06 Nov Are You A Secret Believer?
Can we believe in Jesus without necessarily having to make it known? Is it okay to be silent about who we are? Is it okay to live our faith without telling people about our saviour until they walk up to us and ask us about it?
Some Reasons People Keep Their Faith A Secret
- Status
Some people feel like they have attained a certain status that does not allow or make it appropriate to talk about their saviour and their faith.
- Society
Some say the society they live in will look upon them with bias or ostracize them if they talk about their faith.
- Timidity/Ignorance
For some, they feel shy or ill equipped to talk about their faith or share God’s love with anyone.
- Acceptance
Some believers want to be accepted by friends, colleagues, neighbours… they do not want to lose the people in their lives so they keep their faith secret.
Can These Reasons Stand Before Christ?
Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim good news of His salvation from day to day.
Psalm 96:2 AMP
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord or about me His prisoner, but with me take your share of suffering for the gospel [continue to preach regardless of the circumstances], in accordance with the power of God [for His power is invincible], 2 Timothy 1:7-8 AMP
Then Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you [as My representatives]. John 20:21 AMP
Blessed [morally courageous and spiritually alive with life-joy in God’s goodness] are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of [your association with] Me. Be glad and exceedingly joyful, for your reward in heaven is great [absolutely inexhaustible]; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:11-12 AMP
Nevertheless, even many of the leading men believed in Him [as Saviour and Messiah], but because of the Pharisees they would not confess it, for fear that [if they acknowledged Him openly] they would be put out of the synagogue (excommunicated); John 12:42 AMP
I say to you, whoever declares openly and confesses Me before men [speaking freely of Me as his Lord], the Son of Man also will declare openly and confess him[as one of His own] before the angels of God.
Luke 12:8 AMP
Reading the above scriptures has rid us of all excuses we might have for not wanting to go vocally public with our faith.
Are You Keeping Your Faith A Secret?
In Luke 12 above, we see that some of the “leading men” refused to acknowledge Christ openly. That suggests to me, that they kept their faith a secret…
Are you for any reason keeping your faith a secret? Are you allowing the enemy to deceive you into thinking that as long as you live a “good life”, you can share your faith only when someone comes to ask you the reason you live the way you do?
What if no one ever does? What if they don’t care? What if they are not courageous enough to ask?
I understand it if there is an organizational policy of some sort against it, but what about among your friends, neighbours, outside your workplace? Even in communist countries, believers still found a way to share the gospel, at the risk of losing their very lives.
Look for reasons to obey God instead of excuses not to. Click To Tweet
Jesus Is Coming Soon!
If you read, watch, listen to the news, or even just look around you, you will agree with me, that terribly scary things are going on all over the world. Prophecies are being fulfilled every minute and there is no time to waste. Centuries ago when Jesus walked as man on the earth, He expressed this urgency.
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 AMP
In Revelation 22:20 Apostle John wrote He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly ” Amen Come, Lord Jesus.
We Cannot Keep Quiet
Matthew 9:37-38 AMP
37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is [indeed] plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
We are part of the labourers the disciples prayed for, while we pray for others to join the workforce, we should make sure we work with God to bring in the harvest.
People are lost in darkness, confused, ignorant, afraid, and sinking deeper and deeper into the lies of the enemy. Should we keep the love of Christ that saved us a secret, should we keep the gospel and its saving power a secret and watch our families, friends, colleagues, neighbours and even our “enemies” go to hell?
No, we should allow the love and compassion of Christ in us compel us to tell others of His love. Click To Tweet
In Conclusion
Apostle John recorded that some of the “leading men” who believed kept it a secret and the reason they did this…
…for they loved the approval of men more than the approval of God. John 12:43 AMP
We can hardly receive God’s approval if we seek the approval of men. We must obey God in season and out of season. Our obedience is the proof of our love for Him, we must let His love compel us.
Are you keeping your faith a secret?
What are some other reasons why people do?
How can we deal with this?
Copyright© Ugochi Oritsejolomisan 2017
David Better
Posted at 08:07h, 22 NovemberDear Ugochi
Thank you for this post. Yes, I am secret believer, a “closet Christian”.
I think I keep it secret partly because I am ashamed of it. My wife and son are both staunch atheists, and so was I until a couple of years ago. Partly I don’t want to cause trouble — those two will worry I am ill. Partly I don’t want to make a “demand for recognition” — I am a Christian so everyone will have to behave differently now.
I think my new life is making me calmer and happier and kinder. My hope is that will make a difference to my wife and our son, and that they will notice a change in me. Then I will feel able to talk about what has changed.
Of course I worry that secret faith is not real faith. Perhaps my faith is not as strong as I think it is; perhaps I am even pretending to myself. However, I can’t see myself going about it any differently.
David
Ugochi Oritsejolomisan
Posted at 13:35h, 23 NovemberGod’s grace my brother,
I believe as you take it one day at a time, staying connected to God’s Spirit, God will use you to share His love to your family and beyond. As long as you keep growing in grace and knowledge of God and His word, a time comes when you will no longer be a “closet Christian”.
I am so blessed by your sincerity, God honours you for that and He will perfect His will in your life.
Have a super blessed day!
Keith O'Der
Posted at 15:19h, 18 NovemberGood Post! Let me first say that God has the final word on who he deems to be saved. However, I do agree with the premise of your post. How can someone, who is truly saved, stay quiet about it? Testifying of the saving grace, that has pulled you from the depths of hell, seems to me to be an automatic response to the God, who is working inside of you.
As to any reason to remain quiet, I can think of none. However, it does remind me of the 10 virgin parable.
Ugochi Oritsejolomisan
Posted at 13:38h, 23 NovemberGod has invited all to “the Banquet”, whoever wills will be allowed in.
And true, this article does have a bearing on The Parable of The ten Virgins. Thanks for sharing your thoughts sir. Do have a super blessed day!
Cheryl
Posted at 06:56h, 08 NovemberWhat a challenging, edifying post, sweet sister! It was so nice to see a post from you in our inbox. i hope all is well with you and your family. Sending much love to you across the many miles! God bless you. 🙂
Ugochi Oritsejolomisan
Posted at 15:54h, 09 NovemberYes indeed, it challenges the writer too.
Thanks Sis! So good being back after a long while.
Have a super blessed day!
Love