I want to show you something that I discovered just 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 and answering 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, VERY aggressive, and VERY forceful in sharing our faith with others.
And then I’ve been taught, as a follow-up to that premise, that to fail to share my faith aggressively and forcefully is the moral equivalent of…
Denying Jesus before men,
Putting myself at risk of having Jesus deny me before His Father,
Covering my hands with the blood of our family and our friends because if they die and go to Hell, it is my 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 in Matthew 10:32. 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, AND for us as His followers now.
How outspoken, aggressive, and forceful are we to confess Jesus before men, or to acknowledge Jesus publicly here on earth?
Here’s the answer.
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God bless you as you listen.
Dewey Bertolini 