Not Ashamed

[Christsfreeservant]

“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher.” (2 Timothy 1:7-11 NASB1995)​

As followers of Jesus Christ, all of us are to be taking the message of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world, which includes to the worldly church, too. And we are to do so unashamedly, without fear of reproach and rejection and/or persecution. And we should not be those who dilute and alter the gospel message to make it less offensive and more acceptable to human flesh out of fear of being mistreated. But we are to speak the truth of God’s word to the people, spoken in love, and without compromise.

[Matthew 5:13-16; Matthew 28:18-20; John 4:31-38; John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Romans 10:14-15; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 5:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9,21; 1 John 2:6]

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

But when we speak the truth of the gospel, as Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught it, in the correct biblical context, and not out of context to appease human flesh, we might not be popular. We may not have large followings. And we might be opposed. We may be rejected and persecuted. And we might have people who will mock us and reject us and turn away from us and think ill of us because we are speaking words which make them not comfortable, but which convict of sin, and which call for repentance.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Acts 26:18]

But don’t let the words of others dishearten and discourage you. Don’t let the rejection and mistreatment you might face when sharing the truth of the gospel make you afraid. And, yes, we are not saved by our own fleshly works but only by the grace of God. But God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. And we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (see Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10).

By Your Grace

An Original Work / June 27, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Speak Your words to my heart,
Let Your grace and love impart.
Be to me all I need
To love and serve Christ my King;
To love and serve Christ my King.
Change my heart; be like You;
Let me love and serve in truth.
Guide my steps ev’ry day,
As I bow my knees and pray;
As I bow my knees and pray.

Love You, Lord. You love me.
You died so that I’d go free
From my sin; pure within;
By Your grace I’m saved from sin;
By Your grace I’m saved from sin.
Invite You in my heart;
Now I have a brand new start.
Repented of my sin,
So that I’d be cleansed within;
So that I’d be cleansed within.

Live for You ev’ry day,
List’ning to the words you say.
Make You Lord of my heart;
Be Your witness, grace impart;
Be Your witness, grace impart.
Obey Your ev’ry word;
Do the things I’ve seen and heard.
Your word, Lord, in me burns,
While I wait for Your return;
While I wait for Your return.

Not Ashamed
An Original Work / February 28, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love