The Power of the Gospel

I said good-bye to an old family friend today. He was my dad’s best friend and through my early teen years and throughout much of my life he was also my friend as well as a mentor. But those early days as an impressionable young man neither he nor my dad were Christian men. Most of my memories and stories of our chats would have been inappropriate for the setting of his funeral and inconsistent with my own faith now. Many years ago I turned to Christ and put my faith in Him. Though I am certainly no great man of the faith, it is my desire to one day be like Christ. So as I was about to pull into the lot of the funeral home I felt those pangs of guilt as I wondered where my friend’s soul was this very moment.

 Though I don’t do a very good job of sharing the Gospel there have been times when I was faithful. Several years back I felt called by God to write letters to my close family and friends who had not given their life to Jesus and in the letter I clearly spelled out the Gospel. I included a simple but also clear Bible Tract to insure they all had an opportunity to hear the truth. I remember sending one to my now dead friend. There was never much said between us about my letter and the few times I saw him after that he seemed thankful I had cared enough to send it but really expressed no interest in further dialogue. So the years passed and I stopped visiting him. This past December his wife called and said he wanted to see me and to reminisce about my dad. I went to see him. I did not say much about my faith other than to mention my involvement in the church. He didn’t ask; I didn’t say more.

 So I felt terrible as I entered the funeral Home. I wished I had been more persistent.  I wish I had spoken more to him about Jesus. But as the morning unfolded I found out his son was a retired Baptist minister. His wife told my wife that they prayed together every night. When his son preached the service he said his daddy had prepared this service a year in advance. My friend picked the hymns. He told his son the preacher what scriptures to read. He picked his favorite ones.

 In reality none of us can know who is Christ’s and who is not, for we cannot see inside of people’s hearts. But I walked away from that funeral with the full expectation I will walk the streets of Gold with my friend.

 You see the truth is I cannot save people. Only Jesus can.  Romans 1:16 says this, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

 The Gospel is the power of God for salvation. It is not our work to save people. Romans 10:14-15 asks us this question “But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

I shared the Gospel just once with my friend. Probably his son told him many times. I bet my friend was proud of his son and whenever possible heard him preach. Somewhere down the path of my friend’s life he began to read the Bible. I have prayed for my friend to be saved. When I sent those letters out I prayed. I wonder how many prayers his son called out for his daddy’s salvation. Isaiah 55:11 says“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Our job is to be faithful whenever we are called by God. We fail often at that. But my friend’s salvation will not be determined by my faithfulness nor by His brother’s faithfulness, it will be determined by the power of God’s Word and the work of Christ on the cross.

So tonight be busy in prayer. Every day of your life be praying for every single name God puts on your heart. Do what God says but trust in His work not yours. Do not be ashamed of the Gospel for IT is the power of salvation.

God bless each who read these words. Test them against God’s Word. Hold on to what is right according to God.