“Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you…”
Jesus Christ
Now, what I have to say on this subject does not contradict or set at naught the scriptural admonitions to provide things honest in the sight of all men or not to let your good be evil spoken of. On the contrary, if you do those things, it is a given that people will speak ill of you.
In this world, to speak at all with authority or with a passionately held opinion is an open invitation to criticism. This has always been true. The solution for Christians is to speak anyway. Indeed, to provoke an irrational response from those outside the faith is a blessing.
Confrontation with public opinion, especially the opinion held by those entrenched in power, was at the very heart of Jesus’ teaching. Those most sure of their correctness protested the loudest. That’s human nature at work. People today would do well to admit to themselves that human nature has not changed since the Creation.
The scriptures say that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The same may be said of human design, which was after all, modeled on Him. When Jesus spoke with the authority and spirit of the scriptures, it troubled those whose practice sought to circumvent the law and thereby establish for themselves renown as authorities on faith and practice.
When Jesus told them that a personal faith in God and a personal experience with God superseded God’s covenant with Abraham, they called him the Devil. That faith and relationship with God was the practice of Abraham was readily ignored. They turned a deaf ear when Jesus pointed out that Abraham’s children were those who did the works of Abraham.
It is fashionable today for those with no claim of discipleship with Jesus to lecture those trying to be disciples on the ins and outs of a relationship with Him. It’s easier to be silent in the face of cultural opposition. That is the path most taken.
By way of reminder, Jesus said that strait is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and few find it. Broad is the way chosen by the many. That path leads away from life and into destruction.
All you need to dare speak up for Christ is the skin of a rhinoceros, daring of a wolverine, the persistence of a wolf, and the heart of a lion. It’s time for all the Doolittles to speak.
Maranatha
