SHHH, I'm a Christian

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SHHH, I'm a Christian

 

John 19:38

"And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus."

After Jesus died, a problem arose for those who loved Him, and that was that there was no place to bury His body.  Yet, in the verse above, there was a man who had a tomb, and he wanted to give Jesus a proper burial.  This man was Joseph of Arimathaea.  The Scriptures described Joseph as a secret disciple.  The purpose of him secretly following Jesus was that he was afraid of the Jews and what they would do to him if they found out that he was a disciple of Christ.  He was not secretly following Jesus because he was afraid they would kill him, but rather he was secretly following him because he was a wealthy man who had status in society.  He was afraid of losing his status, so he secretly followed the Saviour.

One of the greatest problems in Christianity today is that Christians are concealing the fact that they are Christians.  Oh, don't get me wrong, they will tell people they are saved and go to church, but they won't tell them to what degree they are involved in their church. Just like Joseph of Arimathaea, they are afraid what people will think of them and what it will do to their status in society.  

Let me make this clear, we don't need Christians who secretly serve God. This world needs Christians who will openly serve God.  When Jesus lived on this Earth, He openly proclaimed Who He was and didn't go about in secret doing His work.  If you are going to be a true disciple of Christ, then you should follow the example of Jesus and openly serve God and proclaim what you believe.  You have nothing of which to be ashamed!  Everything in the Scriptures is true, therefore you should boldly proclaim what you believe and Whom it is you serve.

Furthermore, independent fundamental Baptists should not try to disguise who they are in the Christian world.  I see fundamental Baptist who are secretly trying to get into the evangelical realm of Christianity for the sake of popularity and fame, and I am disgusted.  Fundamental Baptists should boldly proclaim what they believe.  No, it may not always be politically correct to be a fundamental Baptist, and no it may not always be popular, but IT IS RIGHT! 

It's time to take the mask off and tell people who you truly are.  Secretly hiding your Christianity will never change this world.  The only thing that will change this world is when fundamental Baptists boldly proclaim who they are and the truths on which we stand.  "SHHH, I'm a Christian" will never change a world, but boldly standing and witnessing is what will make a change in your world and in today's society.

The Lord's Work

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The LORD's Work

 

Psalm 111:2

"The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."

We often talk about the work of the LORD in church.  I believe we often get so used to seeing the LORD's works that we overlook their magnitude. In the psalm above, the Psalmist talks about the works of the LORD.  In his attempt to explain the LORD's works, he could not come up with one word to describe them. Instead he summarized the works of the LORD in five categories.  

First, the works of the LORD are great.  In the verse above, the Psalmist says, "The works of the LORD are great..." In other words, the LORD's works are bigger than anything else.  This is why we should treat whatever we do for the LORD with the utmost importance.  There should not be anything that we do for the LORD that is done with a half-hearted effort.  Everything in the church is great because it is the LORD's work.  Your life is a great life because it is the LORD's work.  Your marriage is great because it is the LORD's work.  Whatever you do for the LORD, you should always remember that because it is great it should be treated with great importance.  

Second, God's work is honourable.  When God talks about His work being honourable, He is talking about it holding the highest rank.  In other words, there is no work that is more important than God's work. Yes, you may have to work a job, but God's work is the greatest work that you can do.  No matter what title a person may hold on their job, that title is second-class compared to the work of the LORD.  The leader of a country may have a high position, but the LORD's work is more honourable.  No matter how lofty the world's positions may be, the LORD's work holds higher rank, and we should treat it as such.  

Third, the LORD's work is memorable.  The greatest memories that you will have in life will come from serving the LORD.  Yes, you may make memories doing other things, but nothing compares to the memories that come from serving the LORD.  The reason being is because when you serve the LORD you are investing in the lives of others. Nothing is more memorable than knowing that you influenced someone to do right.  

Fourth, the LORD's work is powerful.  Christian, the most powerful work in the world is the LORD's work.  There is no other occupation that can change the life of someone from the inside out like the LORD's work.  It is the LORD's work that can make the drunk to become sober.  It is the LORD's work that can take a life destroyed by sin and make it useful again.  No matter what your situation may be, the LORD's work is powerful enough to take care of it.  

Last, the LORD's work is fair.  God talks about His works being done with "verity and judgment." That means that everything God does is fair.  Whatever God does for one He will do for others.  Nobody will ever have the right to point their finger at God and say that He wasn't fair to them.  

With the works of the LORD being so great, you should make it your life to be involved in them.  For many years I have been involved in the LORD's work, and I concur with the Psalmist about how he describes the LORD's work.  Jump in all the way, don't hold back, for you will find the greatest investment you can make in your life is being a part of the LORD's work.  You will get more out of being in the LORD's work than you will in anything else.

Warning

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Warning Signs

 

Luke 22:61

"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice."

Warning signs are set up to keep you from hurting yourself. Everyday you see warning signs, but in many cases we pass by them without even noticing them. I recall when I took my drivers training they showed a video of a person driving down the road.  After a few short minutes they stopped the video and told us to write down the last four signs that we saw.  It was amazing how the whole class missed a couple of signs because we were not paying attention to them.  If you don't pay attention to the warning signs that you pass by, then you will find yourself in serious trouble.  

Peter had some warning signs that sin was around the corner, yet he never heeded these signs and found himself in bitterness of soul.  Jesus warned Peter that Satan wanted to destroy him, but he thought he was too strong to be overcome by sin.  The verse above is a result of not paying attention to the warning signs. There were three warning signs that Peter faced and ignored that you should be aware of in your Christian walk so that when you see them you can quickly change your ways.  

First, Peter was sleeping through his prayer life.  Christian, when you find yourself not praying like you should, sin is around the corner.  You may think that you will be fine, but prayer is the only way we get God's help to overcome temptation.  Let me ask you, how is your prayer life?  Do you find yourself rarely praying?  One of the warning signs of sin is a prayer life that is lacking.  

Second, Peter was resisting the will of God.  When the crowd came to take Jesus, Peter was the one who drew his sword and cut off the ear of the soldier.  It was God's will that Jesus die for the sins of mankind.  Peter was resisting God's will when he should have been submitting to God's will.  Do you find yourself resisting the will of God?  For instance, do you resist God's will to tell others about Christ?  Do you resist God's Holy Spirit when He speaks to you during the preaching?  When God's will is not what you like, do you resist or submit?  When you resist God's will you will find that sin is not too far away.  

Last, Peter followed afar off when he should have followed closely. The last warning sign before you find yourself committing sin is being distant with God's work.  What I mean by this is you stop doing things that you used to do for God.  When living for God becomes a hassle, then you are following afar off.  When you have to do something for God instead of getting to serve God, then you are following afar off.  When your joy in life comes from worldly possessions and affairs more than it does from God, then you are following afar off.  Sin is just around the corner!

Christian, do you see any of these warning signs in your life?  If you do, beware that sin is around the corner.  Don't pass by the warning signs and not heed them.  Many people have passed by the warning signs to find themselves picking up the pieces after sin destroyed them.  Don't let that be you!  When you see the warning signs in your life, then correct what needs correcting so that you don't end up like Peter who "went out, and wept bitterly."

In the Mean Time

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In the Mean Time

 

Luke 12:1

"In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy."

When you read Luke chapter 12, you must remember that Jesus did not preach this sermon at a time when everyone liked Him.  No, the sermon that Jesus preached in this chapter came at a time when people were trying to find a way to kill Him.  In fact, in the verse above the Scriptures say, "In the mean time..." Even though there were people in the crowd trying to catch Him saying something that they could use against Him, He continued His ministry and did not allow their judgmental ways to stop Him.  

Throughout life you will find times when people will do everything in their power to try to destroy you.  Most of the time it is not because they hate you, it is because they hate the One Whom you serve.  Christian, we are in a spiritual war!  Though you may not be able to see the war with your eyes, you must trust the Scriptures that warn us that we are constantly at war with the Devil.  Because of this, there will be times when people will do hateful things and will try to catch you doing something that they can use against you.  In the mean time, there are some things that you should do.  

First, in the mean time, don't run and hide.  One of the reasons why your enemies are being so hateful is to get you to run and hide.  Like Nehemiah, you must not come down from your work and hide from those who would try to destroy what you are doing for God.  Most of what the enemy does is to try to bluff you into running.  Don't run just because people are out to destroy you.  

Second, in the mean time, continue doing what you've always done.  Don't change your routines just because people are out to destroy you. Whatever you did to become successful is what you must do to stay successful.  If you change your routine, then you allow the enemy to have their way.  When the enemy is trying to find a way to destroy you, keep preaching, soul winning, walking with God and living the way you have always lived. Daniel kept his routine when he knew people were trying to destroy him, likewise, you must keep doing what you've always done.  

Last, and in the mean time, help people.  The whole purpose of the ministry is to help people.  Keep influencing people for right by helping them.  It is hard to destroy someone who is helping people.  Yes, it may be a little tough as you look over your shoulder and see the enemy watching everything you do, but you must keep helping those whom God sent you to help.  

Christian, if you do anything for God in your lifetime, then you will have a time when someone will be out to destroy you.  When this happens, take the advice above and follow it.  Remember, God is in control!  God is stronger than the enemy, so if you do what pleases Him, then He will continue to guide and help you, "In the mean time..."