"Secret Service"

EPISODE 62

Confess Christ With Courage

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"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" (Matt. 10:32-33).

Jesus teaches that if we follow him, we must follow him publicly. The church isn't some secret society with a mysterious membership. When he calls us, it's our responsibility to "confess with our mouth" (Rom. 10:9-10) — not sit silently in the shadows. But if we choose to hide our light from the world (Matt. 5:14-16), or (even worse) deny him, he will not defend us in the last day of judgment.

So, what leads us to hide our faith from others, and what can we do about it?

Ashamed of the Savior?

"Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, "You also are not one of his disciples, are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not."" (John 18:25).

Soon after Peter pledged his full allegiance to Jesus (John 13:37) he acted too ashamed to speak up. Are we also ashamed of Christ? Shame will lead us to hide our faith. Do we have the boldness to answer loudly to the world, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes ..." (Rom. 1:16)?

Afraid of the Backlash?

"His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue" (John 9:22).

Like the parents of the (formerly) blind man, we also may be gripped with fear. How will people react when they find out you're a Christian? Will they treat us differently? But no matter what backlash we experience, speaking up for Christ is always the right choice. And backlash may come. The world hated Jesus, and as his disciples, we should expect the same reaction (John 15:18).

A Desire to Please Men?

The root of this fear is a desire to please men — and not to rock the boat. Like those religious leaders who believed in Jesus, they didn't openly confess him, since "... they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God" (John 12:42-43). So, whose approval are we looking for, man's or God's?

When we hide under a veil of secrecy, no one will know what we stand for. Step out of the darkness of fear and into the light of confidence in Christ. May God give us the courage to openly and proudly proclaim Jesus as our Lord and King today.