1 TIMOTHY 1:1-2 YOU CANNOT FAIL

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Both the authority to share the Gospel and the content of the Gospel come from the Father and the Incarnate Son. As a result we can rest assured that when we reach out to others with the Gospel we cannot fail.

Sounds great in theory, but all of us have had experiences where we have tried to share the Gospel with another person and that person has rejected it. So, how can we be so deluded as to think we cannot fail?

The answer to that question is found when we dissect out what it is that we are called to do. If we do not have an accurate understanding of the task, how can we determine our success or failure?

The members of the Church have been called and commissioned by God to share his direction and purpose in this world. In the story of the Hebrew people we see that God saved them and brought them to himself. That story continued in the New Testament through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the story of God’s grace and mercy in sending his Son to save us, that is, to bring us peace with God (reconciliation). So it is that Jesus is our hope. Therefore, we are not responsible for the Gospel, its production or content, we are only accountable for the task we have been authorized to perform. That task is simply to share the Gospel. We are not responsible for its acceptance or rejection by our neighbor. Thus, as long as we share it we are successful.

If then, we cannot fail in what we have been authorized to do, what valid excuse do we have for not doing it?

Lord God, strengthen me to perform the task you have given me to do. Drive the spirit of timidity far from me and replace it with the assurance of your divine pleasure and commission. When people reject your Gospel, may I mourn their decision but not consider my mission as a failure. But most of all protect me from a fear of failure that will prevent me from obeying you. Amen.