I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel

Have you ever felt ashamed of the Gospel? The world does not value the Gospel - the good news that Jesus Christ is our Saviour and the world mocks at the things we believe considering it religious mumbo jumbo, a fairy tale and even thinking that we are believing something that is not true to use as a crutch for our weakness. To the world, a crucified Savior is obviously an oxymoron, a contradiction and is foolishness. The Gospel message is a counter intuitive message - a message that does not come from our wisdom but God's.
1 Corinthians 1:18-21
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

What we need to understand is that we did not come to the knowledge of Christ through our own understanding or wisdom but through Christ's power working in us. The problem is that human beings want to be seen as self-sufficient, independent, able to take care of themselves and do not want to be seen as weak, as needing someone outside of themselves to save them. Paul tells us that he is not ashamed of the gospel message because it is the power of salvation for those who believe!
Romans 1:16
I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Paul faced a situation when people were deserting the faith because they were ashamed of the Gospel. Paul is in prison and under fire because the government sees him preaching a new heresy about a different king. He writes to Timothy to continue in the faith and not to be ashamed of the suffering that comes with following the Gospel because we have believed in the person of Christ who is our salvation prepared for us even before the beginning of time!
2 Timothy 1:8-10,12b
So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel..... Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

Do you feel ashamed of the Gospel especially that is contrary to the world's wisdom? You are right, it is contrary to the world's wisdom and rightly so because it is God's wisdom and power. So there is no need to feel ashamed. Be bold because your faith is based on the person of the Jesus Christ.