Lies We Believe #6: Our Faith Should Be Private
"So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 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.”—Matthew 10:26-33
For the authentic follower of Christ, faith cannot remain a private matter. Faith must be shared and given away. Our privilege, joy, responsibility, and duty as believers in Christ is to share the transformational message of Christ to a lost world (Matthew 28:19-20). Our passage for today reveals several things. First of all, there is nothing that we have done that will not be made known publicly, and what we have learned from God in our time alone with Him in His Word, we are to tell to others. What we have heard whispered to us by God should be proclaimed for the multitudes to hear.
Secondly, we are not to fear man, but fear God. The lie we are examining today has the fear of man at its root. For those who say that their faith should be private, and remain private, they are conveying a lack of trust in God, a failure to understand the message of Christ, and a sinful fear of man. We are not to fear man; what can he do to us? People can malign us, persecute us, fire us from our jobs, discredit us, and even put us in jail or kill us, but when we encounter such persecution, Jesus tells us that we are blessed. He says, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”—Matthew 5:11-12. People may be able to make life difficult for us in the here and now, even to the point where we could be killed, but because we are spirit beings made to endure for eternity, it is not the first death that will be the most difficult—but the second, when we will be judged and spend eternity away from the presence of Almighty God for not accepting the gracious gift of His Son.
Thirdly, we will be persecuted. It is inevitable. Saying that we are Christians privately while not admitting it publicly is like saying that I can swim in the ocean without getting wet—it’s impossible. A recently published book entitled “Christian Atheist” conveys the sad fact that there are many individuals who are Christian in name, but live like God doesn’t exist. This should not be, and technically is impossible because true Christians are those who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and honor Him with the entire fabric of their lives.
God has placed a high value on our lives and our testimony for His name. And because of that, Christ Himself will present us to the Father when we enter His presence at the end of our lives. For those who failed to testify to His name and who fear man more than God, He will say, “I never knew you”—Matthew 7:23. It is only those who do “the will of my Father who is in heaven” who will enter into heaven (Matthew 7:21). Don’t give in to the lie that your faith can remain private. Like a light going on in a darkened room, we are made to shed light, to testify, to be seen, and to speak the name of Christ so that we might show by our words and deeds the all-surpassing worth of Jesus Christ, who is God Almighty. Amen.
For the authentic follower of Christ, faith cannot remain a private matter. Faith must be shared and given away. Our privilege, joy, responsibility, and duty as believers in Christ is to share the transformational message of Christ to a lost world (Matthew 28:19-20). Our passage for today reveals several things. First of all, there is nothing that we have done that will not be made known publicly, and what we have learned from God in our time alone with Him in His Word, we are to tell to others. What we have heard whispered to us by God should be proclaimed for the multitudes to hear.
Secondly, we are not to fear man, but fear God. The lie we are examining today has the fear of man at its root. For those who say that their faith should be private, and remain private, they are conveying a lack of trust in God, a failure to understand the message of Christ, and a sinful fear of man. We are not to fear man; what can he do to us? People can malign us, persecute us, fire us from our jobs, discredit us, and even put us in jail or kill us, but when we encounter such persecution, Jesus tells us that we are blessed. He says, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”—Matthew 5:11-12. People may be able to make life difficult for us in the here and now, even to the point where we could be killed, but because we are spirit beings made to endure for eternity, it is not the first death that will be the most difficult—but the second, when we will be judged and spend eternity away from the presence of Almighty God for not accepting the gracious gift of His Son.
Thirdly, we will be persecuted. It is inevitable. Saying that we are Christians privately while not admitting it publicly is like saying that I can swim in the ocean without getting wet—it’s impossible. A recently published book entitled “Christian Atheist” conveys the sad fact that there are many individuals who are Christian in name, but live like God doesn’t exist. This should not be, and technically is impossible because true Christians are those who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and honor Him with the entire fabric of their lives.
God has placed a high value on our lives and our testimony for His name. And because of that, Christ Himself will present us to the Father when we enter His presence at the end of our lives. For those who failed to testify to His name and who fear man more than God, He will say, “I never knew you”—Matthew 7:23. It is only those who do “the will of my Father who is in heaven” who will enter into heaven (Matthew 7:21). Don’t give in to the lie that your faith can remain private. Like a light going on in a darkened room, we are made to shed light, to testify, to be seen, and to speak the name of Christ so that we might show by our words and deeds the all-surpassing worth of Jesus Christ, who is God Almighty. Amen.
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