Courage to Share the Gospel By Paul Chappell Friday, Jul 11, 2014 “And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:29–31 After both of his sons enlisted in the Army to fight in World War II, Henry Gerecke, the pastor of a small church in Missouri, volunteered to join the Army as a chaplain. In addition to his skill with the Word of God, Gerecke spoke fluent German. He was often called on to work with German prisoners as the Army moved forward. When the war ended, the Army asked him to serve as chaplain to the members of the German high command facing trial at Nuremberg. Some people opposed the idea, believing that war criminals like Herman Goering and Alfred Jodl did not deserve spiritual comfort. But Gerecke answered the call, even though doing so meant another year away from his wife and home. Eleven of the twenty-one tried at Nuremberg were sentenced to death. Gerecke continued to witness and minister to them up to the day of execution. He later wrote that four of them “died as penitent sinners trusting God’s mercy for forgiveness. They believed in Jesus who shed His blood for their sins.” Most of us do not face the challenge of sharing the gospel with hardened criminals who have the blood of multiplied thousands on their hands. Yet, in truth, every sinner, whether his sins are small or great in our eyes, stands condemned to death and eternity in Hell apart from God’s grace. Let us never fail to witness to anyone because of fear. Today’s Renewal Principle: There are no people whose sins are so severe that the grace of God cannot save them—so we should witness boldly to all.
Posted on: Fri, 11 Jul 2014 12:27:09 +0000
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