Entrusted

1 Thessalonians 2:4 “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.”

God’s people have been given a great gift, therefore what they possess is to be made available to others. What God has given must be consecrated back to God in honor to Him.

If we believe that what we have gained was by our own efforts, then we will find it difficult to make anything available to others and we will struggle to relinquish what we possess for God’s divine purpose.

2 Corinthians 2:17 “For we are not like so many others, who peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as men sent from God.”

Entrusted by God

The gospel is not a man-centered doctrine, it was not devised by men, nor is the purpose of the gospel to glorify man….the gospel is God centered, it was devised by God, and it is meant to glorify Jesus.

The very center of all worship is to glorify the Son of God–and for good reason. Creation was made to glorify God, and it awaits for His return and the purpose for which it was created.

As Creation glorifies God, the ideal declaration for anyone is to represent the Creator according to His perfect purpose—all God’s people have been called to carry the revelation of His glory to the world.

Since the Lord has entrusted His people with such a great honor, fulfilling His purpose is their greatest aim.

Philippians 1:27 “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,”

The offer that Jesus has given is the opportunity to know God’s goodness and share it with others. Many have attributed the message as a call just for the unrighteous to repent, but as we look deeper we see God offering the gift like a treasure for all who desire to receive it.

Who will respond to the call?

Psalm 19:7-8 “The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes“

Those who seek the Lord will recognize His sovereignty, the product of those who fear His name. It is good to fear the Lord, it is by fear people recognize His power and position as Judge and Ruler of all. If we neglect to see the Lord in light of His position, we miss the value of the gift.

Psalm 19:10 “More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb.”

If people neglect to see God’s power, they will lose sight of a life that sustains His own and they will become vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.

The Gospel = Power

For those who carry the message of the gospel, what is a realistic focus of their aim?

“We must make a great difference between God’s Word and the word of man. A man’s word is a little sound, that flies into the air, and soon, vanishes; but the Word of God is greater than Heaven and Earth, yea, greater than death and Hell, for it forms part of the power of God, and endures everlastingly.”

Martin Luther

We must be mindful of our purpose and to whom the message should be delivered. If someone is seeking the approval of men, they will have gained very little reward. If people seek to be found faithful with the honor of God’s call entrusted to them, they will have the very power of God supporting each effort, every step, every word spoken, and each encounter will be ordained by Him.

Galatians 1:10 “Am I now seeking the approval of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

In what manner is this power supplied?

When we walk in the power of God, we walk according to His Spirit. It is by His Spirit the lost are called to repentance, it is by His Spirit by which His people speak truth, and it is that very Truth that resonates in the hearts of believers who seek the Lord with all their hearts.

To tap into God’s power supply is to daily seek after Him. The manner and method of drawing near was beautifully illustrated by Jesus when He walked in man’s shoes. He embraced righteousness and lived in holiness, it was through continual fellowship with the Father that He demonstrated the process of walking in power. We are called to live like Him, speak like Him, and love like Him.

1 Peter 4:11 “If anyone speaks, he should speak as one conveying the words of God. If anyone serves, he should serve with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.”

What is the Gospel?

The gospel is more than a message, it illustrates the character of God. When we share the gospel, we share more than the Word of God, we express Christ to the world.

God’s people must live differently than the world lives. Our interests must be above the mundane process of seeking after worldly riches, we cannot let the affairs of this world overshadow our greater purpose….to be light in the darkness.

Colossians 1:22 “But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence”

The best reason to strive to live by the moral law is to present ourselves blameless before Christ so that He can be expressed through us to the world. When we live according to the nature of God, we live out our love for Him.

Colossians 1:23 “if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

Easter is the reminder of the great gift God has given mankind….His grace. For all who receive it, blessing will follow but woe to them who forsake such a gift.

The Call

Ephesians 4:1 “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,”

God’s people have been given the greatest responsibility in history…to be Jesus to the world. If anything diminishes that image, it should be counted as worthless.

If belief interferes with the work of the gospel then move on from that belief, if it obstructs the message entrusted to you then remove the obstruction. Move past the politics, the religiosity, and the rhetoric— if the image you present as a man or woman is not Jesus first, then what is it?

We have a greater calling—Why accept anything less?