Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before My Father Which is in Heaven. Matthew 10:32
The streets of Springhill, Nova Scotia, were a scary place for a 14-year-old youngster who was about to take part in his very first open-air Gospel meeting. Large numbers of people had gathered when we began singing Gospel songs, and they listened to the men who had spoken first. They also listened when some of the boys stepped forward and quoted a verse or two, and made brief remarks. We sang another hymn, and then I stepped forward to speak, my heart beating like a drum. I didn’t say much, quoting a short verse and saying a few sentences in as loud a voice as I could manage. Then I stepped back with a sense of relief and accomplishment. That wasn’t so hard! A few weeks later, we had another open-air meeting, this time in Tatamagouche. This time, I was unable to speak. Those folks in Springhill were strangers, but the people in Tatamagouche were neighbours. Confessing Christ before them was much more difficult. The Lord Jesus never intended that it should be easy for us.
Confessing Christ in the New Testament days was often a death sentence. Many believers died simply because they became known as a follower of Jesus. Their confession earned them a martyr’s crown and the commendation of their Lord. Down through the centuries, many have confessed Christ and have died for doing so. In our day, many are giving their lives for their faith, as they make their confessions in lands dominated by communists, moslems, and hindus. All will be confessed by their Saviour to His Father. Nobody loses who suffers for confessing Christ. In our land, we experience little to none of such suffering. But we can still confess Christ.
The life of every believer should be a testimony to the Lord Jesus. If we live as those who are thankful for our Salvation, we will speak loudly for our Lord even without words. But there are some of us who can utter words that confess Christ before men. Preachers are not alone in presenting the Gospel. If we are to expect a good commendation from our Lord, we must expect to expose ourselves to a little ridicule and rejection for telling others about Him. Some will give us a cold shoulder, or a sneer, or an argument. But these are small prices to pay for the possibility of finding somebody who is interested in Salvation.
The Lord Jesus never promised us men’s applause for confessing Him before men. But He has promised us Heaven’s applause for doing so. -Jim MacIntosh