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I want to show you something that I discovered this week. A treasure of a truth that is so practical and so refreshing. Especially in light of this discussion that we began last week.
As you will hear in this PODCAST, we are asking a vitally important question, this in light of Jesus’ words to His apostles:
Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.
Fairly intense words; a rather severe warning, right?
Everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.
So last week and this, we are asking the question:
What does confessing Jesus before men, or acknowledging Jesus publicly here on earth look like?
Or to put it another way:
How outspoken are we to be about our faith?
How aggressive are we to be in sharing our faith?
How forceful are we to push our religion on others?
Frankly, over the years — at countless services, Bible studies, camps, conferences — I have literally been guilted into thinking that I (and YOU) should be VERY outspoken, aggressive, forceful in sharing our faith with others. And that to fail to do so is the moral equivalent of denying Jesus before men, putting ourselves at risk of having Jesus deny us before His Father. And for not-so-good measure, we now have the blood of our family and our friends on our hands because if they die and go to Hell, it is our fault.
To which I must ask, “Really?”
Well, it’s quite fascinating. Really!
Jesus gave this instruction — to confess Him before men — to His men as a part of their training in preparation for their very first missions trip.
Let’s start out by reading Matthew 10:32-33.
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
But just prior to that, in Matthew 10:16, Jesus said something else. Something that explains exactly HOW we are to confess Him before men.
Something so refreshing that I can hardly contain my excitement.
So please get this picture. A vitally important picture both for His apostles then, for us, His followers, now.
How outspoken, aggressive, and forceful are we to confess Jesus before men, or to acknowledge Jesus publicly here on earth?
Push “play” to hear the podcast… and the answer.