Why faith should NOT be a private matter.

First of all, as someone who is eternally grateful that Jesus rescued me from the pit of hell, how can I not exude this gratefulness and shout it from the rooftops? Just had to get that out of the way right up front.

I have heard it said many times that faith should be a private matter. I find this to be even more evidence that man does not want God's moral standards imposed on him.

Let's think about this:

If I found out I was dying with Stage IV cancer and there was nothing they could do to save me...
I was dying...
I had had all the advanced treatment they could give me...
I was dying...
I was saying my good-byes to my family and friends...
Looking at my children, knowing they would be without their mama...
Looking at my husband who would be without his partner in crime, his best friend.....(ok, we really don't commit crimes together for all my fellow literal friends.)

When something amazing happened! I was given a cure and just in time! Who would scoff at the cure in this situation? Who would say, "Oh, I'm too smart for that. That won't really work. That's a fairytale." Who would refuse this life-saving cure? Hmmm...not me! I mean, I was dying. It was INEVITABLE. I was going to DIE. Leave my family and friends and be separated from them. FOR.EV.ER.  (Does anyone else think of the Sandlot when they say that?)

Ok, seriously. That is life, folks. We are ALL lost without Him...Him being The Lord Jesus Christ who is God in the flesh who came down to save us from our sins so we could be with Him forever!

Keep your faith to yourself...
Why are you shoving that down my throat....

Excuse me, can I please shove the cure for cancer down your throat that you might HAVE LIFE?

I cannot keep my faith to myself. EVERY born again believer who has been rescued from the pit of Hell should exude JESUS in such a way that there is no doubt what we believe and to Whom we belong. But that doesn't mean just living life, my friends. True, it should be evident by our lives that we serve the risen King of Kings but no...that's not all.

We MUST repent of our fear of man. As long as we fear the opinion of man, we will not be salty, we will be hiding our light and we will be of little use to the Kingdom. Oh sure, our Mighty God can still use us...I believe that. But think of our witness when we shake off our fear of man and instead start fearing God, the One who loved us to come die for us so we could be with Him forever.

God haters will always have special words for those who live out their faith lovingly and with boldness rather than "keeping it to themselves." 

Arrogant....
Religious nut....
Fruit loop...
Idiot...

Don't let this deter you. Live for Him, tell others about this Cure, the ONLY cure for DEATH, my friends. If you would be shouting off the rooftops when you found the cure for terminal cancer yet remain silent about your faith, what does this imply? If we fear men, why would we be Christians?

Galatians 1:10
 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Proverbs 29:25 says,
"The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe."

The fear of man certainly does bring a snare. The fear of man keeps us quiet. The fear of man forces us to keep our faith a private matter. In essence, it forces us to stop being salty, to hide our light under a bowl. To hide.
To be ashamed of Jesus.

Loving the praise of man isn't a new thing.
John 12:42-43
 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

You are a new creation in Christ. The old you, the one who is afraid of what people think, has died. You know the Cure, the life-saving Cure. If we really believe it, there is no way we can keep our faith a private matter.  Not when we know the reality that awaits those who don't have the Cure. There is just no way. 

For His glory alone,
genesis