The word 'Gospel' comes from a Greek word euangelion, which literally means “good news.” What does it mean to be really sold out to the gospel? To be willing to give your life for the gospel. (2 Tim. 4:6-8).
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my
departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I
have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:
and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing (2 Timothy
4:6-8).
To be sold out in essence means total faithfulness and
devotion. It means to be like Jesus. It means to be willing to give everything
for the gospel. It means your life. For an individual person, perhaps the best
way to answer this question is by way of an illustration.
Matthew Henry was a well-known 18th century Presbyterian
Bible commentator whose father was a Puritan preacher by the name of Philip
Henry. He had suffered greatly for the sake of the gospel. Philip Henry once
declared, “He is no fool who parts with that which he cannot keep when he is
sure to be recompensed with that which he cannot lose.”
Almost three centuries later a young missionary by the name
of Jim Elliot would in his journals paraphrase Philip Henry’s words as he
prayed about a missionary journey deep into the Ecuadorian jungles in search of
a tribe known as the Auca Indians. He wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he
cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Elliot was announcing his resolve to
surrender himself wholly to the task to which the Lord had called him. He
understood that no matter the cost, knowing that the cost, howsoever great it
may be, will always be outweighed by the rewards.
Upon first contact with the Auca Indians, Elliot was called
upon to pay the ultimate price. His life was taken from him, along with every
member of his group - Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, Nate Saint, and Ed
McCully. They were each speared to death and martyred for the gospel. However,
they gladly and willingly gave what they could not keep that they might gain
what they could not lose. And their sacrifices propelled a new generation of
young people onto the mission fields (John 12:24; cf. Song 7:10; Gal. 2:20;
Phil. 1:21). This was a rich harvest (John 4:35).
Of course, this principle is not simply for the missionary,
but for every Christian. It generally is a principle of essential surrender to
the call, the commands, and the lordship of Jesus Christ. In particular, it
should be a governing principle of every life that humbly bows before Jesus as
Savior and Lord. What is a faithful Christian’s commitment to the gospel? What
is the follower of Christ willing to give to see the gospel’s glorious
advancement? While it may not always necessitate our physical death, it will
always require our full life.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Source: Thirdmill
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