And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news…”
Luke 1:19
Have you ever felt nervous when thinking about sharing with others about your faith? Anxieties of, “what if I don’t have all of the answers?”, or “what if they don’t believe?” can paralyze. Zechariah was given very good news, yet he, a righteous man, had trouble believing.* The angel Gabriel gives us a great example of how to respond to those who do not receive the Good News that we share. His words show us two things: our authority and our boundaries.
The authority of Gabriel gives credibility to his message.* Meaning, the power and truth of his message depends upon who he is close to and who sent him; the truth and power of his message of good news does not depend upon how the listener responds. You and I, as believers and followers of Jesus, daily stand in the presence of God. Furthermore, He has sent us. This gives our message credibility, and we need not shrink back from who we are.
Notice that Gabriel first responds to Zechariah’s doubts by responding with a statement of identity.* It’s almost as if Gabriel is responding with, “Do you know who I am? Do you know who I know? Do you know who sent me?” We can stand in confidence as well when we know who we are, who we know, and who sent us.
As far as boundaries, we must recognize where the boundaries of our influence lie. Like Gabriel, we cannot make someone believe. We cannot choose for them. We are not responsible for the way they respond to the message of Good News. What is our part?
Know who we are.
Know who He is.
Know the message.
Know the mission: to bring the Good News.
Today, take a step.
Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember who you are in Him. Perhaps today God wants you to walk in the confidence that He gives. Maybe today God wants you to stop trying to pressure others into belief. Perhaps today God wants you to bring the Good News to someone around you.
Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.
Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus.
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*Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 1:8–23). InterVarsity Press.
Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (pp. 68–69). Zondervan.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 38–39). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Liefeld, W. L., & Pao, D. W. (2007). Luke. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, p. 56). Zondervan.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (p. 50). Zondervan Publishing House.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, p. 92). Baker Academic.
Nolland, J. (1989). Luke 1:1–9:20 (Vol. 35A, p. 32). Word, Incorporated.