"If anyone publicly acknowledges Me as his friend, I will openly acknowledge him as My friend before My Father in heaven. But if anyone publicly denies Me, I will openly deny him before My Father in heaven" (Matthew 10:32,33).
Some time ago, I challenged a famous and successful statesman to share his Christian faith.
"I believe that religion is personal and private, not something to wear on your sleeve," he replied. "I am a Christian, but I don't want to talk about it."
I reminded him that Jesus loved him enough to die for him. His disciples were so convinced of the urgency of passing on to others the message of God's love and forgiveness through Christ that they, and many thousands like them - though they died as martyrs - did not give up their efforts to get the message to us.
Further, I reminded him of the words of Jesus, "He that is not with Me is against Me" (Matthew 12:30, KJV) and the passage above from Matthew 10.
He was very sobered by my remarks. After a few minutes, he said, "I agree with you. I realize how wrong I have been. I had never realized how far off course I had gotten. I need to rethink all of my priorities and give Christ His rightful place in my life."
"My challenge to laymen," R. G. Le Tourneau, one of America's leading industrialists and Christian statesmen, once said, "is that when Christ said, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel,' He did not mean only preachers but everyone who believed in Him as the Lord of glory.......My challenge to you is for a return to this first-century conception of Christianity where every believer is a witness to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
TODAY'S ACTION POINT: Today I will publicly acknowledge my love for Christ, and through the enabling of the Holy Spirit I will live today so that others will want what I have, and I will speak so that they will know what I have.
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