“The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.” (Acts 11:21 NLT)

 

Christians often underestimate the raw, even explosive power that is inherent in the gospel message. The apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile” (Romans 1:16 NLT).

Keep in mind that Paul was a great intellectual. He was a master student and orator. When sharing the Good News about Christ, he could have called upon his ability to convince people. He could have called upon his powers of oration to bring his listeners around. Instead, Paul concentrated on the simple yet profound gospel message because he recognized its power. It’s the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.

The gospel message can impact anyone, regardless of background. It reaches the wealthy and poor, the educated and uneducated. It cuts through cultural barriers, racial barriers, economic barriers, and age barriers. The words of Acts 11:21 above testify to its impact. Everyone can grasp the gospel because God blesses it and plants it into the heart of the listener.

Skeptics might argue that the message is hopelessly outdated, a relic from a different time and different culture. But these aren’t two-thousand-year-old words; they’re timeless words. Their truths are eternal.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God “has planted eternity in the human heart” (NLT). He’s given every person a soul-deep awareness that there is something more than this world—that something greater, something eternal is available to us. The gospel message brings that “something more” into focus. It shows us how we can have what our soul has been yearning for—even if we don’t exactly know what we were yearning for.

The author of Hebrews wrote, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires” (Hebrews 4:12 NLT). The gospel message penetrates to the deepest part of our being. What’s interesting, though, is that not everyone feels the blade right away.

So when you share your faith with someone, when you help them understand the gospel message, you may not get an immediate, joyful, hallelujah-my-life-has-been-changed-forever response. You may not get any response at all. You may even get a rejection. And while that may be disappointing in the moment, it’s far from the end of the story.

When you share the Good News of Christ, you’re doing the vital work of piercing someone’s soul with God’s two-edged sword. You’re connecting to the eternity He planted in someone’s heart. You’re preparing someone to experience the power of the gospel message. You’re setting the stage for God to change the person’s life.

You don’t need to add anything to the gospel. You don’t need to take anything away from it. You don’t need to apologize for it. You don’t need to offer any disclaimers about it. All you need to do is proclaim it and stand back and watch God work.

 

Reflection question: When have you witnessed the power of the gospel, in your own life or in the life of someone you know? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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