#35 Being a Christian and out in the open

Have a blessed day to all (".)

reading#3- Being a Christian and out in the open...

Are you a Christian?

Are you out in the open?

It is one thing to not be as bold as you would like in order to protect your own life and/or the lives of your family. 

It is another thing entirely to make your own life a higher priority than serving, honoring, worshipping, and obeying Christ. 

Is it wrong to keep your faith in Christ a secret?

Jesus Himself gives us the answer: "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:32-34). 


Christ made it clear to us that “if the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). 


So, while it is understandable for someone to keep his/her faith in Christ a secret in order to save his/her life, for a Christian, a secret faith is simply not an option.

In the passage above, the word “world” comes from the Greek kosmos. 
It refers to an evil, fallen world system of godless, immoral people whose hearts and minds are controlled by Satan. 

John 14:30

30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me,

1 John 5:19

19 We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

Ephesians 2:1-3

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.


Satan hates God. He also hates those who follow Christ. 
Christians are the focal point of Satan's wrath. His goal is to “devour”. 

1 Peter 5:8 

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Ephesians 6:11
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

We should not be surprised that the world’s rulers hate believers simply because we “are not of the world.” 
The reason why Christians are being persecuted and killed daily for their confession of Christ is that our godly lives serve to condemn this world’s wicked deeds. 

Proverbs 29:27
 The righteous detest the dishonest;
the wicked detest the upright.

The world today cheers those who practice evil and condemns those who would live righteously. 


Romans 1:32

Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Other messages that Jesus brought to the world: 

Matthew 24:9
   9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

- At the end times, Christians will suffer severe persecution by this ungodly world. 

- We will be profaned, abused, and cursed. 

- We will be “hated by all nations” for His name’s sake. 

- As we are witnessing today throughout the world, being identified with the name of Christ will cost us our freedoms, our rights, our respect, and sometimes our lives. 

Remember: 

- In order for the gospel to be proclaimed, even in the darkest corners of the earth, someone must do the proclaiming. 

- Our purpose on earth is to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, telling others the life-saving news of Jesus Christ. 

- Yes, sometimes we risk persecution in doing so, and sometimes we risk our own lives. 

- But we know it is God’s will that we share His truth with others, and we also know He is powerful enough to protect us until our mission on earth is completed.

Living for Christ in this world can be difficult, even brutal. 

This world is not our home. 

It is not a playground. The world is a battlefield. 

The trials of life are the tools God uses for building us up and making us more like Jesus. 

It is in those dark times that we look to Christ and let His power work within us. 

Just before His ascension into heaven, Jesus gave us His final command to spread the gospel to the world. With that He also gave us His final promise. “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). 

And that is all that matters.



(ref: Got Questions: Bible-answered questions)