Without Apology

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scripture  regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 1:1-4

After Paul introduces himself as a servant of Christ Jesus, he quickly goes on to identify his Master. It would seem that Paul is particularly wanting to remind the Roman Christians that being a servant of Christ Jesus makes sense; it's not just some crazy, irrational whim. He reminds them that Jesus' coming was foretold centuries before His arrival by a variety of prophets, that His family connections are beyond reproach and that He did indeed rise from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul would go on in great detail about what it means to be a servant of Christ Jesus in the rest of his letter - perhaps this was his way of establishing his God-given authority to instruct them in such a firm, no-nonsense way. 

I have to boldly admit here that I've always been pretty afraid of sharing bits of my God-story with people who don't yet believe in Jesus. And when I've ever worked up the courage to do so, it's very often in a hesitant, apologetic manner. And although Paul is addressing believers here, I think I can take from this that I've also been given authority to share the Good News of Jesus, and that's it not complete and utter foolishness. While faith is certainly a significant aspect of our relationship with God, I can also take comfort in the fact that Jesus' life, death and resurrection are some of the most well-documented, historically reliable facts out there. (There are tons of good articles out there that go into this in greater detail, here's one:  https://answersingenesis.org/jesus-christ/resurrection/resurrection-no-doubt-about-it/)  

Challenge:
-to remember that what Jesus has done in my life is indeed Good News
-to dare to share, with confidence and without apology