the highest privilege and a great honor. Moreover, evangelism is exceedingly satisfying, because its results are eternal. Let us thank God for the trust he has placed in us, entrusting the gospel not to the angels, but to us, human beings!
Summary:
1. Every Christian is obligated to be an evangelist. Evangelism is our moral duty.
2. It is up to us to prepare ourselves for this moral obligation and to be always ready to fulfill it.
3. We must overcome the barrier of shame and public opinion if we want to have the fruit of saved souls.