In John 8:32 (KJV) Jesus says "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. "In Luke 10:16 (KJV) Jesus says "He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me."In Matthew 5:11-12 (KJV) Jesus says "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."
As born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are expected to be witnesses for Him in this world, and to share the gospel with others. It seems that in today's society, however, many believers have opted to keep the good news, and their testimonies to themselves. Meanwhile there are many lost souls who desperately need to come to know Christ. What a shame this epidemic of silence is. I believe a couple of the main reasons people are quiet when it comes to witnessing for the Lord is fear of the reaction they will receive, and concern for what others will think about them in general. This is putting oneself above the work we as Christians are called to do.
The truth is, when we go out into the world and witness to others we can expect various reactions. The above scripture states that the truth will set you free, and I'm here to tell you it will make some folks mad too. When you hear or read the truth of God's word and apply it to your life, it will set you free from sin. When some people hear your testimony or you begin witnessing to them and you touch on something that they are under conviction about they may react in a rude manner toward you. The source of their irritation is not you personally, but rather something within themselves.
The above scripture also tells us that when people hear us, and are open and receptive to the good news as we share it, they are hearing Jesus and being open and receptive to Him. If they despise us then they despise Him, and if they despise Him they despise the one who sent Him. Again, when someone becomes rude or testy with you as you share God's word with them, they are treating Jesus in the same manner. They are uncomfortable with what they see in you, and that is the Holy Spirit. We cannot allow people like this to prevent us from pressing forward as witnesses for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
If you are one who worries about what people think of you then that is a problem you need to go to God in prayer about. Ask God to help you get over caring what others think, and to focus on the work you desire to do for Him. If you witnessed to ten people in one day, and nine of them shunned, mocked, and scoffed at you with only one of them coming to know the Lord as their personal Savior then hallelujah it was worth it. It is always worth it. If all ten of them shunned, mocked, and scoffed at you well then move on to the next ten.
When you have been persecuted in any way because of your belief in the Lord, or while doing His work rejoice. Jesus tells us in the above scripture that we will be rewarded in heaven if we are mistreated for His names sake. Jesus also reminds us that this type treatment is not new, as the prophets were persecuted before us. We cannot let our own ego or negative reactions from others silence us. We must continue to let our light shine and to spread the good news of Almighty God, and his precious gift of salvation. Press forward as a witness for Him, remembering that Jesus Himself was persecuted.
I would like to encourage all believers to serve as witnesses for the Lord, get out there and spread the good news. If you are one who is under conviction then I encourage you to humble yourself before the Lord, and invite Him into your heart. You will become a new creature in Christ, and experience a joy, divine peace and a comfort like you've never before known.
As fellow believers we can set good Christian examples for others through the way we live our lives, and we can serve as powerful witnesses for our Lord and Savior, if we will only choose to do so. Remember Matthew 5:14-15 (KJV) where Jesus says "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." I encourage you to let the light that is Christ within you shine for all the world to see.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
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