The Bold
Confession from
"Living the Word"
Final Word -
Forward Edge 7/87
Final Word -
Forward Edge 10/87
I believe that the church is to be a "confessing church." When I think about a confessing church, I think of a group of believers who have the joy of the Lord, who talk about Him all the time and acknowledge Him in all their ways.
Many people think, "Well, I acknowledge the Lord" but they only do it in a private way. You need a public acknowledgment, where you're telling your neighbors, the people you work with and your boss, "This is what God did for me."
The Bible says the result of acknowledging the Lord is that He shall direct your steps, and make your paths straight. The more you openly confess the Lord, the clearer your pathway in the Lord becomes.
Remember, too, another result. Jesus said, "If you confess Me before men, I will confess you before my Father in heaven." I like to think of the Lord Jesus telling the Father about me!
How does someone become a confessing Christian? First, you pray. Then you meditate upon God's Word and on all of His benefits to you. You agree with David, who said in Psalm 103 , "Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits."
Many of us, in the midst of our problems, tend to concentrate on our problems. We have to learn to transfer those problems to the Lord, casting all our cares upon Him because He cares for us. This is not just something I did once at the cross, it's something I must do every day. Then I consciously take upon myself His yoke which is easy, His burden which is light, and I find rest in my soul. Then I allow my heart to overflow with gratitude because of these wonderful blessings. And I concentrate on the benefits that he has given me instead of the problems.
The more I concentrate on the benefits, the more my heart overflows with gratitude and I can hardly wait to get out and tell somebody. I just wait for someone to show up. And, inevitably, someone shows up, giving me the opportunity to openly acknowledge the Lord. And I say, "The Lord did this for me, here's what happened in my life."
If you tell a person, "Well, you better get saved, because you're going to burn in hell" that's a personal attack on them. But when you're talking about someone-God-and they see that you obviously believe in Him and He is real in your life, they begin listening. They begin thinking, "I would like that to be true, I would like to know God like that."
The more we concentrate on God's goodness to us, and our hearts are filled with gratitude, then our confession of the Lord just overflows out of us. Thankfulness is the way to remain a confessing Christian. For years witnessing was only a duty for me, but now as I concentrate on the Lord's benefits and maintain a thankful heart, it becomes a joy.
Also, I enjoy the thought of Jesus confessing my name before the Father: "Here's my servant, Jim, again, Father. He's talking about you, and he's talking about me, and he's confessing us... angels come over here and listen." I believe that is what He is doing.