August 2, 2016 (Tuesday)
When my oldest sons were very young and the Astrodome was fairly new, we three attended an Astros game. Nolan Ryan, one of baseball’s greatest, was the Astro pitcher. They were playing the Pittsburgh Pirates. I was amazed at the electronic signs inside the dome. Huge animated messages would suddenly be displayed at the proper moments. It was all so very exciting. I remember when an Astro sent a fly into deep right field, and the crowd was screaming victoriously because it looked like a home run for sure, and Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente made an heroic dive for the ball, catching it as he somersaulted toward the fence. It was a miraculous catch. Wow. Sudden silence. Then mild cheers because the crowd knew they had just witnessed a great play by one of the greatest players in the game. The big sign woke up and flashed the message: “NOT BAD!”
“Not bad” is a phrase that can mean different things, depending upon the context. That day, it meant, “GREAT!”
I think that Paul’s message in Romans 1:16 is sort of like the “Not Bad” message at that game. What did he say? “I am not ashamed of the gospel!” If Paul had said aloud what was in his heart that day, he might have said, “I am PROUD of the gospel!” Why? Well, he told us why: “..because it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes!”
He went on in that chapter to tell us more about Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world. He pointed out that Jesus was a Jew who came to save both Jew and Gentile. Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah–the one who had been promised through the ages preceding his miraculous birth at Bethlehem and subsequent atoning death at Jerusalem. He made plain the message that anyone can be saved through faith in him.
Paul and his companions went to places where the gospel had never been preached. One of those places was the Roman colony of Philippi. He and his companion, Silas, were arrested and imprisoned there. Behind bars, guarded by a Roman soldier, they prayed aloud and sang praises to God. Suddenly an earthquake rocked the prison and opened the gates. The soldier was about to kill himself because he presumed his prisoners had escaped, which would bring a death penalty to him. Paul called out to him, “Don’t harm yourself; we are all here.”
The soldier then knelt before Paul and Silas and pleaded, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” The answer from Paul was to the point and clear: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” Whenever that question is asked today, the answer is still the same. Salvation can be yours through faith in Jesus Christ. Have you received him into your heart?