In saying he is not ashamed of the gospel, Paul is telling us that he is very proud of it!

Why? Because the Gospel message – Christ's death for our sins, His burial and resurrection – has the power to do for us what no other message or person can do. And just what is that, you ask? Precisely this; a totally holy and righteous God will declare the person who believes (trusts) in the Gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ to be justified forever in His sight.

Not one of us can be declared righteous or justified by our own good efforts. To put it plainly, the Bible teaches us that we do not have it in us to come up to God’s standard. We fall short, woefully short. I didn’t want to become a thief, but that is what I became at about 10 years of age. I started "helping myself" at the sweet shop situated at the top of our street, in a suburb of London. But, it did not stop there. Something inside me drove me to go to Woolworth’s in the High Street (equivalent of Main Street) of our town. My older sister, Ann, went with me, and once inside I gave her the job of "look out". Boy, did I ever go to town, filling my pockets with little plastic toy soldiers, etc. I even took a white cowboy belt with guns and wore it right there – I was getting ever bolder. Then it happened.

To this day I can almost feel that hand on my shoulder. I had been caught red-handed. I did feel very bad about my stealing, and my poor mother had to pay. It helped me to realize that something was wrong inside me, but right then I did not know what it was.

The Bible tells us in Romans 10:17, "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word". I could not have faith (believe) until I had heard the gospel. Thanks to four men in my hometown who were concerned about boys who did not attend church; I eventually did hear the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ!

At first it was not so much the glory, but rather the penalty of sin – everlasting punishment away from God in hell – that very much concerned me. I had no one to talk to about these big issues I was hearing and very seriously thinking about. I had no one in my family that is, but I did have the four men; especially one who lived nearby. Stan Pitt must have been a patient man! Thank God for those men who truly wanted to see others come to faith in Christ! Stan always seemed to be ready to listen and answer my many questions. Eventually, as a 16-year-old I put my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior from sin – right there in Stan’s living room. I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I was now a child of God. I had eternal life! I went home, and my Dad answered the door. "Dad" I said, "I’m saved, and I’m going to heaven!"

His face was one of incredulity and doubt. "What?" he said. But I had begun my walk of faith. As the Bible says, "The just (my righteous one, NASB) shall live by faith." I began to live each day trusting in the God that I was just beginning to know.

The first major obstacle I faced was my parents not allowing me to go to church. They thought I had really got "religious mania," that I was "crackers." I knew, though, in my heart, that they could never take away or reverse the very real process that had begun. But, how was I going to get instruction and grow in this new way of life?

Yes, God used a man. Apart from Stan, there were at least two other men in my life – and they did not let me down. Graham Woodward was the first Christian friend I had, and he still prays for me and supports me, to this day. God used him then, and after, to keep me going in my walk of faith. Another friend was David Mugford. He was going through London Bible College at the time, with his wife Beryl. He often had me come over to their house. (I must have eaten them out of house and home!) and would go over with me the things he was learning at the Bible College! Can you imagine a brand-new believer learning about the Old Testament prophets, the history of the Jewish people, etc.! David and Beryl were a tremendous help to me. (He became a pastor, and still is today on a part-time basis.)

Eventually, my parents had to let me make my own decisions regarding church. I started attending the local Hounslow Evangelical Church (part of the FIEC fellowship of churches in UK). I began to have opportunities to share my newfound faith; first at the Boys’ Club where I was saved, and later as a Sunday school teacher on a housing project in our area. These opportunities helped me also to grow. I was baptized at HEC at the age of 18.

Paul wanted to go to them not only to help establish them in their faith, but to be encouraged by their faith, also! Yes, Christian ministry is a two-way street! Paul told Timothy:

In doing those things Paul said Timothy would not only help those who heard him, but help himself. #9;

Those Old Testament believers believed God and obeyed Him. An example of this is Enoch. Enoch walked with God day by day, trusting and believing His word. Eventually, he trusted the promise from God that he would not die – but would be taken to heaven.

We are not told how Enoch went over this promise with his family, nor what their initial reaction was. But one thing is for sure, Enoch discovered that believing God pleases Him, and that true faith is always rewarded. Because Enoch chose to believe God he did not experience death. We have no idea what the neighbors said, but Enoch showed his family which life is worth living!

Now, we have to point out that walking by faith is not always easy for us human beings. Abraham and Sarah had their struggles, did they not? Unbelief and following their own thinking got them into hot water in Egypt and in their own home. Long after Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, the Lord Himself was amongst the visitors to Abraham and Sarah.

What a never to be forgotten day that turned out to be! The totally true, but incredible statement from the Lord that Sarah herself would have a son made Sarah laugh. She said to herself, "After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" But she could not hide a thing from her Heavenly Visitor.

Showing His great power and patience, the Lord quoted what Sarah (who was behind him in the tent) had said, and then again He promised Abraham, "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son."

Sarah was afraid and denied her doubts, but of course the Lord had the last word! He said, (notice he talked directly to her) "No, but you did laugh."

He knows the struggles we have at times believing what He has promised. Yet how patient He was with Sarah. And, He still is with you and me!

Sarah did come to believe God in this matter, and the Bible credits her for having faith in the promise (Hebrews 11:11). She who had laughed in unbelief did come to believe that God is faithful. He fulfills His promises; He can be trusted!

You and I will never experience more of God’s faithfulness unless we take Him at His word now. Faith is believing God; believing His word – His promises.

Abraham believed, obeyed and went to Canaan. Later, he believed, obeyed and took his long-awaited son to the land of Moriah. Genuine faith cannot be hid. Sooner or later, it will show itself. How about you and me? Do we show our faith in obedient actions? When was the last time you believed God’s Word in a certain matter and obeyed?

When I first went to the United States from England in 1965, in my heart of hearts I really did not know if I was missionary material. When we first came here to Negibi, North Gimi in 1969, in my heart I had some doubts. Could I really learn this Gimi language and culture (their way of thinking and looking at life)? It was the same when I first taught and preached in the Gimi language at Amusa in South Gimi in 1970. Again, it was the same when I took on the task of translating the New Testament into the Gimi language.

It was hard to see "my little girl" Essie go off to school for the very first time. She was 6 years old. It was hard for her mother also. As the Landcruiser drove off, Lynne and I were around the back of our house crying our eyes out. Years later, it was hard for me to say goodbye to our son Ed, when a few months after his graduation he left us and PNG for the United States.

It was hard in 1996 to tear down our house at Amusa, South Gimi – where we had lived as a family, raised our children and seen a church start functioning. It was hard to even think about starting again here at Negibi, North Gimi. But as we have trusted in each of these situations and many more, He has always proved faithful. I have found that He can be trusted!

But you know, as I look back now, I can honestly say, "Thank you Lord for being faithful to Lynne and me and our family, and that we have had a part in seeing your church planted and starting to function here in the North and South Gimi." I would not have missed the whole experience for the world! God can be trusted!

What is involved in living a life of faith? To recap, we have said that believing in Christ is the first step of faith. We need to read and study God’s Word for ourselves, and also be taught in a sound, local church so that we can grow. We need to be nurtured and discipled in our new walk of faith. Also, it is good to share our faith, passing on what we are learning. To trust God and obey His word pleases Him and we find, too, that true faith is always rewarded.

Walking by faith is not always easy; even as we trust God there can be doubts. But we walk with a gracious and patient God. The real bottom line is that it is our little (but growing) faith in His faithfulness Even though we doubt and sometimes want to go our own way, He is faithful!

These have been, and always will be, great verses to strengthen and stimulate our faith,