The culture tries to blur the lines between religions not to be offensive to anyone. However, as believers, we are called not to be ashamed of the gospel but to share it for it is the power of God to salvation (Romans 1:16)!
“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
“And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.
“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:8-12
Jesus is the cornerstone of Christianity. God the Father chose to send Him into the world, so He can the redeem the world through Him. Jesus was God’s plan from the beginning. There is no redemption or forgiveness of sins without Jesus going to the cross. The power of God in Jesus’ resurrection is the hope of enteral life for those who believe!
We cannot talk about Christianity apart from Jesus! We cannot witness to people about the Kingdom of God apart from telling them that Jesus has paved the way to God! So the above passage reminds us that in order to witness to the world, we must testify about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done in our lives! We cannot deny the work of God through Jesus or be concerned about using the name of Jesus in our conversations.
Sometimes Christians are tempted to just talk about God in the fear of rocking the boat. However, how can people believe in Jesus if we don’t tell them the whole truth!?
The good news is that the above passage also tells us that the Holy Spirit will teach us how to answer those who ask us questions. We cannot have canned testimonies and answers for people. Each person is unique with a different background, which means we need to have the sensitivity to the Holy Spirit on what to share and how to share it. Therefore, we need to be in tune with the voice of the Holy Spirit and let Him be our teacher.
I was recently talking to someone who was telling me about her conversation with a family member who has major issues. When she asked him why he wasn’t going to church, he began to bring up a lot of issues about culture, Jesus’ identity, and the church. I told her that she can have these kinds of conversations with him for the next couple of years and still not get to the heart of the matter. These discussions are smokescreen to deeper issues. I recommended for her to pray and ask the Lord to show her what he really needs to hear and pray for an open door to reach him.
Who is in your life right now who needs to hear about Jesus? Have you been shying away from using the name of Jesus? Are you concerned about looking dogmatic or judgmental? Have you asked the Lord what the person needs to hear and how you should minister to him/her right now?