Reasons To Rehearse The Gospel Daily. Day 30-My Manifesto

REASONS TO REHEARSE THE GOSPEL DAILY

Day 30-My Manifesto

Boldness is critical. Without boldness, my life story will be one of great deeds left undone, victories left unwon, petitions left unprayed, and timely words left unsaid. If I wish to live only a pathetically small portion of the life God has prepared for me, then I need no boldness. But if I want my life to bloom full and loom large for the glory of God, then I must have boldness-and nothing so nourishes boldness in me like the gospel!

The gospel gives me boldness first by banishing my greatest fear, the fear of God’s eternal wrath. Indeed, Christ bore God’s wrath upon Himself, not simply so I could escape that wrath on some future day, but also that I might be released from the daily fear of such wrath as I think ahead to judgment day. Because this fears hinders the ongoing work of God in me, the love of God continually expels this fear (whenever it appears) and nurtures within me a confident eagerness to face God on judgment day.151 Living in the daily relief of this frees me up to continue being perfected in confidence by the love of God, and it also serves to put all other fears, especially the fear of man, into perspective.152

Additionally, the more I experience the life-transforming power of the gospel, the more confident I am in speaking it to others, both saved and lost.153 I know what the gospel can do in people’s lives if they would believe the fullness of it, because I see what it is doing in me and in others. Therefore, I have increasing boldness to speak the whole gospel to others, 154 even amid opposition.155

Also, the more I comprehend what God has done for me through Christ, the more I find myself confidently coming before God in prayer,156 speaking to Him in situations in which I normally would have shrunk from Him, and offering requests that I normally would have been too timid to offer (due either to the largeness of the request or my own sinful unworthiness). With greater boldness in prayer comes an increased enjoyment of God and the bounty that He gives, due simply to the fact that I was daring enough to ask for what was needed.157

Preaching the gospel to myself each day nourishes within me a holy brazenness to believe what God says, enjoy what he offers, and do what He commands. Admittedly, I don’t deserve to be a child of God and I don’t deserve to be free of sin’s guilt and power. I don’t deserve the staggering privilege of intimacy with God, nor any other blessing that Christ has purchased for me with His blood. I don’t even deserve to be useful to God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and I have what I have, and I hereby resolve not to let any portion of God’s grace prove vain in me!158 And to the degree that I fail to live up to this resolve, I will boldly take for myself the forgiveness that God says is mine and continue walking in His grace. This is my manifesto, my daily resolve, and may God be glorified by this confidence that I place in Him.

151-1 John 4. “(17) By this love, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

152-Matthew 10:28. “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul, but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

153-Romans 1. “(15) So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. (16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…”1 Corinthians 1:18. “…to us who are being saved it [the word of the cross] is the power of God.”

154-Acts 20. “(26) Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. (27) For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”

155-Acts 4. “(29) And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence…(31) And when they had prayed…they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”

156-Hebrews 4:16. “Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 10. “(19) Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, (20) by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh. (21) and since we have a great priest over the house of God, (22) let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…”

157-James 4:2. “…You do not have because you do not ask.”

158-1 Corinthians 15. “(9) For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (10) But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”