Acknowledging God before men

I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. Luke 12:8 – 9

You can imagine the scene in heaven as God introduces one of his own before the angels or in Matthew’s gospel Jesus says, ‘before my Father in heaven’. Either way it will be a marvellous occasion of honour and well worth any humiliation suffered at the hands of men. For some of course it may have involved being martyred but for most of us the worst we will have suffered is mockery and maybe social exclusion. On several occasions Jesus warned the disciples not be ashamed of him before men (Mark 8:38) and the context is always one of denying oneself and following God.

Yet the fear of men can be deep rooted. No one wants to be mocked or humiliated but standing for God is what we are called to do. Too often we fear upsetting or forcing our opinions on others and we must of course be sensitive and let the Spirit guide us. However we can say a huge amount about ourselves by our attitudes and actions. People will notice if we consistently show the fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22) – and not just when we are on a good mood. In a world dominated by a sense of entitlement, these virtues shine out.

Our actions and attitudes are very important but so too are our words.  The way we talk to and about others is noticeable. People will trust us and confide in us if we talk about others kindly. This is especially powerful when others are dealing with us in an unpleasant way. Not responding in kind is a great witness. A clean mouth can make us stand out in this generation ‘like stars in the universe’ (Philippians 2:15). We must also be ‘ready to give an account of the hope that is within us’ because people will ask if we show Christ like attitudes consistently. We need to be ready to talk naturally and lovingly about the one who loves us all more than we can ever know or imagine.

Nothing appals me more than Christians who harshly tell other people they are perverts or sinners and need to repent. People are never won be being told what is wrong with them by others. Let the Holy Spirit do the convicting. We need to show the love of God. There are so many needy, hurting, helpless, hopeless people who just need someone to tell and show them God loves them.

Let us acknowledge God before all men whether they mock us or receive us for the reward is great. Jesus will acknowledge us before the Father and the angels as his dearly beloved son or daughter. How marvellous that will be.