Jesus said this to the twelve disciples before He sent them out on their first preaching tour:"What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:27-28).
Jesus had been teaching them secretly, privately. But He encouraged them to go public with the message of the kingdom of heaven. This is in the midst of a warning not to fear what folks might say or do. Why would there have been the temptation to fear?
When we boldly proclaim God's word "upon the housetops," the world will call us crazy, demon-possessed, and worse. When we teach what Jesus said about moral issues (fornication, marriage, honesty, etc.), we become the enemy of the world. Therefore, Jesus bolsters our courage by saying, "So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows" (Matt. 10:31).
And it's not IF we get around to publicly proclaiming God's word - it's WHEN we do it. Jesus wants this done. We should have no trouble, in our "free" state, proclaiming Jesus publicly. What's the worst that can happen? Ridicule? Charged with "hate speech" crimes? We can allow imagined possibilities to paralyze us, or we can fear God more than more than we fear man. Let's get out and spread the word! These twelve disciples got out and spread the word in a society much more hostile to their message. Surely we can honor our Lord in this way!
Lord, please help us have the courage to go public with our faith.
God bless,
Nathan
Tomorrow's Reading: Matthew 11-13
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