Using Our Rights to Advance the Gospel

“So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.” 

— Acts 22:29 (ESV)

Paul strategically used his rights as a Roman citizen — not for personal comfort or safety — but to advance the Gospel.

He didn’t shrink back. He didn’t stay silent. He leveraged every legal protection he had so he could continue preaching Jesus.

We should do the same.

As Americans, we have been given incredible God-given rights — especially the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion. These rights are not just for our personal benefit. They are tools given to us by God to boldly proclaim the Gospel in our time.

Let’s follow Paul’s example.

Don’t waste the freedoms we’ve been given. 

Use them. 

Steward them. 

Maximize them for the Kingdom of God.

The same rights that protect our ability to speak also give us access to college campuses, public squares, the internet, the marketplace, and the public arena.

Let’s use what God has given us to advance the Gospel — boldly, wisely, and unashamedly.