ICS Daily Devotions
The Power Is in the Gospel
John 16:7-9 (NKJV) Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement: of sin, because they do not believe in Me;
There are two major concerns when it comes to sharing the Gospel, namely how to present it and the fear of rejection. All of us are self-conscious and fearful of rejection especially when it comes to sharing the Gospel. Of course, it is important to be equipped to present the Gospel and it is our responsibility to do so, and it is natural to feel nervous and be concerned whether we can articulate ourselves when presenting the Gospel for the first time to a stranger or even a friend, but that is when we need to lean in on His grace and anointing to help us. Also, we need to have the conviction that it is not our responsibility to convince the person to receive Christ. We are not a salesperson or a debater of the truth, but just a messenger, a conduit, or a channel to convey the good news of the Gospel, which is a love letter from God to sinners. How the person responds to the message has nothing to do with us or our ability, but is purely between them and God. It is stated clearly in the opening Scripture that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and the coming judgement.
Having these convictions will lift the load from our shoulders. It is also worth remembering that sometimes, we are just the sower of the seed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and someone else will reap the harvest when the person is ready to accept Christ. Therefore, we need not lose heart when the person’s initial answer is a “no” or if they are not ready to proceed with the sinner’s prayer with us.
It is not our eloquent of speech nor the knowledge that helps us to debate our way to bring the lost into the kingdom of God. The power is not in the messenger. The power is in the Gospel. Therefore, we should not be self-conscious, but trust in the power of the Gospel.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (NKJV) And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
Sermon Series: Arise and Build
