Personal not Private

As I was commuting to work this morning, I thought about the fact that Christianity is a personal faith.  You can’t inherit your faith from your parents.  Eternal life isn’t found in your culture or how you were raised.  We must individually come to a point in our life when we recognize we are a sinner, ask for forgiveness, accept that Jesus paid the penalty for our sin, and ask Jesus to be our Savior.  It is a personal decision.  No one can do it for you.

On the flip side of that, some Christians feel like their faith is a private thing.  That’s not what the Bible says.  Yes - I had to personally accept Christ as my Savior but I am not to keep that to myself.  I am supposed to tell others about my faith.

Romans 10:9 – 10 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

1 Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

I’ve been writing about living out our faith and that is important but we are also to speak about our faith to others.  Acts 1:8 says that we will receive power from the Holy Spirit to be a witness.  Matthew 28:19 tells us to go and make disciples of all nations.

Our faith was never intended to be private.  As I write this blog, its primary purpose is to take what God is teaching me and share it with others.  I am not perfect.  God is still working on me.  He is molding me into what he wants me to become.  Sometimes He has to break me down so He can build me back up in order to make me more like Christ.  It can be a painful process but a very worthwhile one.  It is like a refining fire.  God has to melt away all the impurities from my life. (1 Peter 1:7) 

The gospel changes people.  I am not who I was before I accepted Christ and I am not who I was last year.  It is a journey.  It is a process.  I need to completely submit my life to God.  That is hard because as I do, He continues to show me areas that I am still holding on to.  I am not who I want to be and I am not who I will be next year or next week.  As I continue to trust God and submit my life and my will to Him, He will change me and it will happen from the inside out.  As that happens, He wants me to praise Him and tell others of His goodness, grace, love, and mercy.

What about you?  Are you a Christian?  Have you started a journey with the Savior?  Is he refining you - burning away your alloys so you can be pure and holy?  Are you telling others what God is doing in your life?  If you’ve kept it a secret, make today the day you go and tell….