Paul's final summation in his instruction to Timothy has always been a great encouragement to me...to be bold and proclaim the gospel without fear of reprisal. Why? Because there are literally thousands of people within my sphere of influence who will surly die in their sin unless they can receive the blessing of forgiveness and restoration. They will never be able to come to Christ if the message of salvation isn't shown to them.
There is no season...no so-called good time to speak the truth in love. In fact, to not speak it when I know it to be essential to life...is to, by my own inaction, relegate those who might have heard and responded to hell.
There is, however, a challenge. As Paul says in 2Cor.4:3-4, "For the time is coming (in fact is already upon us) when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions...will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."
In this environment we who have been called to preach the gospel, know a little about how John the Baptist might have felt as a "voice crying in the wilderness". We, like he are trying to prepare the way for Jesus to come into the hearts of the people. It is a spiritual wilderness, empty and void. It does feel at times as if we are talking to ourselves and there is none to hear. None the less, we must speak the word, for the scripture tells us that God's would will never come back empty!
So Lord, I pray that you will give us a holy boldness to speak your truth to the lost and broken in the world around us. Make us courageous and without fear, without concern for our popularity or safety. Father, send your Holy Spirit as Jesus promised in the gospel to lead us in all truth...so that the myths which have captured the hearts of man will be destroyed and only the reality will be made manifest. Amen
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