We are living in a time of great challenges, but also great opportunities to proclaim the Gospel. It is written, "The kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ." The Lord has called us to be His servants and His warriors, for the battle belongs to the Lord. Martin Luther remarked that the soldier’s test of loyalty is whether or not he shows up where the battle is hottest. Anyone can be a soldier behind the lines, but it takes a special kind of courage to go where the bullets are flying. Paul’s message to his timid yet loyal protégé is clear as, in the writings and ministry of Paul, he encouraged Timothy: "Timothy, stand fast for the gospel. Never be ashamed of what you believe. And don’t be ashamed of me because I am in chains.”
If any of us feel unequal to the task, remember that the Lord has given us all that we need to be strong in the Lord. "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and righteousness." When we consider all that God has done for us, all that Christ has provided for us, and the Holy Spirit who lives within us, there is no excuse for a half-hearted Christian commitment.
Once again, we live in amazing times, when the world itself seems to be undergoing a seismic change. Long-held opinions are being overthrown and new ones embraced by millions of people. All over the world men and women cry out for freedom. They march in the streets of the Middle East and they gather to pray in Jerusalem. This is no time for neutrality! Everyone we meet is going to heaven or hell. There is no third option. Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30). Each person makes a choice and then we live by the choices we make. We are either for Christ or against him. We stand with Jesus or against him.
We are called to never despair and never lose hope. These are great days to be alive, perhaps the greatest days in all history. The vast moral decay should not discourage us. These things were known to God from the beginning and were clearly predicted in the Bible. "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." Ultimately, it is God Himself who stands behind the Gospel message. Truth does not depend on us but on the Lord himself. He will preserve the truth and will cause the light of the gospel to shine in the darkness.
Our part is to be faithful, so let us determine to stand fast by the power of God, to be bold in our witness, to entrust the future into the hands of the Lord, and to live for Christ no matter what it costs. Paul said, “I am not ashamed.” What about us?
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