The gospel is like a grenade. It doesn’t matter who throws it, it’s
gonna blow up. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 12 year old girl or a 22 year
old Marine. The power is in the object being thrown, not in the person
throwing it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Billy Graham, Luis Palau or some awkward
teenager giving the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost person. The
gospel is no respecter of persons on either the giving or the receiving
side. It is no more effective in capable hands than it is in stuttering
mouths. The power is in the message, not the messenger.
The gospel doesn’t need lights, camera or action. It doesn’t need
pyrotechnics or jumbotron screens. It just needs someone to declare it
clearly, someone to pull the pin and throw the bomb.
And please don’t ask me how God infused explosive power into a set of
propositions. I have no idea
how God did it, I’m just grateful He did. This simple message is so powerful that it knocked Saul off his
donkey so hard that when he stood up he had undergone a name change,
career change and identity change, all in one blinding flash of
transformation. Although it blinded his earthly eyes for a few days, it
opened his spiritual ones for the rest of his days.
This message is so explosive that the once-Saul-now-Paul rejoiced
even when it was being preached by those who had rotten motives. In
Philippians 1:15-18 he wrote, “It is true that some preach Christ
out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so
out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.
The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely,
supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But
what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether
from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I
rejoice.”
The great apostle would rather have preachers preaching the gospel
message out of wrong motives than not preaching the gospel at all! Paul
understood that grenades don’t care about motives. They exist to explode
and that is all.
So what is our lesson from the gospel grenade? Simply this, you may
not feel qualified to give the gospel. You may not feel worthy to share
the message with those around you. Just remember that it’s not about
you, but about Jesus and His simple message. You are not the power. The
gospel is.
You don’t have to be eloquent or smooth as you share it. Just share
it. You don’t have to have a Masters of Theology or Doctorate of
Divinity to share it. Just share it. Whether you have a white collar,
blue collar or no collar, just share it. The gospel message and Holy
Spirit will do the rest (2 Thessalonians 2:13,14.)
Your responsibility is to pull the pin, throw the bomb and duck. And when you do, explosive things will happen.
Kaboom!
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