“Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.”
Romans 1:5 (NLT)
Through Jesus Christ, God gave Paul grace and authority. Grace is the enablement, power, and capacity to do what God has called him to do. Authority is the assignment, the spiritual area to go do what he was spiritually enabled to do. We have no ability to be witnesses without Jesus offering His life so that God could have a relationship with us and pour out His Holy Spirit on us.
Paul was given grace and authority to tell the nations, to tell people far from God everywhere, what God did for them. Through his obedience, they could hear the Good News, be brought to faith, and begin not only to believe God but to obey Him. Their faith and obedience would bring glory to God. But they could not believe and obey if no one shared the Good News.
In Ephesians 3:8, Paul says something similar. He did not deserve the grace or authority of his apostleship, yet he counted it a privilege to tell the nations about the endless treasures available through Christ. Paul went through hell and back to share the Good News, but he still considered it an endless treasure, like a mighty river of God’s grace, encouragement, comfort, forgiveness, and love flowing to us through our relationship with Him.
So, is sharing the Good News a privilege in your eyes because of the endless treasure you found by belonging to Jesus Christ? Or is it an inconvenience, a burden, and a distraction from the life you desire and have built for yourself? If that is the case, maybe you have not found the endless treasure available in Christ. Have a conversation with Jesus today. If you belong to Him, you have everything you need, and you will begin doing crazy things like Paul for the sake of the gospel.