March 19, 2010, Luke 12

Key Verse: 
Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear!

(Luke 12:3 New Living Translation)

Central Truth: 
Every Christian should live every day telling others of our love for our Savior who bore our sins on the cross.

PROFESSING OUR LOVE FOR CHRIST

As Connie and I read and discussed Luke 12, verse 3 really captured our attention and also inspired some interesting conversation and friendly debate among our friends and family. In this verse, we interpreted Jesus’ command to his disciples to mean that they were to profess their faith in Christ and not be a hypocrite by hiding their Christian convictions behind closed doors. Jesus said, beware of hypocrisy and confess Christ (to proclaim to others that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord) even in the face of persecution and death because hypocrites will face God’s judgment.

After thinking about what Jesus commanded, our first reaction was, "Wow!" In fact, I had to read again the part, even faced with persecution and death; hypocrites will face God’s judgment; that really gets your attention. It also got us to thinking and discussing: Is it easier being a Christian today in America than it was for the disciples or for those in many countries of the world today where religious persecution reigns? After all, in America, we don’t have to worry about religious persecution and death. Today I can shout out and profess my love of God from most anywhere I choose. I can attend the church of my choice, and I can meet with fellow Christians to worship, discuss our faith, and encourage and promote Christianity within our community. I can do all of this without the threat of being arrested or shot by the police. So why don’t more of us outwardly profess our love and praise for the Lord?

After more discussion with several friends, we all concluded that, whether we face severe persecution or simply social rejection, we all need to think carefully about the following question: Would I confess Christ under pressure or would I be a hypocrite and whisper about my faith behind closed doors or maybe denounce him? Remember that Jesus declares that our eternal destiny hinges on our confession of Him.

We all should thank God every day that we live in a country where religious persecution is something that Christians do not experience firsthand. However, we can’t relax; the religious freedom that we enjoy today could be taken from us. Through out this country there are law suits because someone decided that they did not want to see or hear some type of religious material that they believed violated their rights or some law. Our Founding Fathers guaranteed us the right to freedom of religion. As Christians, it is our duty to ensure that we protect that right by any means necessary. So, do as Jesus commanded, confess Christ from the house tops and do not fear persecution or ridicule. Do not be concerned with what people may think of your Christian convictions, because in the end we know that Jesus has promised us: if we confess him before men, He will confess us before the angels of God.