"The Power"
      By Dr. David M. Berman                                                              www.wakeupandsmellthetruth.com <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
   When believers come to a place of deep recognition, a place of understanding that is beyond the natural, a place of total reliance upon He who is the alpha and omega, there can be no shame of the Word of Life. For them there is only a burning desire that is in opposition to being ashamed of the gospel. The power of the saving grace of God, once realized in its fullness only ignites the passion of the inner man. This fire may not be quenched; it may not be moved from its purpose to shout from the depths of spiritual passion that Christ is who He is. This power is the only power concerning eternity. For life here in this present age may proclaim itself as a greater power to the human condition of pride and arrogance, and yet God by His mercy has unleashed in the heart of the believer a delight that transcends any and all of what this present life offers.
   There will always be competing interests between the power of human will and the power of the sacred eternal gospel of Christ Jesus. This world grabs at us from every direction with cares and promises. The worry of this world is not limited to our personal need for food and drink. It is filled with ongoing desires that combine our natural and emotional needs as people. It is often the case even for the believer, that the fight against the powerful complexities of life in this present age can be overwhelming. This is why God has given the believer the necessary power of His divine witness in the center of the storms and temptations of life. As a believer, there is the ability to hear through the continued assault of all the voices that come at us. The world system with all its grandiose proclamations and promises is a very tempting place indeed. The world promises happiness in immorality and then clouds the facts of immorality's failures. In the same way, the pride of life pronounces the virtues of continued immorality in the face of overwhelming evidence of that position's disastrous end. The strident assertions of social liberalism continue (with an almost evangelistic passion) with disregard for what the outcome is of the failed system known as "if it feels good, do it".  For the believer there is a power that supersedes the pressure that the world tries to place on the believers to hold back from sharing the gospel. Those opposed to the Word of God will try everything from intimidation, to character assassination to shut the mouths of Christians. The Apostle Paul makes it clear that he was not ashamed of the gospel. In the same way we who believe must counter the vile philosophies made by those who are the enemies of God. We must evangelize for the kingdom of God.
   I do not speak against the failure of social liberalism as if I am personally some kind of super spiritual human who is above the fray of life's enticements. There is no assertion of personal perfection in pointing out the fiasco of social liberalism. The bible teaches us that all people (including Christians) are subject to the same temptations and desires of the human condition. The difference for the believer is that he/she has received the Savior who has paid the price of our sin and in doing so has secured salvation for all believers. There is the continued false belief of those who hate the bible and those who follow it. The belief that Christians should not speak out against anything unless they have totally overcome all sin. This is a false assertion and quite telling concerning the unbelievers total ignorance of what the message of Christ is. There is no preacher in the world that is perfect or immune to the obstacle of sinful temptation. That in no way precludes him from speaking the truth of right and wrong. Hypocrisy only enters when the preacher speaks as though he is somehow above it all and walking is perfection. The Scripture says;
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."   - 1 John 1:8-9 
The truth is that a person must acknowledge his own sinfulness in order to become a Christian in the first place. A Christian by biblical definition is one who depends on the righteousness of our Savior Jesus Christ. A person who rejects Jesus Christ is relying only on self and thus that person is the real self righteous one. No Christian is self righteous or he by classification is not a Christian.
    The power of God is just that; it is the ultimate power of life. It is not what is deemed powerful as this world envisions power to be. It is not of the political sort, nor is it of the love of personal financial gain. With the false supremacy this world attempts to fool us with, it leaves all who follow it in the end with nothing. This gospel power is unto salvation. This power is of the class that is not known by the world system. It is unto eternal life for all who believe and trust in He who is the giver of life, Jesus Christ our Lord. For a true believer who has the depth of spiritual understanding and the passion of the life giver, there can be no shame in his or her heart concerning the personal proclamation of the Savior. This decree comes from their words and deeds as ones that realize that Jesus came to give life to all people who would receive Him no matter what ethnic group they may be. If you are ashamed, ask yourself why, and fall on your face that you may have a deep revelation. Life in Christ is not merely a surface relationship, but rather a bond that is deep. It is not simply a way of life or some mere outward expression. It does not give justice to the power of God to classify Christianity as simply a way of life among others, but rather Christianity is exactly life itself, for without Christ all shall perish in total separation from God eternally. To be a Christian is to know in the depths of your being that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. How can we who know Jesus be ashamed of the gospel when other's eternal life is at stake? The answer is plain. If we have opened up our hearts that Jesus Christ will fill us we can't hold back. We are driven to share the testimony of the saving grace of God to all we have opportunity with. Jesus was very clear in the following passage;
"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."    - Matthew 10:32-33 
  If you are reading this as one who leads people to Jesus, I trust this will encourage you to continue. If you have been ashamed of the gospel, I trust that as you read this the Spirit will move you to repent and go forth with the power of it. Having said all that, if you are reading this as one who has never asked Jesus to be your Savior, I pray that you do so right now. Jesus said these following words through His Apostle Paul, and when he said them he was speaking of you!
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
                                                                              -  Acts 2:21
Pray this prayer if you want Jesus to save you from Hell.
   Dear Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and that I need your righteousness for salvation. I ask you to come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. I believe you died on the cross and that you rose up bodily from the dead. I accept you as my Lord and Savior and from this day on I put my total trust in you. I am now a Christian In Jesus' name I pray. AMEN!