Not Ashamed of the Gospel
Month 12: On Mission & Finishing Well · Memory Verse
Today's Scripture
Read together: Romans 1:16
16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
Memory Verse
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.”— Romans 1:16 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Colossians 1–4
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 346 of 365 — Christ supreme over everything.)The Heart of It
Think of all the people who could have written "I am not ashamed of the gospel." It was Paul who wrote it. And Paul was the man who used to be ashamed of Christians. Now he says he isn't embarrassed by the good news at all. He says this even though the good news had landed him in beatings, prisons, and shipwrecks. Why such confidence? Because, he says, the gospel "is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes." The message isn't just nice advice or a story. It carries God's own power to rescue people. When we tell someone about Jesus, we're not handing them our clever opinion. We're carrying dynamite that God uses to bring the dead to life.
Notice the wonderful reach of it. It is "for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek." The gospel doesn't have a favorite kind of person. It saves the religious and the rough. It saves the close neighbor and the faraway stranger. It saves the grandparent and the toddler. That's why we don't have to be ashamed or shy. The world tries to pin shame on us for following Jesus. But that shame simply doesn't fit, because we're carrying the best news in the universe. Memorizing this verse this week puts a backbone of courage in your family. It is a quiet, joyful certainty that the message we believe is true and powerful.
Around the Table
The good news about Jesus is the best news ever. We're happy to share it, not shy about it!
Let's do it: Stand tall and smile big. Then say together, "I'm not ashamed of Jesus!"
Paul wasn't embarrassed about Jesus, even when it got hard. The gospel has power to save people.
Let's talk: What makes us feel shy about talking about Jesus? And why don't we need to be?
The gospel is "the power of God." It is not our persuasion. It is His Spirit working through the message.
Let's go deeper: God's power is in the message. So how does that take the pressure off you when you share it?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's the best news you've ever gotten to deliver to someone? How did it feel to be the one who told them?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
We're not ashamed, because the gospel rests on real events. Jesus lived, died, and rose. Hundreds of people saw Him (). When someone asks why we believe, tells us how to answer. We give our reason "with gentleness and respect." We are confident in the facts, and gentle in the telling.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Shame is one of the enemy's favorite tools. And it works on dads as much as on kids. It is the worry that faith makes you look foolish at work, among relatives, or online. Paul cuts the root of that worry. He anchors his courage not in his own boldness but in the gospel's power. The braver thing isn't to manufacture confidence. It is to be so sure the message is true and effective that hiding it would be the strange choice. Your kids are watching. They can tell whether you're quietly embarrassed or quietly unashamed. So let them catch you speaking of Jesus with the ease of a man who simply believes it.
Draws on: Tony Evans, Tony Evans Bible Commentary (Romans).
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that the gospel is Your power to save. Take away our shame and our shyness. Make us a family that speaks of Jesus with joy and confidence. In Jesus' name, amen."
The gospel is God's power, not my performance. So I have nothing to be ashamed of.