The Apostle Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel." The word gospel means "good news."
Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the good news." But I have seen people who were ashamed of the good news.
The reason for their attitude was that they had heard someone who was arrogant. They taught in such a manner that people just didn't want to hear it.
I have heard some people say, "I've heard all of this faith business I want to hear."
If they have, they have heard all of the Word of God they want to hear, for God's Word is filled with faith. If you teach God's Word, you will be teaching faith.
That isn't really what the critics meant. They meant they didn't like the attitude with which some people delivered the message of faith.
If you are going to reach people, you must reach them where they are. And the message must be presented in an attitude of love.
The same is true concerning prosperity, because of the ways it has been presented. I also know that the individuals who taught it didn't mean for it to sound that way.
Check Up on Yourself
It helps those of us who are ministers to go back and listen to our own tapes sometimes to see how our message is coming across. We need to check up on ourselves.
Sometimes things come over to the audience in a different way than was intended, and they misunderstand it.
Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the good news, for it is the power of God." Good news is the power of God. It is the gospel. And the gospel, of course, is faith, and it is prosperity, and it is healing. All of these are involved in salvation.
When Paul said that, he was telling us that the power of God is in the Word of God. He upholds all things by the Word of His power.
The gospel is good news. It is the power of God unto salvation - which means deliverance, preservation, healing, soundness.
If you preach it the way the Word says it, and with the right attitude, people will believe it. But you can turn people off by saying things the wrong way.
Don't take the Bible and beat people over the head with it. Sure, they are bound in religious tradition. You were too before you first heard it - we all were. We were all in the same boat.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers