Jordan Tkacsik was looking through his friend Paul Bartlett’s sports memorabilia and trading card shop when he noticed something unusual in a section full of Pokémon collectibles.
It was a Cheetos cheese puff, but not just any Cheeto. It was a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto that bore an uncanny resemblance to Charizard, an orange dragon-like creature that is one of the Pokémon universe’s original and most beloved characters. The Cheeto itself was housed in a small plastic container, and the three-inch cheesy treat even had a name: Cheetozard.
Mr. Tkacsik was not exactly a Pokémon aficionado, but he knew it was an unusual item. So, he made it his mission to build a case for the puff and get it ready for sale.
Still, Mr. Tkacsik had no way of knowing that Cheetozard was bound for global celebrity. In March 2025, the dragon-shaped snack sold at auction for $72,000 (plus fees that pushed the price to $87,840) amid a bidding frenzy. That’s right, a “Flamin’ Hot” snack with an uncanny resemblance to a fire-breathing Pokémon dragon was a hit on the auction block (Scott Cacciola, “A Single Cheeto Sold for Nearly $90,000?,” New York Times, 3-12-25; www.PreachingToday.com).
I’d say Tkacsik accomplished his mission! But I can think of a mission far more valuable and important than selling a Cheeto Cheese Puff for nearly $88,000. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Romans 1, Romans 1, where the Apostle Paul identifies that mission worth giving your life to.
Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God… (ESV).
The Gospel was Paul’s goal. Announcing good news was Paul’s one and only mission in life. He considered himself “set apart” especially for that task.
The word, “gospel,” literally means “to announce good news.” In ancient Rome it often referred to announcements of the birth of an heir to the throne, his coming of age, or his coronation. Announcements of that type were called “gospel” in Rome.
And that’s exactly the kind of gospel or “good news” Paul wants to announce. He wants to announce the birth of an heir to the throne. He wants to announce the coronation of a King. Only this is no Roman king. Rather, it is the King of kings, who’s coming has been foretold from ancient times.
Romans 1:2 …which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures… (ESV).
The Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi, promised the coming of a King! That’s good news…
Romans 1:3 … concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh… (ESV)
An heir to David’s throne has been born—the One promised long ago, who is none other than God’s own Son.
Romans 1:4 …and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord… (ESV)
God declared Jesus to be His own Son when He raised Him from the dead. That is to say God declared Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords.
You see, in the Bible, to be declared “the Son of God” is to be declared King! Israel’s kings took as one of their titles, “Son of God,” on their coronation day (2 Samuel 7:12-14; Psalm 2:7).
Well, for Jesus, His coronation day was the day of His resurrection. That’s when God declared Him King, so that now Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father in the place of all authority and power (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22).
In his book, Forever Triumphant, F. J. Huegel told a story that came out of World War II. After General Jonathan Wainwright was captured by the Japanese, he was held prisoner in a Manchurian concentration camp. Cruelly treated, he became “a broken, crushed, hopeless, starving man,” to use Huegel’s words.
Finally, the Japanese surrendered and the war ended. A United States army colonel was sent to the camp to announce personally to the general that Japan had been defeated and that he was free and in command.
After Wainwright heard the news, he returned to his quarters and was confronted by some guards who began to mistreat him as they had done in the past. Wainwright, however, with the news of the allied victory still fresh in his mind, declared with authority, “No, I am in command here! These are my orders…” And from that moment on, General Wainwright was in control (Frederick Huegel, Forever Triumphant, Bethany House, 1967; www. PreachingToday.com).
Have you heard the news? Jesus won the victory for us 2,000 years ago! He died on the cross and rose again. Now, He sits as King of kings and Lord of lords at the Father’s own right hand. So reject the abuse of the enemy from now on. Discard Satan’s pressure to conform, and in the name of Jesus, stand up and say, “NO!” to the enemy of your soul. Stand on resurrection ground with Christ as your King and live for Him!
That’s the Gospel. That’s the good news Paul wants to announce to the world, the good news about Jesus…
Romans 1:5-7 …through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (ESV).
Paul wants everyone to believe in Jesus. He wants everyone to experience His grace and peace, not only those in Rome, but those “among all the nations” around the world. That was Paul’s mission in life. It was his reason for living. And if you want to pursue something worthwhile, if you want to find real meaning in life, then make it your mission, as well.
FIND PURPOSE IN THE GOSPEL.
Find a reason to live in sharing the good news about Jesus. Find real meaning for your life in seeing people come to a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ, that is, to “the obedience of faith” as Paul puts it in verse 5.
Begin by praying for opportunities to share the good news. That’s what Paul did.
Romans 1:8-15 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome (ESV).
Paul thanks God, because the Roman Christians are sharing their faith. But He also asks God for an opportunity to share the Gospel, himself, in Rome. The focus of Paul’s prayer is the opportunity to announce the good news about Jesus.
What is the focus of your prayers? “Lord, get me out of this problem. Lord, take care of my needs. Lord, make me comfortable.”
It’s okay to pray for these things. After all, the Bible says, “Cast all your cares upon God, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). But I challenge you to make the focus of your prayers the salvation of the lost and the opportunity to share Christ with them. Ask God to meet your needs SO THAT you may be a better witness of Jesus Christ, SO THAT you might have greater opportunities to share the gospel.
Several years ago, in Christianity Today magazine, Heath Adamson shared the story of his deliverance from the occult and addiction. Even as a child, the spiritual world was real to him because of his involvement with the occult. Heath remembers watching a chair slide across the floor and a candle floating off the coffee table. His experiences with the supernatural led him on an all-consuming quest for answers.
Then in eighth grade, a female classmate sensed in her heart that God was whispering Heath’s name. The whisper said something to the effect of, “Pray for that young man. You are going to marry him one day.” They struck up a relationship, but when the school year ended, they went their separate ways. She attended church, but Heath had regular encounters with the demonic realm, became addicted to numerous drugs, looked like a human skeleton, and lived life in quiet desperation.
Heath writes:
In my junior year of high school, I asked my physics partner about religion, and he invited me to church. I actually went; and one Sunday night, I lay in my bedroom thinking about who God was and what the truth could be. I felt like God himself had come into my room. I remember saying out loud, “Jesus, you are who you say you are.” Deep inside, I believed he loved me the way I was. God’s presence was so real that I could almost feel him breathing in my face.
I told my physics partner I would go back to church with him on a Wednesday night. I said, “Remember when the pastor asked if people wanted to ask Jesus to forgive them. Well, I think I need to do that.” At the end of the service, a volunteer pastor said a prayer and shared the gospel. I was the only one who responded. That night, when I embraced the grace of Jesus, my body was supernaturally and instantaneously healed. My substance addictions vanished.
The very next day, I discovered something incredible in the mailbox. Inside was a handwritten letter from the girl who dared to listen in eighth grade when God touched her heart. It just happened to land in the mailbox the day after I met God. After I married that amazing girl, I found her prayer journals. That’s when I discovered how God used the prayers of her and others, often whispered when no one was watching, to help soften my hardened heart.
Looking back at my salvation, I am the product of a girl who dared to believe when God whispered, an invitation to church, and the power of prayer. And most of all the Savior who stepped into my darkness and, instead of turning away in horror, showed me who he was and who I was created to be (Heath Adamson, “Her Prayers Helped Pull Me Out of Darkness,” Christianity Today, November 2018, pp. 95-96).
Who are the Heath Adamson’s in your life? Who are the people for whom God is nudging you to pray? Pray for them every day and make their salvation the focus of your prayer life. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel.
Then proclaim the gospel whenever God gives you that opportunity. Paul says, “I am eager to preach the gospel” (Romans 1:15). Ask God to make you eager, as well. Then share it when God gives you the opportunity.
Now, that doesn’t mean you have to be like Billy Graham, preaching before thousands in large stadiums around the world. No! Maybe you’re more like Billy Graham’s sister.
Evangelist Leighton Ford married Billy Graham’s sister, Jean, and this is what he wrote about her after she died:
She and her brother Billy were two of a kind. Both raised on a red clay dairy farm in North Carolina with a strict mother, who taught them the Bible and a kind father who guided them with his prayers. They both became Christ sharers who felt called to let others know this God who loved and could save them.
He traveled across the world preaching to millions and millions. She stayed close to home for the most part, living that good news with her three children and her husband. He raised his powerful and strong voice like thunder. She spoke like a quiet stream with a voice made quiet by her childhood polio.
He opened his arms wide with an invitation to come to the cross. She held her arms open closely hugging others with a touch that took away tears and fears. He preached about sin and judgment and forgiveness. She showed grace in her face. He used stadiums as his pulpit. She taught in a spacious room in a friend’s home.
Now that they are both with the Lord they loved, I can see them standing side-by-side, and imagine Him saying: “You are two of the very best evangelists I’ve ever had” (Leighton Ford, Don’t Forget the Evangelists. Leighton Ford Ministries, 3-19-21; www.PreachingToday.com).
Whether you have a strong voice like thunder or a gentle voice like a quiet stream, God can use you to bring the life-changing gospel to people in desperate need of Him.
So pray for opportunities to share the good news. Then proclaim the gospel when God gives you those opportunities. Find Purpose in the gospel. But more than that…
FIND POWER IN THE GOSPEL, as well.
Discover God’s mighty ability to save you in the good news about Jesus. In that good news, experience our Lord’s strength to deliver you from sin’s penalty and from sin’s power in your everyday life. In verse 16, Paul says…
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (ESV).
The gospel is literally the dynamite of God to save anyone who believes.
Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith” (ESV).
The righteousness of God is the theme of this entire book. In chapters 1-5, God declares the believing sinner righteous. In chapters 6-8, God makes the believing sinner righteous. In chapters 9-11, God vindicates His righteousness, and in chapters 12-16, God practices His righteousness through us. This book is about the righteousness of God found only in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Some time ago, a skin cream company ran an advertisement on their “Future Perfect Micro-Targeted Skin Gel.” It promised to give your skin what it needs—luminosity. The ad read: “The past forgiven. The present improved. The future perfect.”
That’s exactly what the Gospel promises. It assures us of God’s forgiveness for the past. It vastly improves our present, and it guarantees a perfect future. The good news about Jesus has the power to change you from the inside out. It can give you a right standing before God today. It can help you live right before God every day, and it will make you right, perfectly right, someday in glory.
In the year, A.D. 793, the Vikings from Scandinavia raided the eastern coast of Scotland. An English scholar living at the time wrote, “Never before has such terror appeared in Britain as we have now suffered from a pagan race” (Alcuin).
The Vikings attacked Christian settlements from Ireland to the Mediterranean coast for the next 200 years. And, along with blood and destruction, they also brought with them a violent paganism. They brought their Thor, Wodin, and Frey, an unholy trinity of power and magic, which threatened to undo the 500-year work of Christian missionaries.
No wonder for 400 years the monks regularly prayed, “From the fury of the Northmen, O Lord deliver us.” Well, not only did the Lord deliver England from the pagan Vikings, over the next 400 years He also converted the marauders.
It is one of the most remarkable and little-known stories in Christian history—the conversion of the Vikings. It happened slowly and piecemeal—a combination of missionary effort, key royal conversions, and mostly day-to-day witnessing by common people who bumped into Christians as they traded goods. By 1200, the Scandinavian countries became thoroughly Christian, and after the Reformation, thoroughly Lutheran (Georgia Beaverson, “The fury of the Northmen,” Christian History, Issue 60, no. 4, p.41; www.PreachingToday.com).
That’s the power of the Gospel, my friends. It not only changes individuals. It changes whole cultures. Now, it doesn’t happen overnight and not as neatly as we’d like. But it does happen if we continue to pray and share as God gives us opportunities.
Do you see the answer for our country? It’s not in political power. It’s in the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, changing one life at a time from the inside out.
Please, let the gospel change you today. Find purpose in the Gospel. Find power in the Gospel, but only if you…
PUT YOUR FAITH IN THE GOSPE and trust Christ with your life.
Depend on Jesus who died for you and rose again.
Verse 16 says, “The Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone WHO BELIEVES.” And verse 17 says, “The righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith”—or better, from faith to faith.
In other words, the Christian life from beginning to end is a life of faith. We begin it by faith. We live it by faith, and we’ll end it in faith. As it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith” (verse 17).
A soap manufacturer and a pastor were walking together down a street in a large city. The soap manufacturer casually said, “The gospel you preach hasn’t done much good, has it? Just look. There is still a lot of wickedness in the world and a lot of wicket people, too!
The pastor made no reply until they passed a dirty little child making mud pies in the gutter. Seizing the opportunity, the pastor said, “I see that soap hasn’t done much good in the world, for there is much dirt and many dirty people around.”
The soap manufacturer replied, “Oh well, soap is only useful when it is applied.”
The pastor said, “Exactly! So it is with the gospel” (James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited, p.354).
If you want the gospel to change you, you must apply it by faith. Daily depend on the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for you and rose again.
Find purpose in the Gospel. Find power in the Gospel, but only if you put your faith in the Gospel.
John Bunyan, author of the Pilgrim’s Progress, put it this way:
“Run, John, run” the Law commands
But gives me neither feet nor hands.
Far better news the Gospel brings
It bids me, “Fly!” – and gives me wings.
