Hey family!
To continue on yesterday’s topic I’d like us to study the life of John the Baptist. He was Jesus’ cousin, born to prepare the way for the Lord as prophecied by Isaiah. The bible says that his lifestyle was not like the normal suit and tie, pizza and coke, or whatever they ate or wore that time. He loved differently. By living apart from the culture John was able to speak with great passion and clarity for the people of that day. He was part of the community but not part of the culture.
Let’s pause for a minute… Is it possible that we are afraid to speak up about the truth of the gospel because we are consumed by the culture of the communities we live in therefore we can’t speak against what we also partake in. A thief can’t call out another thief. The culture, the beliefs, the traditions, the day to day of the world cannot be the same as ours who are saved. Many of us are silenced because we also drink what they drink, smoke what they smoke, worship the gods they worship, do what they do – and if it happened in the past it is okay but now that you’re John The Baptiser, your lifestyle should be consistent to the values of the kingdom.
“Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.””
Mark 7:13 NIV
John’s teachings were just raw. By raw I mean he never sugar coated anything. He had no fear of man.He didn’t live for the opinions of others, but lived with compassion to see others brought to repentance towards Christ. John was not afraid of the religious or political leaders of his day. He saw beyond their robes and titles into the deeper heart. He spoke the truth with clarity and passion, he didn’t live to people-please, simply to preach the need for forgiveness of sin. He called out the Pharisees and Sadducees, for what they truly were. He even died for speaking the truth to Herod! We are afraid to tell our friends “this is wrong” so how will we ever speak up against wrong laws made in our countries. If you can’t tell your friend , how will you tell the strangers? We are afraid. If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom I assume the fear of man is the beginning of foolishness.
“John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.”
Luke 3:19-20 NIV | Luke 3:7 NIV
Today’s believer fears man. We fear that they’ll put us in prison. How many people in the bible were imprisoned for speaking the truth? MANY! Am l terrified at the thought of being imprisoned yes! But how come we say we want to be like Jesus? He too was imprisoned for the truth – He was and is the King of the Jews. I’m saying to you, if you were to be in that position for the gospel would you change your testimony? Stephen would you say “no l was joking” . Apostles would you deny like Peter? “I don’t know him” because we are afraid of the people? How many times have we denied Christ and what we claim to believe because Herod will imprison us? Because our families will cut us off? Because we have an image to protect? If the extreme came and you had to die for speaking the truth – would you still stand for the truth? (I need to also sit and meditate on this one) How far are we willing to go to make sure nations are saved? The truth is we can’t go anywhere if we are afraid of man.
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Galatians 1:10 NIV
How you speak – are you a people pleaser? What you do at work? How you carry yourself as a believer, whose approval do you seek? We fear that society will reject us for choosing Jesus, the cute lady will reject you for being a man of God so you hide that you speak in tongues. Your colleagues will not accept you because you don’t drink alcohol so you take it realise you kissed someone you don’t even know. Fear that our parents will disown us so we keep attending their ceremonies of ancestral worship. Fear that we will come across as “too serious” about God , so we go on social media and tone down the gospel. Other men died for this gospel, others were imprisoned , others suffered , what are we willing to sacrifice ? Can we sacrifice the approval of man for the kingdom of God?
The fear of man silences the believer. Hey, it’s okay to be different. We are not of the world . I trust that this teaching will help you to be bold about Christ wherever you are and wherever you go! I need to re-read as many times as possible so that I can also live what I’m teaching. Be a John the Baptist in a world of Peter’s by the fire. The overcoming believer must first overcome the fear of man – replace it with the fear of God.
“Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.”
Matthew 26:69-70 NIV