You’ve probably heard the horrific news of yet another school shooting – this time on a Community College campus in Oregon. Our kids saw the news and of course this brought up questions. From news reports I’ve read, the gunman asked people if they were a Christian and if they said yes he shot them in the head. If they said they weren’t a Christian he shot them in the leg or somewhere else allowing them to live.
We prayed for these victims’ families and asked God to pour out his peace and comfort over them.
Then Sophie asked the question we’ve all wondered at one time or another, “Mom, would it be a sin to lie in a situation like that? To know in your heart you really are a Christian but to just say you’re not so that you can live?”
If you scroll through Facebook you’ll see people amen-ing the people who stood up and said they were a Christian and how they would do the same thing. The confidence and certainty is really quite intriguing to me. Sort of reminds me of Peter in his utter confidence that he would never deny Jesus – let alone three times. And that’s without a gun to his head. And one of the times was a little girl asking him if he knew Jesus.
What would I do in a situation like that? I can’t answer that. Nobody can answer that. I pray that my faith in God would not waiver but I honestly can’t say for certain it wouldn’t. My heart desire is to proclaim my love for Jesus and my commitment to Him wherever I am – even facing death square in the eyes. And if I did do that it would only be because of the strength of Jesus Christ.
So what’s the answer to Sophie’s question?
We started by looking at Matthew 10:32-33
32 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
“It is a dangerous thing for any to deny and disown Christ before men; for they who so do will be disowned by him in the great day, when they have most need of him: he will not own them for his servants who would not own him for their master: I tell you, I know you not, Matt. 7:23. In the first ages of Christianity, when for a man to confess Christ was to venture all that was dear to him in this world, it was more a trial of sincerity, than it was afterwards, when it had secular advantages attending it.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary
“Note, It is very encouraging to think, that whatever we leave, or lose, or suffer for Christ, we do not make a hard bargain for ourselves. Whatever we part with for this pearl of price, we may comfort ourselves with this persuasion, that it is well worth what we give for it. The terms are, that we must prefer Christ.” Matthew Henry
I read these verses and MH’s commentary and told the kids they needed to think about these things. Pray and ask God to show them His thoughts on this question. They should also talk to the godly leaders God has put in their lives in addition to me and Randy – but the bottom line is what God’s Word says about this subject. That is our guide.
I don’t want to scare my kids by any means but I believe that their kids (if not they themselves) could face potential persecution in ways we never have. We need to be talking about these things. In addition to drills and conversations of the practical – like hide under your teacher’s desk, get out of sight, don’t panic or scream, etc. we need to address the spiritual and difficult issues at hand.
So yeah, it’s a heavy conversation but I believe it’s worth it. It makes one think of their own faith and true identity in Christ. I pray with all my heart I would stand up for Christ and say aloud in the face of death, “Yes, I know Him and He is worth dying for.” because it’s what I truly believe in my heart.
Let’s be praying for the victim’s families in Oregon and the victims that are recovering. They need to feel the love of Jesus. And what’s beautiful to me? Is that Jesus appeared to Peter first after he rose from the dead. Yes, Peter the disciple he loved so very much even after denying Jesus three times. That’s who he went to first. Grace and mercy when we least deserve it. Oh I love him.
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