Unstoppable

“Keep in mind Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, according to my gospel. For this I suffer, to the point of being bound like a criminal; but God’s message is not bound.” (2 Timothy 2:8-9 CSB)


The gospel of Jesus Christ is unstoppable. That is because He Himself is unstoppable.

There were men who thought they could stop Him. For them, a crucifixion was the ultimate weapon for stopping Jesus, so they used a cross to kill Him. But God raised Him from the dead, according to what He had planned all along. Not even the worst they could do could stop Him.

There are people today who think they can stop Him. In some places in our world, hostile and aggressive religions and governments are trying to stop or otherwise limit the Lord and the work of His kingdom, but ironically the harder they squeeze, the faster the gospel spreads. Their efforts, while brutal, are ultimately futile.

The message of God’s grace and love toward us cannot be bound. It cannot be stopped. The purposes of a sovereign God are at work in His message, so all efforts to contain or stop it will prove unfruitful.

This does not mean, of course, that no one is going to try. Try they will. It also does not mean that there will be no cost. Some will create suffering for the people of God who serve as the Lord’s messengers. That is to be expected, since Jesus told us that some folks will feel like they are doing God and the world a favor by putting gospelizers away. Jesus said that this is, in fact, the same thing they had done to the prophets of God previously, but attempts to silence God’s message did not succeed then either. Yet, we must understand that suffering is part of the cost.

Those who stand with the Lord in the proclamation of His unstoppable message should count themselves blessed, whatever the costs may be.

Lord, Keep us faithful and keep our minds on Jesus, so that we may also follow You faithfully. Amen.