Openly acknowledge Christ before others

Think for a moment that you are in a court of law. You were summoned to appear before a judge and you are accused of being a Christ believer and follower. How will you answer to the accusation? Will you affirm or deny your faith? Will you acknowledge or disown Jesus?

In Matt. 10: 32 we hear Jesus saying:  “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.”

To acknowledge Jesus publicly is to openly and unashamedly in all circumstances declare that Christ Jesus is indeed the Son of God. It means to profess him openly as your Saviour and proclaim him as the Lord of your life.

This means that you not only acknowledge him with your creeds, your theology and with your words. It means that you imitate Christ. You honour only Jesus in attitude, values, thoughts, choices, life style and world view. You actively seek his justice, unity and peace in the world. You worship him in Spirit and in truth!

To acknowledge Jesus is to declare before others that you live for him who died for you. You trust him both in life and in death, him, who gave his life on the cross that you may find life in abundance. He gave his blood that you may be redeemed and may inherit heaven!

Jesus says that if we acknowledge him before others, he “will also acknowledge us before his Father in heaven.” It means that Jesus is saying to God:

“I died for this person. With my blood I have redeemed him/her from evil, judgment and from sin-slavery. He/she is forgiven, because I (Jesus) was judged and condemned in his/her place.

Does your love for the Lord lead to a relationship where you every day acknowledge, honour and serve Christ openly and publicly and Jesus acknowledges you before God, our Father?

May the sacrificial love of Jesus make it possible for me to always be his witness, his worker, his follower and his friend!