LOVE SPEAKS

(Further reflections on “Speaking Hesitancy” — Sunday 29-Nov-2020)

When people love something, they speak boldly about them. When they like certain cuisines, they not only inspire but also invite others to see/taste it. We don’t have to be rocket scientists or psychologists to know what people like/love/adore in a short period of time. What people speak about, how they spend their time, and how they live speak greatly about what they love. And what they love says a lot about what they believe.

When a Christian hesitates to speak boldly about Jesus, chances are high that his/her relationship with Jesus is not that great. He/she might not know Jesus that well. God’s Word, the Bible, may not be that great to him/her. The relationship with Jesus’ Body, the local church, is likely superficial. Sunday gathering is moodily optional. Weekday gathering is rarely possible. And he/she makes frequent excuses on sharing testimonies about Jesus or His word (in church/public). Many Christians might have [secretly] wished to keep their faith in Christ a private matter. Secularism has been “cornered/trained/slow-cooked” Christians in keeping their faith to themselves. Secularized societies “evangelize” Christians not to bring Jesus outside the church or their homes. And sadly, many (who got saved by having a religion and not a relationship with Jesus) have no problem with that. In fact, they somewhat like it, because faith-in-Jesus can be compartmentalized as many things in their life, including sins, that had been kept in boxes, some time openly and other time secretly. But this is not what we see in the disciples after they have seen and heard what Jesus had done.

When a Christian loves Jesus deeply, he/she will speak of Him boldly, publicly, fearlessly, prayerfully, and graciously (cf. Acts 4:1–31). The communities (church or workplaces) that they belong to will know whom they love and what they are passionate about. One of a good but “scary” test for you in the next coming weeks/months is to ask a few colleagues/friends to tell you about what they honestly think/see what you like or whom you love. You may or may not like what you hear, but it might not be that big of a surprise for you, because you already know how often you spoke about Jesus or shared His word to them. Now the point of doing this is not about guilt-tripping nor shame-inflicting, but grace-abiding. Therefore, it is never too late to tell others about Jesus. Now assuming you are honest to yourself, kind of know where you are spiritually (and if you are not sure, feel free to talk to your pastor), desire to deepen your relationship with the Lord, His word, His church, and wonder if there are some practical steps that you can take, then do consider the following.

(1.) Ask the Holy Spirit to fire up your love for the Lord and wake you up from spiritual lethargy.

(2.) Commit to Sunday gathering in person (or online) and make it a non-negotiable day of the Lord (meaning, don’t plan anything non-essential activities on this day, make time/space for worship, heeding God’s word, fellowship, and resting).

(3.) Plan and make time for weekday small groups meeting where discipleship happens.

(4.) Serve the Lord in various contexts (church/home/workplaces) in many different ways (on Sunday as well Mon-Sat). For example, being strengthened and strengthening the Body of Christ by serving in ministry teams in church; telling the world how you met Jesus by recording your testimonies; spending quality time with your family/friends; opening your home (small/big is not the point) to host 2–3 friends/colleagues who never had a chance to hear about the One whom you have heard and seen.

It is my prayer and hope that we all speak boldly about Jesus in various contexts as our love of Him deepens each day/week!

With Love,

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Pastor Lap