My high school experience was vastly different from the average adolescent. It wasn’t filled with exceptionalism or much experimentation, but it was four years of going to the same school where my father taught. I remember one day, as a senior, after almost four years of being the kid that never got into trouble, I decided it was time to rebel. I attempted to skip the last period, only to receive a call from my father who spotted me walking to my car from his classroom window.
Students who knew of my dad or knew him as a teacher were quick to call him strict. And when they discovered that the school’s scary drill sergeant was also my father, they were surprised to hear that what they knew of him and what I knew to be true of him were vastly different. I spent a lot of time ashamed of being my father’s daughter. A shame that stood on what others believed to be true of him.
In 2 Timothy 1, Paul sees the timidity that Timothy struggles with and the fear that he possesses regarding the call of God on his life. Paul encourages Timothy that boldness is a gift from the Lord and that when he chooses to put on courage, he will be moved to put off shame (2Timothy 1:8).
It’s easy to forget. At the time this letter was written, following a crucified Master wasn’t easy. It wasn’t something one would specifically find pride in doing. Jesus spent His time on earth teaching principles that contradicted the ways of the world and then died a brutal death. For those who did not understand the good news of the resurrection, the testimony of Christ was one steeped in shame. We, too, can find ourselves placing the good news under a cloak. Both afraid and embarrassed to share about the Jesus we’ve known to be true because we’re more concerned with how others will receive our testimony based on what they know of Jesus.
But the truth is that when we step into the gift of courage in Christ, we shed shame. When we recall what God has proven to be true, the remnants of shame that attempt to attach themselves to the good news of the gospel we are called to share are removed (v.11).
When we find ourselves shrinking back from proclaiming the good news of Christ, what we know to be true of Jesus can be the backbone of our courage.
Shame cannot exist in the context of true intimacy. As we pursue Him and allow the Holy Spirit to make deposits into us, we are moved from shame to honor. No longer burdened with embarrassment as we tell others of Jesus, but brought into a place of joy and delight regarding the testimony of our King.
Leave a Reply
41 thoughts on "Don’t Be Ashamed of the Gospel"
2 Corinthians 3:6
‘…who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant…’
I don’t need to rely on my delivery, my knowledge, my words, my personality, or my presentation. I don’t have to bear the burden of changing heats & saving souls.
Everything I need to share The Gospel, God has already given to me.
Dear Shes. “Guard the good deposit through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1: 14. His glorious deposit. Greater than gold. Bank on it.
With Well Wishes for a Wonderful Weekend!
Thanks be to God.
Extra urgent prayer request tonight: my cousin’s wife was just diagnosed with breast cancer at 37 weeks pregnant with their second child. She was induced yesterday and had their baby girl today. She will begin chemotherapy pretty quickly, with surgery being on the horizon. I can’t imagine the bittersweet emotions of the postpartum period thrown into cancer treatment. She has a strong support system but is not a believer. Please pray for Tori and Ben and their family.
Be not ashamed to share the gospel. Amen. Thank you Searching for the Hawaiian version. It was hilarious and amazing. That’s how God is personal with us through the way He communicates. Glory be to Him. Have a lovely weekend sisters. God is good all the time.
I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and Mother Eunice, and now, I am convinced, is in you also. V.5
This reminds me of my Grandmother who always read her Bible everyday and would tell us about God and made sure we went to Sunday School and Church. As I became an adult every time I saw her she would write me Bible verses on note paper and give me. Then one day she told me to find my faith in Hod and Our Savior, and to ask for forgiveness of my sins and know the Holy Spirit. I just don’t get it back then….the Bible seemed hard and I didn’t understand so much. I always listened to her and she gave me verses right up till her ended days on this earth. She was an amazing woman and she is the one who kept. Nudging me hoping one day I would pick up my Bible and never put it down. I had a lot of bumps along my path, but knowing God is the best thing that has ever happened to me. He is my Rock and I need Him everyday!
I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and Mother Eunice, and now, I am convinced, is in you also. V.5
Through this whole process with my dad I can’t imagine not having faith to fall back on. Courage is one of the greatest gifts god could ever give us. In times like I’m in now I have to remember we were made for each moment we are going through. Through trials it brings us closer to god and helps us become the people we were made to be.
@Tricia Cavanaugh I would love to see/hear your testimony?! Please share with us, I know you will do great, just speak from your heart! I have a deathly fear of speaking in front of large groups, so I hope I am never asked! So you go girl!
Hope everyone had a good Friday, and enjoy the wkd ahead!
I really appreciate when you all share your stories of God’s working in your lives.
Today a small phrase in 2 Timothy 1:12 stuck out to me, “I’m not ashamed because I know whom I have believed”. That’s my prayer today, that when I feel hopeless, ashamed, spiritually attacked, discouraged, judged, fearful, or whatever else I can respond “I know whom I have believed”.
Hey! To fix the app doing the guide every time, just log out and back in (through your profile settings). That fixed it for me. Deleting and reinstalling the app doesn’t work, so you have to just log out and back in and it’s fixed! I hope this helps!!
I’m giving my testimony at church on Sunday. I am a cancer survivor and through it all my relationship with the Lord has grown so much. I surely don’t think I would want to go through everything I’ve been through in the last 4 years again, but I am grateful that I went through everything I’ve gone through just so that I could know more about my Lord and my Savior. The testimony is called “eyewitness testimonies“, for us to tell others how we have seen Jesus move in our lives. Please pray that the testimony I give will reach others and that the Lord will be glorified. It’s in church but it’s also live on YouTube. I’m a little nervous about that, but praying for God to be glorified.
Blessed weekend sisters! To God be the glory!
MARIA BAER I’m having the same problem! Let me know if you figure out how to make it end:).
Yes, and it’s driving me crazy!
I removed my app and can’t get it back on my phone. I can open it int he app store. I find I use my computer all the time anyway. But I like to mark it off on the app. Does that say anal?!! lol
Dear TINA – I have found so much peace in God. I do believe Tanner’s life was already written. He touched so many lives through his journey with Cystinosis. He changed mine. This journey brought me back to God. I have become more bold, not shout from the rooftops, but willing to share my faith with others. I miss my boy, but I know he has peace and is with God. That his passing has stirred up questions for others and I hope we pointed them to Jesus. TINA I wish I could give you a huge hug. You have helped me through this time more than you can possibly know. My truest thanks.
God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound, judgment. I pray to rely on this power of God when sharing. 1 Thessalonians – Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Don’t stifle the Spirit. Don’t despise prophecies, but test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every king of evil.
Yes
SEARCHING: I forgot there’s a Hawai’i Pidgin translation! I’m from Hawai’i so I read that and had to smile.. I don’t speak Pidgin that much so it was tough for me too. But it definitely is more “in your face” than other translations. :) thank you for the prayers also.
I’m quite introverted as well but have learned ways to insert inspirational verses (through infographics) to people by texting them, either randomly or while we are texting one another. One of my mentors bought me the book “Jesus Calling” which has been wonderful, and I often take a pic of the day’s reading and share it with people the Holy Spirit prompts me to send it to. Praying that the Holy Spirit leads me to have greater courage to share in person. I can definitely relate to the author with hesitating to share because I feel others know Him differently… It hits home for our family business as well, that I hesitate to share because some have responded negatively to the company as a whole, when it was other people who misrepresented what the company is all about. So grateful for this study, it has opened my eyes to so much.
Have a wonderful Aloha Friday and weekend. Blessings!
Yes!
Will I lose this study if I delete and reinstall?
Hey quick question— is anyone else experiencing that every time you open the app it takes you through a guide like it’s the first time you’re signing in?
I am not ashamed to talk about my faith. I was when I was young but now in my 60’s I am proud of my faith and all that it has gotten me through. I am willing to shout it from the mountain tops.
PRAISE GOD!!!! PRAISE CHRIST!!!! PRAISE THE HOLY SPIRIT!!!! AMEN!!!!
Be blessed and let your faith be known sisters.
Ah Timothy, how wonderful that your sincere faith first lived in your grandmother and mother. It encourages me to focus on my legacy of faith. It is the most valuable thing to leave for my children and their children. They are my first mission field. I plant the seeds and I pray others will come along to do some watering. I trust a bountiful harvest from the Holy Spirit. Let it be so, Lord.
I love the verses in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 in todays reading. They are a good reminder to me on how to live out my faith. I’m going to be thinking about and paying attention to how I may stifle the Holy Spirit in my life. If anyone has some insight on this, I would love to hear their thoughts.
I love this idea @Maria!
Delete it and reinstall. That fixed it for me!
What an amazing idea Maria! I love it! I might have to piggy back on that myself. It’s beautiful that you’ve found a way to share your faith that works for you and how you’re built. Just lovely.
Oh Tina, thank you for sharing. I am not a ‘shout it from the rooftops’ kinda gal either. But it delights me to share all the ways God has shown up and shone out in my life. And when people come to me to ask about my husband now, it is just another opportunity to share with them all that God is doing in our lives through this seemingly “awful” journey we are traveling. Dare I say “Steve’s brain cancer has been a blessing”? YES! Our God is moving in many ways and because of HIM it is a blessing! Oh sisters, we are going to a graduation today and a wedding tomorrow…more opportunities to share what God is doing in our lives! Have a blessed weekend dear sisters. ❤️
Hey @searching that Hawaiian translation really spoke to me! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Tina,, this is beautiful. Precious Lord Jesus!❤️
Today’s Scriptures and devotional speaks to me so much, as I’ve been praying for clarity about how to be more of use to God— to use me as an instrument to share the gospel. TINA, like you, I’m not a shout it from the rooftops” kind of woman. I’m an introvert for sure. So I started doing what I call my “Encouragement card ministry.” I had these business cards printed with John 14:6 in bold letters— “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” and place them all over the place. I especially like to place them in store areas where you will probably find someone who need encouragement: pharmacy isles (for the sick), baby isles where diapers and baby food are (for exhausted moms), etc. But I’ve been think about reprinting them with an email address (created specially for this) for those who may want to reach out and want to hear more about Jesus. Something has been holding me back in this step, but I believe today’s devotional has given me that gentle push I needed. Have a wonderful day, sisters.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14.
Have a blessed weekend everyone <3
Yes. They no longer highlight. Lots of glitches lately.
❤️
Your testimony blessed me. Thank you for sharing.
Anyone has a problem highlighting verses in the App? Sorry, is out of topic :). Have blessed day.
I love these verses from Thessalonians – rejoice, pray, be thankful, be mindful of guidance from the Holy Spirit, listen to those who say they have a message from God or God told them to say something, then test whether it (and everything else) is from God and if not, flee.
I occasionally look up verses in the Hawai‘i Pidgin Bible translation – sometimes difficult to decipher but the language has enough “English” in it that many times the message comes through loud and clear, and maybe more “in your face” than other versions.
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Stay good inside everytime. 17 No matta wat happen, make time fo talk to God everytime. 18 No matta wat happen, tell God “Mahalo plenny!.” Dass wat God like you guys do, cuz you guys stay tight wit Godʼs Spesho Guy Jesus. 19 No go jam up wat Godʼs Good an Spesho Spirit like do. 20 Wen some guy go talk fo God, no tink, “Junk, dat!” 21 Mo betta, go check out everyting, den stick wit da good stuff. 22 Any kine bad kine stuff, stay real far away from dat.
Also love that Paul points out the example of Timothy’s mother and grandmother. None of us are perfect of course, but living out our love for and faith in Jesus doesn’t go unnoticed by our families even if we think/they pretend they are ignoring us.
BLESSED BETH – what a testimony, thank you.
LEHUA K – thankful for the improvement for your husband, praying you are freed from the hives soon!
KIMBERLY ZIEHL – praying for your family in handling the enormous challenges and changes, and especially for healing for your dad, wisdom from the doctors for surgeries/options and moving forward.
JESSICA TIMPERION – praying!
“He has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purposes and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”
Thank You, Lord that it is according to Your purposes that I have become Your child. You are forever worthy of my undivided devotion. You are worth the “cost” of being misunderstood or shunned by the world.
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear,j but one of power,love,and a sound mind.
These words got me through so much in my life. I chose them when I was going through ovarian cancer and had a radical hysterectomy . I often questioned my mind being sound when going through chemo, but He was faithful allowing me to witness to a nurse at 3 AM. When I had a double mastectomy it comforted me and when I had surgery for a twisted and buckled deteriorating spine God gave the privilege to witness to doctors. My list is much longer but I will stop as the verse is the same always has been always will be. God Bless You ladies.
We don’t have to be ashamed because we can rely on God’s power. Our calling isn’t based on our works. We are not competent, but our adequacy is from God. Wha peace this brings. We don’t have to be ashamed because we know in Whom we believe. We have a glorious gospel to share. Because of this hope, we can act with great boldness.
I have never been much of a ‘shout it from the rooftops ‘ kinda gal, when it comes to speaking of or about Jesus. However, if you ask me, be prepared to be around for longer than the time allocated for my response! I WILL tell you of the great things He has done within and around me and more..!
I do hope, however, that though I may not ‘shout’ that my words and actions point to Him, to the One who loves me beyond measure.. The One who lavishes my life with much grace, new, each day. The One who forgives me and into whose arms I can run, no matter my shame. The One who died for me, so I can know freedom, and with whom i have an intimate relationship.. The One who brings me peace, beyond understanding, who comforts me, when this world fails me…
Yes, I could go on, because there is much to be told.. My life story is filled with..
BUT GOD moments, every minute, every hour..every day.. Psalm 26:7 says.. ‘ I will sing a hymn of thanksgiving and tell of your wonderful deeds..’
We are not all called to stand in pulpits, or soap boxes, but, we can for sure, lead by example, and tell of what He has done and continues to do, for and in us..
AMEN!
Happy Friday, my dears.❤
To my precious and wonderful sisters, thank you for your kind words and prayers yesterday.. One thing I would like to clarify, is that Julee, gave her life to Jesus a couple of weeks before she passed away..( A mere ‘baby’s woman of faith). I am so very grateful for you ALL, and the family we are and have been over the years.. An absolute honour to journey with you..❤
CATHY KRAUSE, I am so very sorry for your troubles, I pray for you to know His peace and that you will be strengthened in His love and grace as you surrender to Him all your worries and woes.. He is good, oh so good..
Sending love wrapped in prayers..❤
TRACY GENDRON, thinking of you and your words and hoping you are knowing peace when those thoughts come. I remember leaving the cemetery one day crying so hard, I could hardly see, asking … Had I done all I could for my girl?. Had I been a good parent? You know what, we make and do the very best choices for our children as parents, we would no more give them a stone, when they ask for bread, because of the great love we have for them.. Stay strong, Traci, knowing Tanners life, was already written in the book, his purpose fulfilled, in the lives he touched, the people he loved, in the way he did life.
BUT GOD..
Know peace my sister, He is near..God is always near.
Sending you much love wrapped in prayers.❤