“Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone’[1] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Act 4:11-12)
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
These is difficult
statements. Until recently, there was such an emphasis on inclusion. It wasn’t
practiced, but it was preached. If you mentioned the intolerance practiced by
those who preached tolerance, you got
told to look up Popper’s principle, which basically says that tolerance is
impossible because the only way to value tolerance is to push it down the throats
of others. One simply must be intolerant in order to enforce tolerance. That shows
that it’s not really about tolerance, but about control.
But in today’s
passages, we see the ultimate statement of intolerance. No one comes to the
father unless they go by way of Jesus. Salvation is found nowhere else. How dare
anyone be so exclusive? It’s not fair. The problem is, if it is true, it doesn’t
matter whether or not it’s fair.
That isn’t the reason
for this post. The point today isn’t what was said, or who said
it, but that they said it. Last year at this time, I was starting into
an “I’m not prepared for emergencies” phase. I’ve done a lot of things, and
learned a little about being resourceful, but I have a long way to go. And this
year, one of the phrases that is running through my mind is “When the going
gets tough…” It’s more of the same. How can we prepare ourselves to be
resilient, resourceful, and useful when things aren’t going well?
But most of my thoughts
tend toward “practical” things, by which I tend to mean non-spiritual and (really)
non-public things. I need to learn to grow enough veges and fruits for myself.
I need to learn to tie knots. I need to learn to preserve good food. I need to
exercise better to get stronger, more flexible, and more endurant. I need to
learn 193 uses each for Lamb’s Quarters, Lemon Balm, Purslane, Elderberries, Dandelions,
and Self-Heal. OK, maybe that’s exaggerating – a little.
But the old saying “If
Christianity were illegal, would there be enough evidence to convict you”? Is
that true of me? As the virtue signaling posts sometimes suggest – am I willing
to speak up about my beliefs about Jesus Christ, or am I ashamed? Even if I’m
willing to say “Jesus is my Lord” – am I willing to say, “No one goes to the
Father but through Him?” Am I willing to say that the Stone the builders
rejected is the chief Corner Stone? Am I ready to be Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego,
or Daniel? Am I ready to stand up and be counted as one of those?
I’m sure that others know that I go to
church. It’s not that I think it’s a secret. In fact, I’ve told people who share
the “share if you’re not ashamed” posts that if there’s not enough evidence in
my life, sharing the post won’t matter. But that’s not the point, either. Am I
ready, willing, and able to stand up and be counted? Am I willing and able to
take the stand that Jesus and Peter took?
I might be better prepared than some, but not
enough. I’ve been a member of Toastmasters, so getting in front of a group of
people isn’t normally a problem. Would it be a problem if I were on trial? I
hope not. But lots of people aren’t prepared to speak, or to take a stand on
His behalf.
There’s a verse that tells us not to worry
about what we’ll say, that the Holy Spirit will give us the words, and
certainly the Holy Spirit can overcome all of our fears and cause us to speak
as boldly as lions, but we’re also told to be ready to explain the reason for
our hope. Most of us don’t think we’ll ever be called on to speak as eloquently
as Charles Spurgeon, Billy Graham, or Ravi Zacharias, and we’re probably right.
But can you declare yourself to be a Christian without sounding like you’re
ashamed? Look in the mirror and try it. In fact, look yourself in the eyes in
the mirror and say it. Get used to the sound of your voice saying it.
Mention something about what that means to
you. It doesn’t have to sound great. No one is going to hear it but you. Read
the passage from Acts aloud to your reflection. Just take a few minutes each
day for the next week hearing your voice quote (or read) Scripture. If that’s a
bigger challenge than you’re ready to face, try meeting your own gaze and
saying, “Jesus Christ is my Lord.” If you’re from a family that doesn’t talk
about such things – so much the better.
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