No Shame Any Time

“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mr 8:38 AV)

Being ashamed of Christ in a righteous generation is not an issue.  When surrounded by wickedness, we tend to struggle with declaring our faith.  But it is in this type of generation that the contrast must be sharper.  It is precisely in these times that we cannot be ashamed because it is in these times the world must see Christ and His words.

Something that struck me while living in the Bible belt was how common place one’s faith became.  There was a down side to that, by the way.  Too many claimed to be a Christian but were so in word and tradition only.  There was no separation.  There was little holiness.  The distinction between the lost and saved became blurred.  I digress.  The positive of living in the Bible belt was how common it was to see people bow their heads and pray.  Whether over a meal at a restaurant, at the opening of a public meeting, or at a religious service.  It really didn’t matter.  Prayer is common.  It wasn’t hard to be religious in the Bible belt.  It was more difficult being separated because the religious crowd didn’t take it well.  But it wasn’t hard being labeled as a Christian.

Now, the LORD has us serving in a culture that is definitely antagonistic towards the name of Christ.  What is interesting is that lack of shame can become a lifestyle.  It can become habitual.  When living in the Bible belt, one was not self-conscience about one’s faith.  It was who we were.  The same is true here.  But it took years of living as a believer without thinking about it to make it a pattern of life.  Once one accepts what he is – born again – then there is no shame associated with it.  There is no need to be ashamed of Christ.  What does it matter what the haters think?  Christ created all!  I really don’t think He cares at all.  So, why should we?