The
Fellowship of the Unashamed -- Is This for You?
by
Dave Brown, WACMM Director and Pastor-at-Large
When
Paul wrote "I am not ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes..." (Rom 1:16), he took an unyielding,
unequivocal stand for the Gospel and became a marked man by ungodly people. But
Paul knew the power of the gospel
because it radically transformed
him and it also bring a fallen world from sin and death to victory and eternal
life in Christ.. If you've been touched by the power of this gospel, you have
no excuse to be ashamed and every reason for hope and joy. Because in Him you
have your true identity, legacy and destiny. Life out now who you really are in
Christ Jesus.
Dr.
Robert Morehead tells the story a young man from Rwanda who was forced by his
tribe in 1980 to renounce Christ or face death. He refused to renounce Christ,
and he was murdered on the spot. The night before he had written the following
commitment which was found in his room: Can you make this kind of commitment
for the Gospel of Christ and become a member of the Fellowship of the
Unashamed?
"I
am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit Power. The
die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I
am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away,
or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is
secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning,
smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving,
and dwarfed goals.
"I
no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or
popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised,
regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by
patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
"My
pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is
rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I
cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or
delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence
of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of
popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
"I
won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed up,
paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of
Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all
know, and work until He comes.
"And
when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors
will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power
of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16)."
These
"No Matter What the Cost" disciples of Jesus Christ are the ones who
consider the cost of God's call on their lives and then with perfect freedom
and with a clear understanding that this road will be very difficult -
overwhelming at times - they choose to answer by saying, ’Here am I Lord! Send
me’ (Isaiah 6:8)
The
Fellowship of the Unashamed are also the ones who like Paul in Phillippians
3:5-11 boldly proclaimed,
"But
whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss
because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake
I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be
found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but
that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on
the basis of faith. I want to know
Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection
from the dead".
