“Your truth is your truth. My truth is my truth.”
“All religions can lead to heaven. The teaching of Jesus Christ is just one pathway.”
“The Bible is one of many ancient religious texts mixed with both statements of wisdom and error.
Etc., etc., etc. Hmmmm.
JUST STOP TALKING ABOUT JESUS!
That’s all they had to do. Peter, John, and the other disciples and followers of Christ. The leaders of that day gave them a simple “get out of jail free” card. Just don’t talk about Jesus. That’s all. How hard would that have been?
If they would just stop talking about Jesus they wouldn’t be arrested anymore and thrown in jail or beaten and flogged. They could go on with life, enjoying themselves with their friends and family.
They could even talk about God. They could be filled with passion and continue to talk about Yahweh – God who had been revealed in the Hebrew scriptures. They could talk to people about the law of Moses. They could teach and share the true events found in the Hebrew scriptures.
They could have conversations about the great men of faith such as Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They could continue to teach the law, worship God, and have faith that Messiah was coming. They could be kind and show love to people as they lived a normal life in the first century.
However, they just couldn’t tell others that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of the Heavenly Father and had come as Messiah to fulfill the Old Testament law and offer new life, the forgiveness of sin, and the promise of heaven.
They couldn’t disrupt the status quo by saying that the person of Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ, the long-awaited One through whom every person was offered the opportunity for salvation and that Jesus could forever change a person’s heart,
And they certainly couldn’t say Jesus sealed the deal by walking out of a tomb on the third day after a torturous death .
On The Way To Prayer Meeting…
I’m sure you know the story. Peter and John were on their way to the temple for the 3 pm time of prayer. A poor beggar who was lame from birth was outside of the temple gates. He spots the two disciples:
“When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”
Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.”
Acts 3:3-8
Well, that’s something that you just don’t see every day! If you saw a man who had apparently never walked in his life get up and start jumping around it would get your attention. And attention it got. So Peter- who had folded like a lawn chair and denied that He knew Jesus at the crucifixion was now bold as a lion and used the opportunity to speak.
He spoke to them about the God whose power had actually healed the lame man and how that healing served to glorify God’s Son, Jesus – the same Jesus who they had rejected and handed over to be killed.
Why They Could Not Stop Talking about Jesus
Then Peter builds to an illustrious crescendo with a statement that was a particular capstone on why they could not be silent about Jesus:
You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!”
Acts 3:15
Although the mob had cried out “give us Barabbas” a few weeks earlier calling for Jesus to be crucified, these disciples were eyewitnesses to the fact that Jesus literally died and literally walked out of the tomb on the third day.
That will help us understand why the disciples and many other first-century Christians would not refuse to talk about Jesus.
- This wasn’t an event that they had simply heard about.
- These were events that they saw and experienced.
- They knew that Jesus was sent from the Father and they knew that He rose from the dead. When you see and experience a person, place, or event firsthand, there is no question in your mind about it.
- Most certainly, we can’t discount that God had just sent the Holy Spirit to fill them at Pentecost.
These men had traveled with, talked with, hung out with, and learned from God in a pair of sandals. But when He died, they doubted and felt dejected and broken.
However, when they saw, touched, and spoke to the Crucified One, they knew the truth. They could not change their story. They could not AND had no desire to change the truth that Jesus was the Son of God who came as salvation for sinners.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ spread quickly in a large part because the early followers of Jesus could not deny what they had seen, heard, and experienced first hand.
Why Does It Seem Too Easy To Stop Talking About Jesus In Today’s Culture?
Today, as 21st-century Christians, we know what we have read, studied, and heard about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. No, we did not physically see and experience the literal Son of God as He died and we did not see the scars on his hands and feet as he walked and talked with us after He walked out of His tomb.
However, the events remain true. The Light of the world found in this Savior remains unchanged. Plus, we have the advantage of more God-breathed scripture than they had at the time as we have full access to the Old and New Testaments.
But, This Is Simply Exercising Blind Faith, Right?
Jesus Christ remains the most famous person in all of recorded history. In our Bible, we have the most accurately preserved historical documents in world history. For Biblical scholars (and many skeptics who have tried to disprove it, the evidence for the truth of the bodily resurrection of Jesus only grows stronger.
Many non-believers make the mistake that Christianity is simply based on blind faith. It’s certainly based on faith, but not blind faith with no evidence. The number of books written to historically establish the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is so very numerous. One such suggested book is “Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World” by Sean and Josh McDowell.
- Hardcover Book
- McDowell, Josh (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 880 Pages – 10/03/2017 (Publication Date) – Thomas Nelson (Publisher)
Knowing Him
Yes, we have much evidence for the living Savior, but the fact remains that the early followers of Jesus couldn’t stop talking about Jesus because they knew Him – they really knew Him personally. And there is no replacement for knowing Him in a close and intimate way.
Born-again believers today have that privilege as well with the Holy Spirit living in and through us.
But, if we find ourselves in a condition where we personally don’t talk about Jesus we have to ask ourselves- how well do we know Him? Do we know only about Him with no real relationship with Him? Or maybe rotely repeated a prayer at some point in our lives? Or, do we have a genuine relationship with Him that we aren’t allowing Him to nourish/
Just a head knowledge of Jesus Christ won’t compel us to walk with Him. However, a heart knowledge of Him – repenting of sins and accepting Him as Lord and Savior can lead you to a place where you can’t stop talking about Him.
Certainly, as believers, we can have seasons of life where we become neglectful and dispassionate about our relationship with Him. But, He always stands ready for His redeemed ones to refuel and begin to once again live out the Christ life that they received at the moment when we said yes to Jesus.
So, seek Him today. Accept Him today. Know Him today. Let the very person and words of Christ weave through the fabric of your every word and deed for all to see.
Don’t Talk About Jesus???
Nope. That wouldn’t be the answer at all. It wasn’t for the Apostles and it’s not the answer for Christians today. The world will continue to press harder and harder for us to leave Jesus out of it. Satan, the enemy of God, does not want the truth of Jesus Christ to be a part of our families, our cultural issues, our morality, and our governments, and he overtly is now working to CANCEL the things of Christ. And he wants us to stay silent in the face of an attack on the Christian worldview.
Don’t talk about Jesus? That’s just not an option. It will never be an option. We have supernatural access to the God who gives us the power to stand. As the Apostle, Paul wrote to the church in Galatia:
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Ephesians 1:19-23
Let’s encourage one another as we speak out about the Beloved One and the truth found in His word. Let’s speak the love of Christ and the truth, wisdom, and morality of the Kingdom of God into our world!
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