March 2, 2020 – Click here to listen
I met a man the other day who had been in and out of jail and prison all his life. He was a hard charging alcohol/cocaine powered fighting machine at one point in his life. He didn’t seem to learn much in the numerous stints in prison he served. He had been sent to solitary confinement for fighting and selling drugs etc. numerous times, and one day he got sent back again, this time for 28 days, and his reading material was a Holy Bible. He read it cover to cover and ended up asking Christ to forgive him his many sins and vowed to follow Him from that day forward.
During his days in solitary the last thing he would do before going to sleep was to get down on his knees and pray; likewise it was the first thing he did when he arose in the morning. After his 28 days were up, he went back into the general population. Soon word came down that one of the toughest guys in the prison system was coming to the prison in which he was doing his time. As luck would have it, they assigned this guy, who from all the scuttlebutt was tougher than Leroy Brown, to be his cellmate.
I might say at this point that in prison one must appear tough at all times or it could be seen as a sign of weakness by the other inmates. Weak people generally do not fare too well in prison. Well this man did not want to appear weak to the tough guy by praying in front of him, but he had a big problem. He wanted to serve God more than his fear of the inmate. To be sure Satan reminded him when he kneeled to say his prayers that he would be less than two feet away from one of the toughest dudes in the system. He decided to take his chances and whatever happened would just have to happen. So he got down and said his prayers right beside the other guy’s bunk, and then got back in his bed. In a few moments he noted some activity and he saw the tough guy get down on his knees and say his prayers. Apparently in his last stint he had found Christ and asked Him to come into his life too.
They became great friends both in and out of prison until the tough inmate passed away from cancer many years later. When I heard this story, I thought of the many people I know who are reluctant to share that they follow Jesus with anyone, much less someone whom they have ascertained will likely be hostile to it.
The Apostle Paul said that we should preach the Gospel boldly. Ephesians 6:18 –
. . . Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains . . . Paul considered himself an ambassador for the Gospel and he asked his friends and followers to pray for him that he would give a fearless testimony even while he was in chains.
How much more so should we do the same?
I visited a friend in Atlanta who was wearing a Make America Great Again hat when we met. I remarked that I liked his hat, but later that night when we went to eat, he wasn’t wearing it. He told me he was afraid he would get beat up in Atlanta if he overtly supported his candidate. He’d worn it to meet me because he knew I supported making America great again and knows that I feel that Donald Trump is doing that. So, what do you think about that? Should people hide in the closet or boldly come forth? If one truly believes in something, shouldn’t they stand up for it?
Christians who do not have the courage to boldly declare their love and dedication to Jesus to anyone other than Christians will not have much of an impact on the world. The church is not designed by God to be some little elite club for all of us Christians to sit around enjoying each other’s company and edifying one another. The church is the body of Christ and is intended to help serve others. And I’m not talking about merely serving them in a soup line or giving them clothing and a warm place to sleep at night. The truth of the matter is that if the lost in this world gained the entire world it wouldn’t help them one iota if they did not receive forgiveness. I’ve hear all of the arguments about being a living witness and it is still my opinion we can serve them the best by addressing their relationship with Jesus Christ and their spiritual needs first and then physical.
I’ve given my testimony tens of thousands of times to various individuals and groups and will continue to do so as long as the Lord will allow. I haven’t been harmed for doing so and in fact have seen lives changed for the better in an instant – time and time again – and nothing good I’ve ever experienced in the world, (which is a lot), could ever compare. I’ve found that people are hungry for the Gospel because life can be very tough sometimes, and we all experience those times and need the comfort that comes only from the Holy Spirit. Jesus took all of our places on the cross and as for me, I appreciate it and I love Him and declare His love whenever, or wherever I can.
I’ve never regretted standing up for Jesus, but on those rare occasions when I could have said something, but didn’t, I always regretted it. Stand up for what you believe – Stand up for Jesus Christ and follow Him and not the world!
Matthew 10:38
And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.