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Continuing our focus of Luke’s Gospel, this week please read Chapter 21 verses 8 to 24 every day this week and, if possible, use a different translation each day, asking God to open your eyes to fresh revelation from His Word.
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Luke 21:12-15 (NLT)
‘“But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers.
But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. So, don’t worry in advance about how to answer the charges against you, for I will give you the right words and such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!”’
Way back in the mid-80s, as young Christians, there was a lot of debate about how we should ‘share our faith’. We had countless sermons on evangelism and seminars on how to preach the gospel. The Christian book stores had shelves full floor to ceiling all dedicated to the topic of evangelism. Everyone who was anyone was writing books on the subject.
In my own circle of friends there was some rebellion to the trend and many decided that they would do exactly what they wanted to do in their own way. Several said that they would spend their evening in the pubs, not saying anything to anyone but allowing their ‘lives do the talking’. Some would even go as far to say that in order to relate to others in the pub, they should be exactly like them.
Jim Caviezel (the actor who played Jesus in the Passion of the Christ) recently said “We were not born to fit in. We were made to stand out.” If only my friends could have heard and heeded this advice, many of them would perhaps still be serving the Lord.
Jesus’ words in the verses today stand in stark contrast to most of what I was taught all those years ago. While I’m not trying ‘to rubbish’ everything I heard, it’s clear that so many of the books and seminars failed to produce even the slightest yield of fruit. That in itself should cause us to question some of it. So, what does Jesus say in these verses that is so different? I’m aware that He’s not talking specifically about the subject of evangelism but He is definitely giving instruction on sharing faith.
One of the most striking things is that the persecution is to come BEFORE they are asked to ‘testify’. I think it’s important then to realise that the disciples’ reputation was to precede them and that it would clearly be known who they were and what they were. Once they were arrested, Jesus said that they should use this as an ‘opportunity to tell them about me’. These days, we tend to think that if we tell our friends about Jesus, then we will be persecuted. It seems that we have this all wrong. Everyone should already be aware of who we are and when we’re picked on or beaten, we should use this as an opportunity to give our testimony!
So how do we give our testimony? From the Scripture we know that we should share our story by word of mouth. We are to tell people what Jesus has done for us. Secondly, we are to demonstrate our faith through our personal conduct. Thirdly, we can share our faith in the songs we sing. What kind of songs are you humming along to? What kind of words are you mouthing as you listen to your latest playlist? It matters.
Lastly, Jesus said that the disciples weren’t to rely on clever words or worry about how to give an answer. His Spirit would give them the words. We know from other Scripture that it is wise to always be prepared to give an answer, but our preparation is to be rooted in a reliance on His Spirit to guide us as we answer. Why are you a Christian? Take a few minutes to examine your heart and spend some time in prayer asking the Lord for guidance.
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