Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”
Nobody likes being mocked or marginalized, slandered or scoffed at, be it by colleagues or friends or random people we come across. Well, God wants us to surrender our fear of people, our desire for popularity, and our longing for respect and reputation. He wants us to stand up and be counted, to face the music, to nail our colors to the mast.
Observing one of the pivotal decisions in John Wesley’s life highlights the inner conflict that went on as God called him to radically surrender his reputation. His contemporary and friend, Whitefield, had already resorted to preaching in fields and marketplaces, due to the fact that evangelicals were being denied access to more and more pulpits countrywide. Wesley didn’t want to preach in the open air, but there seemed little alternative. He went through a time of deep inner turmoil and wrestling. The idea of preaching in the fields was repugnant to him, as to just about everyone else in his day – except Whitefield, who was seeing astonishing results.
Gradually Wesley came round to the idea. When a friend remonstrated with him and appealed to him not to soil his good standing in society by stooping to such crude methods, Wesley replied: “When I gave my all to God I did not withhold my reputation.” He began preaching in the open air, saying: “I consented to be more vile… I set myself on fire, and people came to see me burn.”
When I see open air preachers, I always feel a mixture of embarrassment on their behalf and admiration that they believe enough in their Lord to face all that mockery. But the merits or demerits of street evangelism is not the issue. Are you/am I ashamed of our Lord? Will you/will I choose to make and take opportunities to share life with the lost? Come on!
Lord, use me today to speak unashamedly and effectively about you to someone who needs you. Amen!
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