In Mark 8:27-29 Jesus has an interesting conversation with His disciples. He asks them 2 questions...one being, who do the people say I am?...and the other being, but who do you say I am? And when I think about the way Peter answered Jesus, I instantly think about how it wouldn't be long after that that Peter would answer the people around him very differently when they ask him if He was with Jesus. Peter, someone who walked with Jesus, did things hand in hand with Jesus, saw miracles performed right before his eyes, proclaimed in front of Jesus that he knew He was the Messiah, but then proclaimed something very different when "trouble" came. Denying that he even knew who Jesus was. (John 18:15-27) And then I thought to myself, how many times have we been just like Peter in today's world?
I think this topic is on my mind right now because we are at a crucial time where you just never know the conversation you are going to be involved in at school, or work or just in your neighborhood. Conversations that are either going make you look like you know Jesus as your Messiah, or that you are ashamed to even admit that you know who He is. This might sound a little radical and ridiculous to some, but it's very true. I know personally I have had some conversations lately that would have been much easier if I just slid in under the radar and gave the "soft", easy answer that a lot of people are giving. One like, "oh as long as that doesn't affect me or my family", or "hey, whatever makes people happy", or even "who am I to judge what someone else wants?". Each of these answers, to me, don't differ to much from Peter saying "I am not one of His disciples". We can deny Christ before others in many more ways that flat out saying the words. We can deny Him by not standing up for Him. By not speaking out His truth. By not being proud of the life we live for Him. And there is a way to make that happen without sounding like a judgemental and loveless person. In fact, when you try to explain why you are set apart in your lifestyle, the number one thing that should set you apart should be LOVE. Love for The Father and love for His ways. And a love for placing His ways above your desire for sin. (nor perfection, but a desire to live for Him) Love should be what drives your choices to please Him, and it should be what drives your heart to reach others. Not a desire to "change them" or "show them how wrong they are". That is not our place. Our place is stand firm on His truth and through love demonstrate who He is to others. And what they see in us as Christ followers should draw them to Him. I don't care what even the hardest person says to you, everyone desires the love, grace, mercy and forgiveness Christ has to offer when it is presented to them correctly. (The Gospel)
So then that brings us back to the question "who do we say Jesus is?". We have to be very careful to not have 2 answers to that question. Whoever Christ is to you in your secret place is EXACTLY who Christ should be to you in your public life. If He is not, and you can be honest with yourself about that, then I would ask yourself who you are trying harder to please, God or man? I don't want to try so hard to impress people that I let God down in the process. Sometimes (most of the time anymore) the Godly answer is not the answer that is going to make you popular. But I would rather look right before The Lord than popular before people. And I even in this blog I would rather end it with a word that will challenge you then an a verse that will make you feel all good inside. So let me end with the words of Jesus from Matthew 10:33 where He says "But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven". Very blunt and very serious words that should make us think about how we represent Him in every conversation we are ever involved in. If you represent Him through love, He will always find a way to help you find the right words that need to be said in any conversation so that in the end He and His ways are glorified.
God, thank You for teaching us in Your Word that it is SO important to not live by the worlds standards. And thank You for showing us that we need to represent You to this lost and dying world we live in. Holy Spirit help us to find the love and the boldness to always represent Jesus and His ways when we are confronted by the world and its ways. In Jesus name, Amen
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