Don’t Be Ashamed Of The Gospel – Salvation Never Comes Too Late

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(2) I trust in You; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.  (3) No one who hopes in You will ever be put to shame, but shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.’ (Psalm 25:2-3)

A couple of years before my mother-in-law passed away, she called my wife and I somewhat out of the blue, and said that she finally accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and that she wanted to work for Him in spreading the Gospel.  We were both a bit stunned by this at first, as she had made comments of her beliefs in Jesus in the past, but soon it became apparent from the passion and conviction in her voice that this was the ‘real deal’.  Praise the Lord!

She was 87 at that time. It is a message that it is never too late for the Lord to provide Salvation, and for us not to take lightly what someone else’s Spiritual condition is.  We perhaps took for granted her mother’s spiritual condition, and talked around the subject of Jesus & the Gospel with her, but never directly to her.  It is true that it is sometimes easier to share your Faith with strangers than with family, as we have a preconditioning or projection of what our family members’ Faith should be, rather than what it is.   

There is also that fine line between evangelism and being ‘pushy’ and obnoxious, defeating the purpose of sharing the Gospel with family members that can backfire, pushing them from the Gospel rather than pulling them toward it.  But don’t give up!  Get a feel for what people will tolerate, and continue to share the Gospel, what you can and when you can, and don’t take for granted those who you may think is saved, if anything, sharing the Gospel with them may give them an opportunity to fellowship with you, not as family or friend, but as a brother or sister in Christ.   

The enemies in this case are Satan (of course), and self.  Self being pride and ‘face’; the fear of losing ‘face’ by being labeled a ‘Bible-thumper’.  We can often share our Faith easily with strangers or in a group of like-minded individuals, but when it comes to people we know (family, co-workers, neighbors, friends) we become afraid to share the Gospel.  Sometimes it is the assumption that because someone says ‘I believe in Jesus’, we take that as ‘I have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior’ and move on, more to ease ourselves rather than doing more investigating into the matter.  We fear ‘shame’, or being ridiculed by others for being ‘non-conforming’ to secular values.

However, in the case of the Gospel, the real shame is not sharing it with those close to you (and everyone else, for that matter).  Look at the allegory of Lazarus and the Rich Guy (Luke 16:19-31).  Many would of course share the Gospel with Lazarus, as he was destitute and, for a handout, would be a willing participant in hearing the Good News.  Now we should share the Gospel with those like Lazarus as they also need the Gospel, and in this case Lazarus would likely be elated in the fellowship in that he is also a devout follower of God (we know this as he dies and is in Paradise with Abraham). 

But what of the Rich Guy?  Many may not share with him due to his stature in the world; he’s rich, perhaps famous and the possibility exists that he would publicly laugh in your face – in front of others, maybe even on TV where millions may view it, with replays on YouTube viewed by millions more.  What if the Rich Guy was named ‘Elon Musk’, ‘Bill Gates’, or ‘Jeff Bezos’?  Would we be willing to share the Gospel message of Jesus with them?  (I would hope so, if our paths ever cross – it’s doubtful, but there’s always that minute possibility…)

We know where the Rich Guy ended up, in Gehenna (Hell) for eternity, forever in torment and despair.  The shame of sharing the Gospel, and possibly getting ridiculed, is miniscule compared to the Rich Guy’s shame in eternal suffering.  Your temporary shame may lead to his permanent salvation, or at least provide him the opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ and decide for himself.  For me personally, it’s not the ones who I’ve shared with and they in turn deny Christ that greatly bother me, it’s the ones who I missed in sharing with (even partially) and they never got to even ponder who Jesus is.

Fortunately, we Christians are a team, and perhaps some of our discussions with my mother-in-law led to that point where someone else could be the catalyst. That catalyst was when a woman who was also living in her assisted living facility gave a testimony of Faith and got my mother-in-law to ponder her eternity, and that is when my mother-in-law decided to follow Jesus.  Always strive to improve in your sharing, but remember that them coming to Christ is not our dilemma. Our job is for either planting the seed or watering it for someone else to help harvest the crop; ultimately it is up to the individual to accept Jesus and for the Holy Spirit to indwell upon them.