The Ammonites had come against Israel with a very great army. Even to Joab, a man of great military skill and experience, things looked very bad. But he encouraged himself and his brother, Abishai, with these words:
Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the Lord do that which is good in his sight.
- 1 Chronicles 19:13
In this time of great difficulty and danger, Joab set before us an example of faithfulness and submission which should be followed by all who seek the glory of God and serve the interest of His kingdom in this world.
Our lives should be characterized by faithfulness to our God and to the work He has committed to our hands. I say to you, Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the church of our God. The Lord has entrusted us with the gospel of His grace. He has given us the means and the opportunity to proclaim the gospel to this generation, and He has commanded us to do so. This is the point of our responsibility. We do not know what God has for us, but we do know what He has commanded, and what we must do: Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
And we must serve the Lord our God with submission. Let the Lord do that which is good in His sight. This is our work. We must preach the gospel to all men, as God gives us opportunity. If He is pleased to save men, we shall rejoice and preach the gospel. He is God. We are His servants. Let Him do with us what He will.
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to very one that believes…
- Romans 1:16
In general, church services are judged a success if there is a large crowd or somebody made some type of a decision of some kind to do something. To many it doesn’t matter what happens as long as they saw something happen in the church service. To encourage this so-called success, many Baptist churches are resorting to cheap promotional schemes. God and His Word are no longer taken seriously. When we try to popularize the gospel, we not only pervert the gospel of Christ but I’m afraid we also make such converts twofold more a child of hell.
When Paul wrote his letter to Rome, he declared he was eager to preach the gospel at Rome. It was his plan to come to Rome simply to preach the truth in its purity and power. We need preachers like Paul who will not try to sell the gospel, but just preach it in the power of the Holy Spirit and let God give the increase. To some this may seem a little out of date and narrow minded, but when it comes to biblical evangelism, we need to be certain we are doing God’s work in God’s way in God’s power for God’s glory. It is not the old Gospel that has lost power, but the churches that have lost faith in the power of the gospel. Many today try to dress up the gospel message to make it more appealing to our fleshly appetites. But make no mistake about it, the gospel can stand alone on its own; it does not need to be propped up or helped in any way. Nothing can take the place of the gospel of Christ for it alone is the power, literally the dynamite, of God unto salvation.
The gospel of Christ is a powerful message, the power of God, it is a purposeful message, unto salvation, and it is a personal message, to every one that believeth. Let’s stand with Paul and not be afraid to share this glorious message which is able to save unto the uttermost.
Post Author: John J. Bagby, Sr.