Articles
Bold Belief
Have you ever felt embarrassed about your faith or reluctant to act on it? in 2 Timothy 1:15-17, the apostle Paul wrote, “You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me.” The reason why the men and women of Asia turned their backs on Paul is because Christians during this time were facing persecution and were reluctant to publicly act on their faith. God’s children can still face persecution today, but faith is more commonly shied away from so as not to offend others.
Paul was not worried about offending others, he lived for Christ and took laboring for Him as a blessing. So much so, that he was happy to die while laboring for Christ. He wrote in Philippians 1:19-21, “…I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Throughout the book, Paul encouraged the Phillippi church to keep their faith no matter what they faced. Inspired by God, the book’s principle encouragement still holds true today. God’s children should be inspired by Christians who held such strong convictions of faith and acted on it. In Philippians 4, the apostle even credits the church for being so generous toward him.
James 2:18 says, “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” If a person claims to love God and be a child of His, he or she will work to show their love for Him. 1 John 3:18-19 reads, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him.” God’s free gift of grace and faith in His children are what causes them to be saved. His children’s faith in Him through baptism is how they accept that gift. However, their faith in Him does not act alone. Through their dedication to working for Him in deed and truth, they boldly shine their trust and spread belief in Him. In Mark 8:38 Jesus said, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Therefore, let us all not be ashamed to proclaim our mighty God and accomplish His works, so that we can truly know Him and be with Him for all eternity!
