10/10/2021
Even in countries that are predominately Christian we are called to defend Jesus Christ, and our faith in Him. When we talk about the act of defending it can be accomplished in many ways like witnessing about our belief, telling of the miraculous nature of Christ, defending in argument the presence of God, and thus establishing the Sonship of Christ, revealing that He has redeemed us, defending His righteousness, and making convincing argument that He is perfect and free of sin while speaking of His love, suffering, and sacrifice for us. The challenging questions are these… are we ready to defend Him, and do we take every opportunity to do so?
“but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.”
1 Peter 3:15-16 ESV
Today we refer to telling someone about Jesus as witnessing, having a gospel conversation, delivering the good news, and possibly proselytizing, but on occasion our defense involves going to court, like during the Scopes Monkey Trial, or Rowe vs Wade. We might respond that we are prepared to defend Jesus in these ways, but are we really? What about those times we have had the opportunity to reach out, and remained silent instead? Did we not even have one precious verse, or word of encouragement in Christ, to offer the lost?
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
Then there is evil, are we prepared to face it? When evil reveals itself in this world, it can be brutal, and sometimes it still involves martyrdom, just as it did in the year 2015 for 21 Christian men on a beach in Libya when they were beheaded with a knife for refusing to deny their faith in Jesus. Did we think that such things were no longer real in our modern world? Perhaps we felt that they only happened long ago when the scriptures were first written… but not today. Are we prepared to make a defense of our faith with our very lives now that we have witnessed the reality of martyrdom in today’s world?
“For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”
Romans 14:7-9 ESV
So whether our defense of Jesus requires that we present ourselves as objects of ridicule to unbelievers around us, or perhaps we are to face imprisonment like Paul, John, and so many others who have been locked away throughout the ages. Do we still make a defense of Jesus? Maybe the forces of evil will force us to suffer the destruction or loss of our homes and property like many in the Middle East today… are we still willing to make a defense of Christ? Or, maybe we will be asked to make the ultimate sacrifice of love by yielding to death as a martyr… like Stephen, all the apostles except John, and the 21 in Libya. Are we willing to defend our faith to the death?
“For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.”
2 Corinthians 4:11-12 ESV
We place our faith in God, and Jesus Christ, on a scale and weigh them against our comfort, pride, possessions, and life. In this way we seek to determine the degree to which we are willing to defend them. What will such an accounting reveal about each of us? Will we actually know the answer before being placed on such a scale? For most of us today we defend them with our words and deeds, and at most suffer some ridicule, and disdain, of the unbelievers around us. We can conjecture about anything more than this, but unless we have already prepared ourselves, and submitted to the cross with Jesus the truth remains in doubt.
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.”
Romans 6:5 ESV
Unless our faith has been tested day by day, and we have submitted ourselves to death with Jesus each and every day, then our defense of faith, God, and Jesus, is most certainly in question. Have we picked up our crosses, and do we follow Jesus to Calvary?
“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.””
Romans 8:34-36 ESV
Defending our faith, God, and Jesus is something that all believers like to claim we would unfailingly do, but when faced with even the simple reality of asking someone at school, or work, whether they believe in Jesus, or know that He died for them, we often falter. We get out our scale, and weigh out the consequences we will face. We ask ourselves if they will laugh at us, call us a Bible hugger, or maybe even fire us from our job, but the real question to ask is how much you love them, because they are facing certain death…
“Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.”
Proverbs 24:11 ESV
So are we ready to defend Jesus in our attempt to save a postcard soul, and are we willing to do this regardless of the consequences we will face?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for preparing us with your Word, and the gospel of Jesus, to make every defense of our faith before the unbeliever. Thank you for loving us, and teaching us to love all those who surround us. Help us each time we see a lost soul to overcome our lack of courage, fear of failure, and the consequences we might face if we approach them with the good news about you, Jesus, and the hope we have in our faith. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who sent your Son Jesus to redeem us, and who sends us out into the world with the good news of his life, death, resurrection, and the life that awaits each of us in Him. Praised be your name as we are able to defend our faith, and make witness of you, and Jesus, in a lost world filled with souls that are dying in their sinfulness. Have mercy on us Father when our fear of worldly retribution overcomes us, and we withdraw from the field of battle where we are tasked with defending you before unbelieving men. Give us courage to face the roaring lion as we draw our sword, and do spiritual, and physical, battle for the souls of those weakened, and lost, in sin. Wash our wounds clean, and purify us in the blood of Jesus. Strengthen our faith as we take up our crosses and follow Him. Give us the fullness of faith to endure the whip, and the nails, in our witness, and steadfastness in our defense, just as He did, and the pain of a father for a son who faces death, just as you felt. Let the scale reveal that the weight of our faith has overcome the world.
““Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:10-12 ESV
Rich Forbes