Confessing Jesus as Lord

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him I will confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But, whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."

Matthew 10:32-33

Jesus came to establish a relationship with those whom would be his followers. Becoming identified as a follower of Jesus is not without risks. In the early church, believers were persecuted for their faith for confessing that "Jesus is Lord". While today the church in America is not physically persecuted for professing faith in Jesus; it is becoming increasingly unpopular in a population that prides itself on multiculturalism to stand for one's faith in Jesus as the Messiah of the Bible. The consequences are huge. One cannot live in this world and deny one's faith in Jesus without eternal repercussions. How we live makes a difference. A Christian's light is supposed to shine before all mankind.

What believers discover is that once one has confessed faith in Jesus as the son of God and been born again by water and spirit, God places a believer in a group of fellow believers called a church. A church is not a building or an institution. The church is the incarnation of the body of Christ made up of sinful, broken people who being re-made in the image of their Lord and savior Jesus. Psalm 133 describes the blessings of being unified with believers this way:

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard...."

Yet, Jesus himself warned that he did not come to the earth to bring peace. He foretold that faith in him would divide even families (Matt. 10:34-36). Followers of Jesus seek unity and speak in humility and love. While we are to be peaceable and gentle in wisdom (1 Peter 3:15; James 3: 17-18), we can never turn our back on the one who died for us by denying Him.