——-español abajo———-
Hebrew 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne.
I gew up thinking that shame was a Christian word. Every self righteous person that I knew used that word, A LOT! I really grew to hate hearing that word. I discoverred recently that Jesus hates hearing it to. ‘Shame on you’ should NEVER come out of a Christian’s mouth. Christians don’t shame people. Jesus doesn’t shame people. Only those that don’t really know and understand God say it.
Jesus is about mercy, not shame. Instead of saying ‘shame on you’, we should say, ‘mercy on you! AND on me while we’re at it’! We all have lived shameful lives before we got saved. Shameful as in embarrassing. I never understand people going on about how bad they were before they got saved. There is no glory in it. Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing. God is merciful to all of us, and payed an enormous, incalculable price to redeem us. We are invaluable to God, it is obvious because of how much He paid to redeem us. We shouldn’t keep crawling back to the garbage can that, only by God’s mercy, we got pulled out of.
I also don’t understand the people that post on FB saying that they aren’t ashamed of Jesus. I am never ashamed to talk about Jesus, because I know Him, and every one I know needs Him. Likewise, I never get shamed by the people that I share the gospel with, face to face or to a crowd. Everyone listens the first time. Why then does even Paul say something like that?
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
First off, Paul was preaching in Nero Rome, where killing Christians was in style. But also because the word salvation means more than just not going to hell. It means redeemed. Redeemed from the curse of the law. Even the word ‘gospel’ means good news, and it also means power! Power is measurable and visible. The fact that you’ll go to heaven is neither visible nor measurable to the common observer. When you preach in power, people expect to see something NOW~ in other words, YOU’RE ON THE SPOT!
When I first got saved and baptized it was great! At first, I was ashamed to go up front in front of everyone and admit that I was a sinner, and needed Jesus. Once I went forward, in spite of my shame, I felt a flood of relief. All of a sudden I wasn’t embarrassed any more. And I absolutely loved everyone, still do as a matter of fact! Sometimes to my own harm.
Something was wrong though. All The sermons had the same ending, ‘accept Jesus into your heart as your personal saviour’. Every time I went to church after that, for about 20 times, I kept getting ‘saved’ and baptized, again. AT LEAST 20 times. Yes the message of being forgiven of your sins IS good news. It’s the BEST news, but I was BROKE AND SICK as well. I knew I was going to heaven someday when I died (I hoped I was, but my faith was still weak even for that). I finally realized that I needed faith to be saved. Now that I figurred that faith thing out (actually God’s faith, not mine) I am now realizing that the Gospel is so much deeper.
When Paul preached the Gospel, a guy got healed.
Acts 14:9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed
The sick man heard Paul preach the Gospel, and had faith to be healed. It takes a lot more faith to be saved than to be healed. If God can create you and save you, He can take care of a headache, illness or injury. He wouldn’t have found the faith and power to be healed if Paul was only preaching about going to heaven someday. Sure that was part of it, but Paul was talking about redemption. Full redemption, Spirital salvation, health (mental, spiritual, physical and emotional) as well as financial. God wants you to have it all. I have almost 50 verses to proove that.
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Now here’s where the ‘shame part’ rears it’s ugly head. I joyously, confidently, preach the salvation that can only be found in Jesus. I unashamedly preach to muslims, budhists, animalists, leftists (real leftists, not angry spoiled college kids, but to them as well), prisoners, gangs, doctors, medical patients, mourning familes, drug addicts, drunks, prostitutes (female, trans, homosexual), leaders of foreign countries, military, guerilla, kidnappers, millionaires, unreached people groups, indigenous, etc. I have preached to groups of a thousand or more non-believers (anyone can preach in a church building), or my favorite, face to face. I have never had a problem. Even when I am being mugged. Never a problem. Jesus saves. No shame. I do it in love, and out of love. Telling someone that God doesn’t want them to suffer, or to live in destitute poverty, is another story however. IT WILL GET YOU SHAMED! Not by the non-believers though but by well meaning, saved, Bible believing Christians. The majority of them, as a matter of fact, not just a few, will ridicule you if they hear you say it. Although it is clearly written in the Bible, many dismiss that part of the Bible that says that God heals and prospers. I am just starting to experience this, as I am forced by my own personal experiences and needs on the 3rd world mission field to seek more of the faith, finances and healing power of the Gospel. As I learn, I find that I have to excercise my faith, by going out on a limb. Preaching warm and fuzzies to the sick and suffering (who are already saved and living a solid Christian life) doesn’t cut it a lot of times. They desperately need God to intervene immediately. Besides bumps and bruises, I haven’t even had a cold since starting this quest. Financially, we haven’t been panicked like we used to be at the end of every month (although I have started tithing since I have been getting social security retirement and VA disability). It is interesting. The more I study faith in the Bible, and do what I am learning, the more I am convinced, and the more I must share with others what I am learning. It’s exciting,,, I live excited with the power of the Gospel, not ashamed, but thrilled. NO SHAME!
1 Corinthians 9:16
For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
Dean and Winnie Peters
[email protected]
Joyfully serving the ‘least of these’ in Nicaragua for the glory of God.
www.whatistheloveofGod.com
www.pureheartchildren.org
——español———
Vergüenza
Hebreos 12: 2 Mirando a Jesús, el autor y consumador de [nuestra] fe; quien por el gozo que se le presentó ante él soportó la cruz, despreciando el vergüenza, y se establece en la mano derecha del trono.
(Lecciones de la peste # 15 ¡No hay vergüenza! Las personas se avergüenzan si usan una máscara. Las personas se avergüenzan si no usan una máscara. Las personas se avergüenzan por el color de la piel, aunque NADIE no es ni negro ni blanco (que no son t colores por cierto “. Las personas se avergüenzan por su política y por no odiar a los demás. La vergüenza es malvada. De cualquier forma, forma o vergüenza. La vergüenza mata las relaciones. Las relaciones construyen amor. Dios es amor).
Me crecí pensando que vergüenza era una palabra cristiana. Cada persona justa que conocía usaba esa palabra, ‘Y MUCHO! Realmente crecí para odiarlo. Descubrí recientemente que Jesús lo odia esta palabra tambien! “QUE VERGÜENZA” nunca jamás debería salir de la boca de un cristiano. Los cristianos no avergüenzan a las personas. Jesús no avergüenza a la gente. Los que no conocen a Dios sí.
Jesús se trata de misericordia, no de vergüenza. Deberíamos decir, ¡piedad de ti! ¡Y sobre mí mientras estamos en eso! Vivimos vidas vergonzosas antes de ser salvados. Vergonzoso de viaje. Nunca entendí a la gente que hablaba de lo malos que eran antes de ser salvados. No hay gloria en ello. Dios es misericordioso con todos nosotros, y pagó un precio enorme e incontable por redimirnos. Para eliminar nuestra vergüenza y culpa.
Tampoco entendí a las personas que publican que no se avergüenzan de Jesús. Nunca me avergüenzo de la gente con la que comparto el evangelio cara a cara. Todos escuchan la primera vez. ¿Por qué entonces incluso Pablo dice algo así?
Romanos 1:16 Porque no me avergüenzo del evangelio de Cristo: porque es el poder de Dios para salvación a todo aquel que cree; al judío primero, y también al griego.
Primero, porque Pablo estaba predicando en Roma de Nero, donde matar cristianos estaba de moda. Pero también porque la palabra salvación significa más que no ir al infierno. Significa redimido. Redimido de las maldiciónes de la ley. (Múltiple). Incluso la palabra “evangelio” significa LAS buenas noticias (múltiples, más de una).
¡Cuando me salvé y bauticé por primera vez, fue genial! Me daba vergüenza ir al frente de todos y admitir que era un pecador y que necesitaba a Jesús. Una vez que avancé, ignorando mi vergüenza, sentí una oleada de alivio. Sin embargo, algo estaba mal. Los mensajes siempre tenían lo mismo final, ‘acepta a Cristo’. Cada vez que iba a la iglesia después de eso, unas 20 veces, seguía siendo “salvado” y bautizado nuevamente. AL MENOS 20 veces.
El mensaje de ser perdonado de tus pecados ES la buena noticia. Es la MEJOR noticia, pero también estaba Sin plata y enfermo. Sabía que algún día iría al cielo cuando muriera (esperaba que fuera así, pero mi fe aún era débil incluso para eso), pero finalmente me di cuenta de que necesitaba fe para ser salvo. Ahora que descubrí esa cuestión de la fe (en realidad, la fe de Dios, no la mía), ahora me estoy dando cuenta de que el Evangelio es mucho más profundo.
Cuando Pablo predicó el Evangelio, un hombre fue sanado. Hechos 14: 9 Lo mismo oyó hablar a Pablo: quien se esforzó por contemplarlo y percibió que tenía fe para ser sanado.
El hombre enfermo escuchó a Pablo predicar el Evangelio y tuvo fe para ser sanado. Se necesita mucha más fe para ser salvo que para ser sanado. Si Dios puede crearte y salvarte, Él puede curar un dolor de cabeza. No tenía fe para ser sanado por Pablo predicando acerca de ir al cielo. Claro que eso era parte de eso, pero Pablo estaba hablando de la redención. Redención total, salvación espiritual, salud (mental, física y emocional), así como financiera.
Dios quiere que lo tengas todo. Tengo casi 50 versos para probar eso. Ahora aquí es donde la “parte de la vergüenza” sale de nuevo. Predico la salvación en Jesús a musulmanes, budistas, izquierdistas (verdaderos izquierdistas, no niños universitarios malcriados y enojados), prisioneros, pandillas, médicos, pacientes médicos, familias en luto, drogadictos, borrachos, prostitutas (niñas, trans, homosexuales), líderes de países extranjeros, millonarios, etc. cara a cara nunca son un problema. Incluso personas que intentan robarme o lastimarme. Nunca hubo un problema Jesús salva. Sin vergüenza. Lo hago con amor.
¡Decirle a alguien que Dios no quiere que sufra, o que viva en la miseria, lo avergonzará! No por los no-creyentes, sino por cristianos, bien creyentes, salvos y creyentes de la Biblia. La mayoría de ellos, no solo unos pocos. Estoy empezando a experimentar esto. Bastante interesante. Cuanto más estudio esto en la Biblia, más estoy convencido y más debo compartir lo que estoy aprendiendo.
1 Corintios 9:16 Porque aunque yo predico el evangelio, no tengo nada de qué gloriarme: porque la necesidad se me impone; sí, ¡ay de mí si no predico el evangelio!