I imagine a crowd of angry men marching toward me, weapons and torches in their hands. I am innocent of any crime and yet they condemn me with seething hatred. I know they have come to take me away and, where I go, death and suffering will follow. Would I run? Would I hide? Could I calmly approach them and willingly hand myself over?
I encourage you to read John 18:1-11 along with this short study
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“Then Judas, having received a detachment of troops, and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns, torches, and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?””
That is exactly what Jesus did. Knowing that He was more than innocent, He the King of Kings, God of creation, and savior of the world, handed himself over to be tortured and slain by an angry mob for the sake of my sins.
“They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am He. ” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, “I am He, ” they drew back and fell to the ground.”
Not only did Jesus step in front of a crowd determined to destroy Him, He knocked them over with three simple words. “I am He.” Can you imagine God’s son standing in front of you and stating His name with that kind of power? I can’t begin to understand the force of it knocking these angry men over but it did. Some of them even moved back in fear.
Jesus has the power to change this situation at any time. He souls have walked right through them and no one could have stopped Him. He could have commanded them to all be blind or even fall over dead and they would have. It was never a question of whether on now He could have escaped the cross because it was the whole reason He came.
Our responsibility as followers of Christ is to do the same. We need to stand up to the crowds and let them know who we believe in, why we believe in Him, and how they can become believers. Sometimes this is difficult and for some it may seem impossible due to personality types, fears or pest experiences. Remember this, Jesus was able to stand up to the crown, knowing what they had planned for Him, all because He loved us and was willing to to pay that price to spare us from the suffering we deserved.
So, how can I stand up to the crowd and be a light in this dark world the was He did?
Be:
Faithful
Humble but bold
Uncompromising
Forgiving
Loving
Faith in times of fear can be hard but it's not impossible. The Lord gives us strength in the times that we need it. pray daily for the strength and faith to Stan dup or Him when the time comes because it will come one day.
Humbleness is not programed into us when we are born. We have to learn it. Remembering that Jesus died for me and that I deserved to die for my own sins should be humbling enough but we are still sinners and its normal to struggle. We should be bold in our faith not in our personal accomplishments, boasting about our god and not ourselves.
Compromising is easier than your think, so we need to be careful not to let it slip into our lives. Know what you believe and stand firm on those beliefs. Don't let anyone guilt you into letting something slide that you know is wrong.
“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
Forgive the people who accuse you or mistreat you. you cannot be bold in the faith without a little lash back. there are plenty of people out there just waiting to attack you for what you believe. Remember they are attacking Christ not you.
Show Love to everyone no matter who they are or how they treat you. Jesus showed love even to the one who betrayed Him. We are all His children and He loves us. We nee to show that same love even when a crowd comes up against us.
I hope you all have a blessed day and find peace in knowing that He is Lord and He loves you.
-ScriptureSparrow