Why Would Anybody Proclaim the Gospel?

5th Sunday of Easter, 4/24/16
Acts 13:44-52


Why Would Anybody Proclaim the Gospel?
I. Out of love for our glorified Savior
II. Out of love for redeemed sinners


This past week I received my hard copy of the 2015 WELS statistics, which lists the stats of every congregation in our synod. Total membership declined by 1% and one of the factors for it was another year’s decrease in infant baptisms. It appears the members of our synod reflect the national trend of fewer births occurring. It’s been that way in our nation almost every year since 2007, when the great recession occurred. People of child-bearing age apparently have decided they can’t afford more children.

I can’t help but wonder if there’s another reason. How many couples are more than a little concerned about bringing a child into this world, especially if they don’t have the advantage of a Christian faith which trusts that God will provide and will work all things out for the good of those who love him? Parents of young children today are rightly concerned for their child’s safety every moment of their young lives. It’s gotten to the point that parents wonder if their children can be safe anywhere, especially if they are not within sight of at least one parent. Given that threatening environment, why would someone want to become a parent?

Well, one compelling reason is the opportunity to love a child. Certainly any child can be the source of trouble and hardship in the life of the parent. Countless children have broken parental hearts. And we know that. But the opportunity to love a child overcomes those obstacles. Without a doubt, love is the greatest motivator among human beings.

In today’s sermon text from the book of Acts, we hear about the Apostle Paul giving birth, not to babies, obviously, but to Christians. Actually, this was the work of the Holy Spirit through Paul as he proclaimed the gospel. But that activity of proclaiming the gospel brought all sorts of heartache and even persecution into Paul’s life. So why would he do it? Why would anyone do it? Why would anyone proclaim the gospel? Love causes us to do that amazing work, the love that Jesus spoke about in this morning’s gospel, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Let’s focus our hearts and minds on that Christian love as we apply the words of our Savior to ourselves this morning.

Part I.

There are some vocations which I simply wouldn’t consider, and the main reason for it is that they’re too difficult and/or too dangerous. For instance, I wouldn’t pursue a position on one of our military’s special operations forces such as the Army’s Green Beret or the Navy’s SEALs. I don’t think I’d like to learn 100 different ways to “neutralize” the opposition. I don’t think I have the courage or nerves to be a member of one of these forces. I’m deeply thankful that there are men and women who live for this opportunity; I’m just not one of them.

There have been time periods and particular places in the history of Christianity that have been far more difficult and dangerous than being a member of a military special operatives force. But that shouldn’t surprise us. In fact we should expect it. Jesus stated clearly, “all men will hate you because of me” (Mk. 13:13). He warned that your Christian faith would separate you in some way from dear family members. He stated that your Christian faith will bring crosses you must bear. Christians who think that the Christian life should be easy and trouble-free didn’t get that idea from Jesus. Especially if you are actively engaged in proclaiming the gospel.

That was Paul’s direct calling from Jesus, and it wasn’t easy. God’s word before us this morning is a portion of the account of Paul’s preaching in the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, which is in modern Turkey. He preached there on the previous Sabbath Day without incident. But on the day described in our text, things were vastly different.

His message about Christ essentially blew this peaceful synagogue apart. There were many Jews and Gentile converts to Judaism who believed what Paul was proclaiming—that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah. But not everyone was convinced and ugly jealousy was the main factor. When the whole town turned out to hear Paul preach, many of the Jews turned on Paul. They couldn’t stand the thought that they had been doing “kingdom work” in Antioch for years, probably with marginal results. Paul works for seven days and sets the city on fire.

So they persecuted him and his companion, Barnabas. In fact, the Jews stirred up high-standing Gentile men and women in the city to oppose Paul. These were the wealthy, famous and powerful people in Antioch and they were used to having their way. So they “expelled [Paul and Barnabas] from their region.” This was the first time of many in which Paul’s preaching faced open opposition. Twenty years later, Paul would suffer martyrdom for preaching about Jesus.

So why would he proclaim the gospel? Why would anyone? Out of love for Jesus. Paul was proclaiming the message of the Savior who lived and died for him, someone who formerly blasphemed Jesus and persecuted Christians. Jesus showed Paul his saving mercy and grace and Paul knew keenly how indebted to Jesus he was. Paul didn’t know it prior to his conversion, but he was headed down the highway to hell. Jesus appeared to him and called him to faith in him and set him on a course for eternal life. Paul owed Jesus a debt of love.

Why would anyone proclaim the gospel? Out of love for our glorified Savior.

Paul’s rescue from the clutches of hell was dramatic, but, spiritually speaking, none more so than my own or yours. Jesus has rescued us from hell and now he has called us to be his own. But that calling isn’t easy. It’s eternally glorious, but it isn’t temporally easy. Every day—countless times—we’re presented with the choice to love our world or ourselves, or love Jesus. And countless times we make the wrong choice. We choose the world’s easy path rather than our Savior’s difficult one. But Jesus never did. He always chose the path his Father mapped out for him so that ultimately he could die for us, to rescue us. And now as his baptized believers he washes our sins away and renews us. He engages and empowers us to be the beacons of his saving truth in a world of spiritual darkness. We can spend our days bemoaning the sin-sick world in which we live or we can view it as a golden opportunity to proclaim the gospel. Let love for Christ move you to do that daily!

Part II.

Would you put your life on the line for someone else? We’d like to think that we would if given the opportunity. If you came across a person trapped in a burning vehicle, I think you’d do what you could to rescue that person, even though it could cost you your life.

Jesus literally did just that. He put his life on the line to rescue us. He put it on the line to rescue every sinner in all of history. What’s so amazing is that he knew he would die. In fact, it’s his death that made that rescue complete. His death was the payment for the sins of every sinner. What great good news that is for every sinner!

The problem is that only a minority of the world’s population is aware of it. And that’s where we come in. Jesus has a plan to share his saving gospel to the ends of the earth. It’s the one he announced just before he ascended into heaven. He commissioned every Christian to make disciples of all nations. He died for all and he wants all to hear the good news.

But at times that’s not so easy for us to do. One of the reasons for it is that some people, in our way of thinking, are so despicable. They commit heinous, public sins. They blaspheme Jesus and his way to salvation. They do what they can to oppose Christianity. There are others in our world whose goal in life is to eradicate Christianity. It’s so easy to think that certainly Jesus doesn’t want these people in his holy heaven. But he does. In fact, he sacrificed his life for them. And he’s commissioned you and me to share that saving good news with them.

And here’s the power to do so. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (Jn. 13:34). Certainly that command includes all those within the walls of this church. Sure it concludes all those already within the invisible walls of the Holy Christian Church. But it extends beyond that—especially to those who don’t know about Christ’s love for them. His love for us fills us with love for others.

Why would anyone proclaim the gospel? Out of love for redeemed sinners.

It’s too easy to compartmentalize my Christianity, to make my Christian life something I do at this address for one hour or so a week. But the truth is that the resurrection of Jesus has changed me. He has also changed your entire life. His resurrection was the power in your baptism that created a new person within you that lives each day to serve our Lord Jesus and to love others. But we forget, we get lured, we so easily revert to our sinful ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. The truth is that Jesus redeemed you body and soul for himself by his holy life and his death on the cross. His resurrection assures you that you indeed do belong to him. And so we live to declare the praises of our Savior-God before all the world by what we say and do. Our highest mission is to proclaim the gospel out of love for a world full of redeemed sinners. May our risen Savior empower us for that soul-saving work and richly bless our kingdom efforts. Amen.