Be a Witness for God

Scripture: Matthew 24:9-14 (ESV)

⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come

Devotion:        

            In this passage Luke has Jesus preparing his disciples for the persecutions that must surely come after Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus wants to both warn them (and us) of the dangers they will face for the sake of the gospel. While it is true that these words were addressed directly to the 12 Apostles there are plenty of lessons that 21^st century followers can take from these words.

            In both the time of the apostles and in our own time we are witnessing an increase in hostility and hatred toward those who proclaim the salvation found in Jesus clearly and forcefully. Just as the apostles did in the 1^st century we will be punished regardless of our politics or lack of it. The apostles neither aligned themselves with neither Rome nor the resistance in Palestine. Their allegiance was to Christ and to him alone. This angered both groups. It is a lesson the modern church can learn much from. We should never be known as republican or democrat but as a people who proclaim that Jesus was raised from the dead and must be worshiped by all people regardless of politics.

            Jesus predicted that many would fall away from the church. When persecution came upon the early church there were many who turned back and no longer followed the way of Jesus. Today we see the same thing happening. As openly worshiping Jesus declines in popularity many are falling away today. People began substituting online worship during the pandemic and have never begun to return to the pews because they are seeking anonymity of the online worship format instead. Online worship has its place, but it is not to be the main connection between the church and believer.

            The world has become a colder place since the pandemic shut us inside our homes with little or no contact with the outside world. As a result, many have found their love for Jesus and his people has also grown cold. We need the Holy Spirit’s fire to heat up our faith and love for God and each other.

            We are supposed to be witnesses to the love and greatness of our God; we must reclaim that position. We have all been witnesses of God’s great love for us and for all humankind. The rest of the world must know what we know that our God is an awesome God (to borrow a phrase from Rich Mullins). We may never win a popularity contest or get our picture on the cover of some magazine; however, we must boldly witness anyway. Let us pray for courage to be true witnesses to our blessed Lord Jesus.

Prayer:

            Lord God almighty we come to you today to ask you to warm our hearts with the Holy Spirit. Set our hearts on fire to be your witnesses to a hurting and broken world. Jesus has the cure for all that ails the world today. His love will cause all humankind to live together in peace and harmony. Give us a voice to speak in unity and clarity that the Lord is the cure for this world’s madness if all but turn and follow him. Amen