Vazquez Counseling

In the last few weeks, I have spoken to people who have not been thrilled about this blog and how I proclaim God’s Truth unashamedly. Ever since the first martyr who was documented in the Book of Acts, Stephen, Christians have been standing against those who would oppose God, and many times, it costs them dearly.

One of our fundamental duties as Christians is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world that many times is not receptive to it. This responsibility was first modeled by the Old Testament prophets and ultimately by our LORD Jesus. He was not afraid of preaching and teaching God’s Truth, and He regularly confronted the religious leaders of His day with it. Jesus wasn’t crucified because He was a nice guy. He was killed because He was a threat to the religious and political leaders of His time. Yet, what these leaders meant for evil, God the Father used to provide salvation for those who place their faith in Christ. And that is the Good News that Christians worldwide are called by God to share with Everyone, that Jesus came to earth willingly; that He walked amongst us and lived a perfect life on our behalf, something we could never do ourselves; that He went to the Cross willingly as the Perfect Lamb of God and died there to pay the penalty for our sin and reconcile us to the Father; and that the Spirit of God raised Him from the dead on the third day to prove not only Who He was as our Messiah, but to guarantee us eternal life. This is the Gospel, or Good News, the message that is so clearly laid out in the whole counsel of God, His Holy Scriptures.

As Christians, we need to stop arguing about what the world says, and we need to unabashedly proclaim God’s Truth. The world is desperate for hope, and the only One Who can give it is God Himself. We need to go back to the basic principles and practices of the 1st century Church. The Bible records that the first Christians devoted themselves to prayer, to Holy Communion, and to helping each other.

The Gospel spread quickly in the 1st century because they were empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, Whom Jesus had promised to send them (Acts 2:40-47). Isn’t it amazing that a ragtag group of Jesus followers were able to launch a massive worldwide movement that continues to this day?

When Peter confessed to Jesus that He was the Messiah, our LORD promised that on the rock of Peter’s confession, He would build His Church, and the gates of Hades would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:13-20). In Jewish culture at that time, Hades represented death, so what Jesus was saying here was that not even death could stop His Church from advancing, and it hasn’t. This was true in the 1st century when many Christians were martyred, and it is true today when many Christians continue to be killed for their faith.

As Christians, we need to constantly consider the cost of being true disciples of Christ. People may not like you, but that shouldn’t matter. What does matter is that your Heavenly Father is pleased with your faithful witness of His Gospel of Truth.