“…So they went out from the presence of the
council (Sanhedrin), rejoicing that they were being counted worthy [dignified
by the indignity] to suffer shame and be exposed to disgrace for [the sake of]
His name. Yet [in spite of the threats] they never ceased for a single day,
both in the temple area and at home, to teach and to proclaim the good news
(Gospel) of Jesus [as] the Christ (the Messiah)…” Acts 5:41-42 (AMP)…
The early apostles of Christ went
through many persecutions in their time just as Jesus had told them they would
before His ascension to heaven; most of them ended up as martyrs for the sake
of Christ… We will recall that the apostles were initially fearful and
discouraged when their Master was arrested and put to death, and most of them
scattered and deserted Him while some denied Him… But after the coming of the
promised Holy Spirit and their endowment with His power, the same apostles
spoke courageously and preached the gospel with all boldness notwithstanding
the dangerous threats to their lives…
Though they were not spared from
the threats, accusations and tortures of the Pharisees and Sadducees who were
also enemies of Jesus while He was with them on earth; they never ceased to
continue preaching in the name of Jesus… As the above scripture indicates; they
could not but bear witness of the One whom they both lived with and believed in
notwithstanding the sufferings they had to pass through; denying their faith
was never a considerable or reasonable option though they were disgraced, afflicted,
stoned, flogged and imprisoned unjustly many times… The new boldness with which
they acted by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit was a marvel to everyone
including their very enemies because they knew them earlier as weak, unlearned
and fearful men…
The apostles were so consumed by
their faith and the gospel that they considered it a great privilege worthy of
appreciation to God to be chosen to suffer and endure shame, disgrace, and dishonor
for the sake of God’s Son Jesus Christ and His gospel… At that point, by the
understanding imparted on them by the Holy Spirit, the words which Jesus spoke
to them earlier became more real to them; as He had told them: “If anyone comes
to Me and does not hate his [own] father and mother [in the sense of
indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude
toward God] and [likewise] his wife and children and brothers and
sisters--[yes] and even his own life also--he cannot be My disciple. Whoever
does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after (follow) Me cannot be
My disciple.” Luk. 14:26-27 (AMP) “Then they will hand you over to suffer
affliction and tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all
nations for My name's sake.” Matt. 24:9 (AMP)…
The hating or loosing of one’s
own life for the sake of being a true disciple of Christ does not necessarily
imply mourning over one’s own life or physical death, but rather entails a
total loss of one’s self-will and complete surrender to God’s will, and also
the willingness and readiness to lose one’s self-reputation in the eyes of men
for the sake of gaining God’s approval… It’s the ability to bear the temporal
pains of the loss of all worldly gains, pleasures and one’s self-pride in order
to remain right standing with God… It means the ability to remain resilient
even if one loses one’s name and fame in the sight of mere men for the purpose
of the gospel of Christ… The price of being a true disciple in its totality
entails the disregarding of one’s self life in order to live for Christ Jesus in
truth…
You cannot seek to spare your own
name from some shame naturally and still be able to proclaim the name of Christ
effectively… If your reputation matters to you more than Christ’s name means to
you, you cannot be an effective disciple of His… At one point or another in our
Christian walk, we will encounter situations and temptations that would spell
shame and disgrace to the natural man, but for us it is a shameless disgrace
and a graceful shame, because by the Holy Spirit, we can boldly say like Paul… “What
is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider
them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” Phil. 3:8 (NIV)… “…For I am not ashamed
of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone
that believeth…” Rom. 1:16 (KJV)…
It is your name or His name… Only
one can be saved and protected at a time; you cannot spare one without losing
the other; you cannot be most conscious of one and not relegate the other; and
you cannot keep both, because the self-life is always in direct opposition to
the Christ-life… Whatever earthly gain is lost for Christ’s name sake is for a
more eternal gain in the life after; therefore it is not considered a loss
because one has a more profitable gain with Christ in eternity…
Jesus said: “If anyone is ashamed
of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his
glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luk. 9:26 (NIV)…
If you must stand for Jesus and
the truths of His Words, then be rest assured that your name and self-reputation
must be put on the line and you will have to often times choose between saving
yours and saving His… But also be rest assured that He will stand for your name
there in heaven when you stand for His name here on earth…
To God be the glory, He has not
left us without a Helper… His Holy Spirit is in us to guide and strengthen us
in this race, therefore have no fear to stand and declare boldly that which you
believe and are persuaded of… Stand for Jesus!
Nice Day Friends!
#GodIsStillInCharge
