ROLFC 21 Day Fast - Day 20 TREASURE #20- As a child of God, I have been given: The Power to Preach the Word of God… “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also” –Romans 1:14-15 Thought: I remember going on a hiking trip in the Santa Cruz Mountains with two of my buddies, Larry and Bijan, both of whom were in their prime and best shape of their lives. However, I’m not sure why, but on this particular day, Bijan seemed to be a bit clumsy in his steps, which was a surprise to me, because he was quite athletic. During the trip, he slipped and slid down some slopes, but was able to regain his footing just in time. There was one stony ravine that he was carefully climbing, and he nearly made it to the top when he slipped, and rode that bumpy slide all the way back down before ending up on his backside. I quickly came down to where he was, and asked if he was okay. When he looked up at me, he asked why I was smiling, and that’s when I burst open with laughter. Unfortunately, that was not the scariest part of that day. About an hour later, we found ourselves hiking the side of a very steep hill with about a 200 foot drop. Larry was leading the way, and Bijan was just behind me. All was well until I heard some crumbling behind me and a scream that sounded like a 12 year old girl. I quickly looked behind me, and there was Bijan falling off the cliff into oblivion. Like Bijan, many people are falling into oblivion, and have no way of hope for salvation. The Apostle Paul was keenly aware of how lost people were around him. He also understood the magnitude of God’s love and the sacrifice Jesus paid for his salvation. Consequently, he felt indebted to his Savior. This is why he would often refer to himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. His debt to the Lord wasn’t so much as one living in bondage, but that he felt such an overwhelming sense of gratitude that led him to be so passionate about preaching to the lost. It’s interesting to note here that the Greek word he uses here for “preach” means “one who heralds, proclaims, or publishes.” Clearly, every believer is assigned a personal “pulpit”, whether it be in the home, the community, at the office, or in school. The point is, we have been given the grace to share the good news. He further states in Romans 10 that no one can hear the good news unless someone is sent to preach to them. Since God loves the lost, we ought to love them too. And if we love them, we must say to the Lord, “Send me to bring the good news to the lost.” Unless we choose to stand up and be sent, people will continue to die around us without ever hearing the gospel. They will fall into oblivion, an eternity apart from God. Ask God to send you to tell others about Christ, and He will give you the grace to preach, and the power to be effective at winning the lost. Thank God, I was there to extend my staff and save Bijan from an inevitable death. He quickly grabbed it, and I pulled him into safety. I remember him looking into my eyes and saying, “Thanks for saving me Randy. I owe you my life.” I looked back at him, and said, “Yes, you do. You are indebted to me.” Of course I wasn’t serious. Come to think of it, perhaps I should let him know that I was only joking. Prayer Focus: Pray for a fresh anointing on the preaching ministry of ROLFC, that the Holy Spirit would move with power during our services. Pray that our podcast would be used to bring the message of Christ to many nations. Ask God to give you a passion for lost souls, and to give you the courage to share your testimony about your relationship with Jesus to others.
Posted on: Sat, 01 Feb 2014 16:41:22 +0000
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