A Message by Assisting Pastor Aieko Mimata,
1st Sunday, at Oita Evangelical Christ Church, on March 1st, 1998
Sermon: "The Power of the Gospel." Romans 1:14-16.
Sermon: "The Power of the Gospel." Romans 1:14-16.
There is only one month left before I am to go to Iwate Prefecture, and it is such a blessing for me to partake of worship with you here in Oita.
As you know, this letter is written by St.Paul who had been a persecutor of Christians.
Paul said or proclaimed his faith in the Bible so much that his life was to spread out the
Gospel to the ends of the World. His motivation to do this was, of course, a calling of
God. He was called by God to do this task. Also, Paul said that he had many debts to pay
back to God, and this is very true of all of us. His longing to pay back his debt was a
result of his sense of responsibility. It was not just out of an emotion or feeling that
he should do it, but out of responsibility to finish his job. He also experienced God's
love and forgiveness, which led him to this Gospel.
Suppose you were sick and found a very good medicine, you probably couldn't help introducing
it to your neighbours and friends, and perhaps to anyone you happen to meet. I found a
very good ointment for dry skin a few years ago, and I've been using it, and likewise,
introducing it around to the people I have happened to meet. But, the very same thing
applies to the Gospel in our lives. Since we have something extrordinarily good (the
Gospel), we should be introducing it to everyone we meet.
Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel." We are not to be either! This Gospel is
Jesus, Himself, who died for us on the cross, was raised from death to a new life, and is
still living even now. This Gospel is the
I am sure that all of you here this morning have had the experiences of suffering from your
sins. You must be once in a while struggling against your defilement inside of you. The
power of God (the Gospel) certainly can make you free from this defilement.
Though Paul experienced Jesus Christ, he kept suffering from his being sinful quite often.
Whenever he was doing so, Paul went back to the cross and won the freedom from our sins that
is there for us.
Why are we scared of death? Because it's the result of sins. We have no idea what there is
beyond death. This makes us afraid of death. However, Paul had the triumph over death
because he experienced the Gospel. He now knew what death was. We will be raised up again.
We will meet again in Heaven. Knowing all of this wonderful and gracious truth, Paul was
not afraid at all, rather he longed for death.
Now, as all of you know, the Gospel has the greatest power to overcome all of those evil
things; sins, fears of death, or struggles that we have inside. Paul was not scared of the
hardships of life; though he was a few times about to be killed, he confesses that God
never gives you troubles that you can't bear. Rather, He gives you it with a way out. Let
us remember this verse again this morning. The Gospel which we now have has the power to
overcome every single trouble or hardship that we have.
Paul experienced all kinds of hardships; hunger, the fear of death, shame, physical and
spiritual pains, etc. But, still he claims the greatness of the Gospel.
Last June, there was a conference of Christian ladies in Nakatsu City. At that conference,
a lady gave a testimony: She said that, when she was getting ready for her pupils who were
to enter elementary school, she suddenly became sick. After that, she became handicapped,
she couldn't talk properly and the left half of her body was working at all [she was
partially paralyzed]. She began struggling against her accursed life. But, one day, she
encountered a Christian doctor. She began taking rehabilitation therapy with his help.. At
that point in her life, she started to be changed. It seemed impossible for her to lead a
normal life like the people she knew around her. Yet, now she is married, and having a
baby girl. People around her can't tell that she had been through such a difficult struggle
in her life. She does have the power of the Gospel to overcome any kind of hardship.
Always remember Romans 1:16.
Translated by Junko Okamoto
- Edited for the Net by Shido
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