Courage In Public
one
Maybe you know that the word “martyr” means “witness,”
a. The idea is that when someone is willing to give their lives for a truth, it really witnesses to their conviction
b. But it also works the other way – the reason people were martyred in the first place is that they wouldn’t stop witnessing to the truth – even when people told them to shut up.
i. The apostles didn’t start out being murdered – the Jewish authorities began by simply demanding that they stop preaching
1. And to that, the apostles said, “You be the judge of whether it is better for us to obey God or men.”
c. Now there are a lot of people who would be much more comfortable if we would not proclaim the Church’s teachings on faith and morals
i. If we would be quiet about the fact that Jesus is the only way to Heaven; that the Catholic Church is the One, True Church; or that marriage is one man and one woman, till death do them part.
ii. So, we face the same question that the apostles and early martyrs faced: should we make other people more comfortable by staying quiet, or should we obey God by spreading the Gospel?
two
Speaking about Faith and Morals isn’t just a Divine Command – it’s a basic human need
a. We are made to know and spread and celebrate the truth with other human beings
b. The tragedy is that most people think that the two things you shouldn’t discuss are religion and politics – in other words, Faith and Morals – Our relationship with God and our relationship with each other!
i. What else matters? What else, at the end of the day, is worth talking about?
c. So some people may feel uncomfortable when you talk about religion or politics, but many people feel it as a breath of fresh air – finally, someone who’s willing to talk about what matters!
i. God wants us to spread the truth; people are looking for someone to show some conviction about what’s actually meaningful
1. So what’s holding us back?
three
What’s holding us back is fear
a. For some of us, it’s fear that if we speak unpopular truths we’ll lose or jobs or maybe (in some countries) even face legal action
b. But for most of us in America, it’s just social fear. It’s the fear of alienating people, or feeling awkward.
c. Ezekiel felt that way. At the beginning of Ezekiel, God has to tell the prophet to speak truth to the people. And God counsels Ezekiel, “Do not fear their words or the looks.”
i. You simply have to get over the fear of what others will say or how they’ll look at you. You need to speak the truth. They need you to speak the truth.
four
a. Deep down, the reason some of us don’t boldly proclaim the faith is because we’re not really sure it’s universally true.
i. We think, “Yeah, the faith works for me. But who knows, right? And different people have different things that work for them.”
b. If you feel that way – and we all do sometimes – then you’ve lost touch with Jesus, and you need to pray for greater intimacy with Him so you can remember who He is.
i. Because Jesus isn’t just your Savior – He’s everybody’s Savior.
ii. He’s not just what works for you. He’s what everyone needs – and you have no right to keep the Savior of the Whole World to yourself.
five
Correcting and Conversing
a. So when someone speaks blasphemy, or when something inappropriate comes on the television – do you have the courage to take a stand? To say, “I’m sorry, that’s not right. That’s not appropriate. That’s not true.”
i. People need to see that kind of conviction. And you owe it to Christ – if He’s going to defend you before the Court of Heaven, you’d better be willing to defend him down here.
b. And when you meet someone, do you have the courage to let them know that you are comfortable talking about religion and politics, about God and Morality?
i. People need to know there’s someone they can go to. Someone who is willing to talk. Someone with the truth.