Unashamed of the Gospel by Akinjobi Oluwagbemisola Temitope

Growing up in a Christian family, I lived to learn that being a Christian meant attending church services, going for carols and making donations where possible. To the young version of myself, preaching and evangelism were tailor-made professions for "some" people and as I grew older, it became difficult to identify as a believer because I found it shameful. Of course, as a young lady, I wanted to be in vogue, speak the latest slang, dance to the latest songs and forget about my problems, if there were any. You could imagine my shock the first time I was placed in a group with two other youngsters like me and asked to go preach the word of God. I was scared, shocked and all of a sudden, the shame I never knew existed, rose in me. I wanted to back out so badly but a part of me was reluctant to refuse this assignment.

Unashamed of the Gospel by Akinjobi Oluwagbemisola Temitope

As if sensing my fear, the group leader turned to me and quoted Romans 1:16, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek", continuing, she said, "We are the ones with the answers, raise your head high and don't get disappointed by people's responses or attitudes". It dawned on me at that moment that the most powerful person on earth was the believer for whom Christ has died and placed great responsibility on.
Looking back to those years, I wondered why I felt such a strong sense of shame and I knew right away that I could not have been the first to feel that way and neither would I have been the last. Now, the big question is, "Why do people feel shame in an attempt to spread God's word?"

1. Fear of the unknown.
The first culprit towards feeling a sense of shame while preaching the gospel would be the fear of not knowing what was in store for you with people especially after reading the epistles and seeing how the apostles were treated.
"Will people listen to me?", "Am I eloquent enough?", "Will I be killed?", "What if I speak the wrong accent?", and a lot more reasons plague people and so, as a defence mechanism, they shrink back into their shells and refuse to partake in spreading the good news.

2. Personal ambitions and plans.
Every human on earth has a set way they want their lives to portray so, going out of their comfort zone to include the work of ministry becomes a big problem for most people. This is mainly because many believers have been fed the theorem that one's plans do not always align with God's plans and that God always gives difficult assignments. They do not want to be laughed at by their families and friends while picking up God's assignment, therefore, in a bid to protect themselves, they refuse all means to get them to spread the gospel of Christ.

3. Wrongly taught doctrines.
Some people, like my younger self, had been taught that evangelism belonged to a group of people and so, they see no reason why they must deviate from their life goals to take the "job" of some other people.
If such people are then wrongly coerced to partake in the spread of the gospel, bitter shame, fear and distress will be their only response.

Identifying these major causes prompted me to learn more about how they can be solved because according to my Bible, every believer was called to the ministry of reconciliation. How can the people who have been ashamed of the cross become firebrands who will boldly declare the works of God?
The answer came when I discovered that unless many see the meaning of the gospel, they might never be free from the clutches of shame.

1. You must know that the gospel is the power of God.
The gospel does not bring the power of God, it does not facilitate the power of God, and neither does it start the power of God. IT IS THE POWER OF GOD!
It means that for whatever any man is trusting God for, unless such a man believes in the gospel, he hopes in vain because it is the power of God that can destroy yokes and remove burden in the life of a man.
Knowing that one is equipped with this power of God is one major way to get rid of the shame that society has placed on believers for spreading the word of God.

2. God's righteousness can only be revealed when the gospel is shared.
How beautiful will it be to tell a prostitute who is drowning in the guilt of her sins that she is forgiven because someone had died on her behalf? Her joy would know no bounds!
It is with the same formula that we realise that unless the gospel is shared, many souls will perish and enter eternal damnation because they do not know about the gift of righteousness. The gift of righteousness makes a man who is bound, free, removes restrictions, breaks barriers and lifts limitations off the lives of people. Being the reason so many people can live should be a major justification for a person to stop being ashamed of sharing the gospel.

3. Preaching the gospel completes your life.

In a world where your soft skills and certifications dominate, many believers have turned their affections to these earthly accolades forgetting about the fact that preaching the gospel was not a suggestion; instead, it was a command as said in Mark 16:15, "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
Jesus Christ was not making a suggestion, He handed over a mighty assignment into the hands of men and woe is the man who forgets his primary assignment to focus on worldly accolades.
The command we have received - preaching the gospel fulfils the very reason God creates man. Therefore, you, as a believer, do not have to fear the creatures (human beings) but rather, the creator (God) who gave this responsibility to you. How disappointed will God be if you got to heaven and it was said of you that you neglected the assignment because of shame?

This is a call to every believer that you will never get anything out of this for yourself, and that preaching is not to get something. If this was any human's idea of just another way to make a living, we would expect some pay. But since it is not a man's idea but something solemnly entrusted to us, why would we expect to get paid?
So, are we getting anything out of preaching? Yes, as a matter of fact: the pleasure of proclaiming the message at no cost. We don't have to pay anything to access all the blessings of God. Therefore, put off your garments of shame and rejoice because henceforth, the gospel shall be sweet as honey on your lips.


28/Post a Comment/Comments

Please drop a comment and use the Social Media Buttons below to share to friends and family.

  1. This is very nice and eye-opening. This Gospel will be spread!

    ReplyDelete
  2. A very wonderful write up!
    Well-done ma'am

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amazing. GLORY TO GOD.Thank you Lord for your Power.
    Thank you ma for this amazing truth.I am so blessed by it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. An interesting piece.More ink to your pen.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I had a similar experience the first time I was on an evangelism team but a teammate shared Mark 16:15 Go ye into the world... And he said. If I claim to love Jesus and he's Indeed my Lord and saviour why then would I be reluctant to obey this last thing he told every Christian. He said, "by default, every Christian is an evangelist" .

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hmmmm
    The gospel is the power of God
    An awesome writeup

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amazing write up. Welldone dear.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Truer words weren't said. An excellent read. Keep doing God's work Gbemi.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for this post. The Gospel is indeed the power of God. God help us to make amendments.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Jesudunmomi Olu-Oladele5 April 2023 at 09:12

    Wow!
    This is amazing!
    Well done Ma
    A lot of people really need to know this.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is very wonderful write up.
    Growing up as a Christian can be a unique and enriching experience for many individuals. It offers a strong sense of community, moral guidance, and a framework for understanding the world around us. For me, growing up in a Christian household helped me to develop a strong sense of empathy and compassion for others, as well as a deep appreciation for the beauty of the natural world

    ReplyDelete
  12. You said the mind of God. Thanks a lot

    ReplyDelete
  13. God bless you for this. May we be hearers and doers of the word and not just heaters and affirmers, deceiving ourselves

    ReplyDelete
  14. Well done, Gbemi!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks for this, Gbemi.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Well said, thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  17. Glory! This is a well-processed piece. Your boldness inspires me, ma.

    ReplyDelete
  18. This is enlightening. Thanks Oluwagbemisola. May God help us to do accordingly.

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is so amazing
    I’m blessed
    Thank you Ma

    ReplyDelete
  20. A wonderful message that everyone needs to put into action. God has given us all we need to spread the gospel to the uttermost part of the earth so shame is just another way devil uses to hold us down. Thank you Gbemi for this

    ReplyDelete
  21. This is an amazing piece… so apt 💯

    ReplyDelete
  22. Tolulope Gbemisola6 April 2023 at 10:22

    This is great, keep it up dear

    ReplyDelete
  23. Well done dear! This is really true. God bless you!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Ive gone through a similar experience, when I was ashamed to talk about Jesus. I was also scared to share the gospel too. So I mean it when I say this article is on point with almost everything I was going through as to why I didn't want to share the gospel and the ways you gave us to go through these things are on point too. Thank you for such a wonderful writeup 💜

    ReplyDelete
  25. Great write up, well-done ma.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Exactly as you have said, every believer is saddled with the responsibility of ministry, that is our purpose as believers, and in doing so, they must also labour in the place of prayer for those men unreached and the newborns plus it gives boldness. I'm gonna share this write up. It's an eyeopener for every believer.
    Well done minister, more utterance and boldness to speak God's word, Amen.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Well done. It's a nice article.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Great content as usual 👍👍

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Please drop a comment and use the Social Media Buttons below to share to friends and family.