8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
Just as Paul preached the Good News with power regardless of the consequences, he sent his disciple Timothy to preach with the same sense of conviction. He is also sending us to be witnesses for Christ. This passage seems to continue our theme from yesterday (The way we come to know Jesus) – that of discipleship. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus’ final commission is to go forth and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. He did not just mean the apostles. According to this commission, the baptized are automatically disciples.
It’s only been a month since we celebrated Christmas. Are we still witnesses to the joy of Jesus’ birth? Are we still as welcoming of others, or kind to those we meet? Or have we allowed ourselves to go back to “normal?” If we’re not still joyful witnesses, then how can we expect others to want to share the joy of the Good News? Joy is catchy, and so is negativity. Even if we are surrounded by those who might make fun of us because we hold ourselves to a higher standard, as Paul was, we still need to by witnesses of Christ. As important as our words of faith are, our actions are more important.
I once heard a talk where the presenter commented that we are God’s “chosen” people, not God’s “frozen” people. It is so important to be the disciples that we have been called to be. We need to be loving, accepting, forgiving and just. Don’t be afraid of what others think of you, only be concerned about how well we are being Christ in the world.
Gracious God, you have called us to be your disciples in the world. Give us the graces we need to witness our faith in our actions and never be ashamed of our testimony. Amen.
