So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
(Mat 10:32-34)
When I read about the persecution of the 1st century Christians, or for the matter, the persecution of modern day Christians, it humbles me. So many of us (Christians) are living in such comfort, peace & safety that the very idea of "denying Christ in the face of death" sounded alien...distant...tales from a yonder land in yonder years among tribes of savages...
Yet so many of us do not realise in the midst of our peaceful daily living, THERE ARE plenty of opportunities for us to DENY Christ also.
It saddens me to see Joel Osteen (the person implied in the above video) continually wasting opportunities in front of national TV to proclaim the gospel truthfully. Easy for us to "shoot" at Mr Osteen from a safe distance, but probably he "deserved" such rebukes.
But what about u and me? A regular Joe? Are we too guilty of denying Christ by not proclaiming the gospel faithfully in the face of "friendly" confrontations much less hostile ones? Do we fear men more than God? Do we seek men's approval rather than God's? Do we hide behind "excuses" not willing to "hurt the feelings" of others?
I am guilty of such acts. Out of laziness...out of fear...out of indifference....
Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him [Jesus], but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
(Joh 12:42-43)
3 comments:
I also feel humbled by the fact that we live in comfort while people eat scraps, and are still happy because of how close they are to God. I have recently been thinking about what if it came down to Christ or death. I believe u can say...well i would chose Christ. But it really comes down to how you are in your walk with God. Will you have the guts. You can't really know unless that time comes. To me this is humbling. Never deny Jesus.
@Soldier
Well said. Thanks for ur feedback. And do pray for the courages ministers and servants of God who are not afraid to speak the Truth. Not even when they are threatened by jail times as in some western countries now whereby one can be prosecuted for just READING from the Bible.
Yes...i do pray for them. Also it is getting worse, and harder to preach in western countries. It is coming to a point where it may illegal to preach against homosexuality. You could even go to jail. The time in which Jesus comes back is getting closer...
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