By Jeremy Writebol
It was comedian Jerry Seinfeld who reminded me that according to a study, speaking in front of a crowd is the number one fear of the average person. The number two fear is death. Which, as Seinfeld put it, “This means to the average person, if you have to be at a funeral, you would rather be the one in the casket than doing the eulogy.” There’s a cleverness to that observation but also a challenge for us when we think about sharing our faith in Christ publicly.
Could you imagine being the apostle Paul in Jerusalem, having been arrested in the temple and then requesting to speak to an unruly mob outside the prison? What would you say? Or would you rather be the “in the casket,” hiding from the mob, waiting for someone else to arrive and defend you?
We will probably never be in front of an angry mob or provided the opportunity to tell our story of conversion and faith. It’s likely that we won’t experience having to defend our rights to a government official or take a severe flogging. We will, most likely, never have to give an account to the leading religious counsel of our time. Yet I am challenged to ask myself, would I have the courage and confidence to faithfully tell my neighbors of the hope I have because of Christ? Would you be willing to speak up about the grace of God in your life, the hope you have because of Jesus, and the invitation He extends of the forgiveness of sin and eternal life with Him?
It was only because Paul understood the grace of God in his life—being saved from being a persecutor of the church to being a planter of churches—that could enable him to speak with confidence. Paul knew that because of Christ’s sacrifice and death he could “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22) and attest to the resurrected Jesus. Being secure in Christ, Paul could make his appeal to the authorities, knowing that God, in His providence, would place Paul exactly where he was intended to be. He could stand secure in the promise of the Lord, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome” (Acts 23:11).
When I remember that in Christ all of these promises are true for me, it gives me greater confidence in speaking about my faith. God’s grace has saved me from my rebellion and sin. I can speak up about His love. Christ died on my behalf; the Lord stands near me and, by His Spirit, supplies everything I need to bear witness of the mercy of God. In Christ, I am secure in His placement and purposes in my life. So I can testify here of His salvation. We may be terrified of speaking up, maybe more so than of dying; however, Christ died for us and secures us with His grace. We can confidently, in love, give testimony to how Jesus has shown us mercy to all those around us.
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