Bible Text: 2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 4:3\u20137 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Bern\u00adhard Hohl | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | Why is it so dif\u00adfi\u00adcult for us to talk about Jesus and our faith in a secu\u00adlar envi\u00adron\u00adment? What is the best way to do this? What could help me? Not a lec\u00adtu\u00adre, but a moti\u00adva\u00adtio\u00adnal injection!<\/p>\n
\tReco\u00adgni\u00adti\u00adon comes befo\u00adre con\u00adfes\u00adsi\u00adon! Befo\u00adre you can shi\u00adne, it must first beco\u00adme clear to you. Make an effort to under\u00adstand Jesus and his words, that you have them in you! When Jesus asked the disci\u00adples who they thought he was, Peter ans\u00adwe\u00adred: \u00abYou are the Mes\u00adsiah, the Son of the living God! Speak only of what you have understood. \tThe icing on the cake comes at the end: In the Let\u00adter to the Hebrews we read: \u00abSo Jesus and all tho\u00adse he sanc\u00adti\u00adfies have the same Father. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre Jesus is not asha\u00admed to call them his brot\u00adhers\u00bb (Hebrews 2:11 NL<\/span>). And also in Hebrews, a few chap\u00adters later: \u00abBut they were loo\u00adking for a bet\u00adter place, a home in hea\u00adven. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre God is not asha\u00admed to be cal\u00adled their God, for he has built them a city in hea\u00adven\u00bb (Hebrews 11:16 ). Jesus is not asha\u00admed to call us his brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters! The hea\u00adven\u00adly Father is also not asha\u00admed when we say to Him \u00abYou are my Father\u00bb!<\/p>\n Amen! \tMatthew 10:32\u201333 speaks of Jesus, who also does not con\u00adfess to us \u00abbefo\u00adre the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father\u00bb if\u2026 On the other hand, Luke 12:8\u20139 says \u00abbefo\u00adre the angels\u00bb \u2013 a contradiction? Bible Text: 2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 4:3\u20137 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Bern\u00adhard Hohl | Series: Wel\u00adco\u00adme Home | Why is it so dif\u00adfi\u00adcult for us to talk about Jesus and our faith in a secu\u00adlar envi\u00adron\u00adment? What is the best way to do this? What could help me? Not a lec\u00adtu\u00adre, but a moti\u00adva\u00adtio\u00adnal injec\u00adtion! \u00abBut he who is asha\u00admed of me and of my words.\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[35],"wpfc_sermon_series":[53],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-bernhard-hohl","wpfc_sermon_series-willkommen-daheim","wpfc-sermon-single","post-2432","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\n\u00abBut whos\u00adoe\u00adver shall be asha\u00admed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be asha\u00admed also, when he come\u00adth in his glo\u00adry, and of the Father, and of the holy angels\u00bb (Luke 9:26 Lu).
\nWhen our late\u00adco\u00admer Ben\u00adja\u00admin had to go to the den\u00adtist at the age of 12, he said: \u00abMum, you have to come with me, but you\u2019\u00adre going on a bus ahead of me\u00bb. He was asha\u00admed to tra\u00advel on the same bus with his mother, who was just over 50 years old; it could be that a school col\u00adle\u00adague was tra\u00advel\u00adling on the same bus. When mum coun\u00adte\u00adred, \u00abThen you can go on your own!\u00bb, he gave in, trot\u00adted to the bus stop at a safe distance behind my wife, tra\u00advel\u00adled on the same bus as her, but sat a few rows behind his mum! Of cour\u00adse, the\u00adre were par\u00adents\u00bb evenings at school. Befo\u00adre one such event, our son said, \u00abI\u2019m going to this mee\u00adting alo\u00adne, the tea\u00adcher said both par\u00adents don\u2019t real\u00adly need to come.\u00bb We went any\u00adway! It is not easy when child\u00adren do not stand by their par\u00adents! It is not easy when child\u00adren do not stand by their brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters if, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, one is slight\u00adly or sever\u00adely dis\u00adab\u00adled. It is also not easy when child\u00adren of God do not stand by their brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters! And what is it like for our hea\u00adven\u00adly Father if we can\u00adnot con\u00adfess Him ever\u00ady\u00adwhe\u00adre and shirk from it? When you go to the ser\u00advice, to the glow or to the house group, to a pray\u00ader evening \u2013 do you speak plain\u00adly in front of others, or do you just have \u00absome\u00adthing going on\u00bb or \u00abare occu\u00adp\u00adied\u00bb in front of your col\u00adle\u00adagues? I have some\u00adti\u00admes found mys\u00adelf reac\u00adting like that! \ud83d\ude0a
\nAno\u00adther exam\u00adp\u00adle whe\u00adre I don\u2019t look good at all: In spring, we visi\u00adted the exhi\u00adbi\u00adti\u00adon \u00abFake. The who\u00adle truth\u00bb. A lady intro\u00addu\u00adced us to the topic at the begin\u00adning. She began with the ques\u00adti\u00adon \u00abWhat is truth?\u00bb and invi\u00adted us to express our opi\u00adni\u00adons. I imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly thought of Jesus, who said of hims\u00adelf \u00abI am the truth\u00bb but I could not mus\u00adter the mouth and cou\u00adra\u00adge to point to Jesus. \u00abShame on you, Ber\u00adni!\u00bb How asha\u00admed and annoy\u00aded I was after\u00adwards! I guess we have all been annoy\u00aded by a lame ton\u00adgue when we have missed say\u00ading some\u00adthing about Jesus in a per\u00adfect, almost uni\u00adque situa\u00adti\u00adon. Actual\u00adly, this is a very serious mat\u00adter when Jesus also says in the Gos\u00adpel of Matthew: \u00abWhos\u00adoe\u00adver the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre shall con\u00adfess me befo\u00adre men, him will I con\u00adfess also befo\u00adre my Father which is in hea\u00adven. But whos\u00adoe\u00adver shall deny me befo\u00adre men, him will I also deny befo\u00adre my Father which is in hea\u00adven\u00bb (Matthew 10:32\u201333 Lu). I want to ask a first ques\u00adti\u00adon on the basis of this and simi\u00adlar Bible texts:
\nWhy is it so dif\u00adfi\u00adcult for us to talk about Jesus and our faith in him in a secu\u00adlar environment?
\nThe phi\u00adlo\u00adso\u00adpher Charles Tay\u00adlor asks in his book \u00abA Secu\u00adlar Age\u00bb: \u00abWhy was it vir\u00adtual\u00adly impos\u00adsi\u00adble in our Wes\u00adtern socie\u00adty, for exam\u00adp\u00adle, not to belie\u00adve in God in the 1500s, while in the 2000s it seems not only easy but down\u00adright ine\u00advi\u00adta\u00adble to many?\u00bb Our socie\u00adty has beco\u00adme more and more secu\u00adlar in the last cen\u00adtu\u00adries, espe\u00adci\u00adal\u00adly in the 1st and 2nd world. Today, God and faith have less and less influence, or one can even say \u00abdis\u00adrup\u00adti\u00adve influence\u00bb, in all are\u00adas of our lives. The\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre, we are not sur\u00adpri\u00adsed that we are facing an unpre\u00adce\u00adden\u00adted per\u00adse\u00adcu\u00adti\u00adon of Chris\u00adti\u00adans world\u00adwi\u00adde. For\u00adt\u00adu\u00adna\u00adte\u00adly, it is not yet for\u00adbidden in our coun\u00adtry to belie\u00adve in God and His Word, but it is beco\u00adming incre\u00adasing\u00adly dif\u00adfi\u00adcult. Alt\u00adhough today rela\u00adtively many peo\u00adp\u00adle still belie\u00adve tra\u00addi\u00adtio\u00adnal\u00adly and attend churches of some kind, a per\u00adso\u00adnal rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God is ali\u00aden to many. Gene\u00adral secu\u00adla\u00adri\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon has diluted old beliefs. Tay\u00adlor says in his book that modern secu\u00adla\u00adrism is trap\u00adped in a sche\u00adme of thought that makes ever\u00ady\u00adthing super\u00adna\u00adtu\u00adral sub\u00adject to a tran\u00ads\u00adcen\u00addent world of one\u2019s own per\u00adcep\u00adti\u00adon. Accor\u00adding to the mot\u00adto: \u00abI mys\u00adelf deter\u00admi\u00adne who I am and who I will be one day. I deci\u00adde for mys\u00adelf what makes sen\u00adse and what does not. I also don\u2019t need to ask any aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adties out\u00adside of me how I should live\u00bb. But: Should someone in pri\u00adson still have an open door for God, then this God must first and fore\u00admost be the\u00adre to do good and pre\u00advent bad. God is never an issue, but after every natu\u00adral dis\u00adas\u00adter, after every ter\u00adro\u00adrist attack, peo\u00adp\u00adle ask: \u00abWhy did God allow this? Whe\u00adre was God? If the\u00adre were a God, he should be useful for us humans!\u00bb And now we Chris\u00adti\u00adans come, talk about sin and guilt, well sto\u00adcked with Bible pas\u00adsa\u00adges\u2026 rave about our Saviour and Rede\u00ademer, who offers us new life in his grace\u2026 But is it even pos\u00adsi\u00adble to talk to peo\u00adp\u00adle today about the Bible, God and Jesus? We say \u00abyes\u00bb with con\u00advic\u00adtion, the only ques\u00adti\u00adon is:
\nWhat is the best way to do that?
\nOur pre\u00adsent cir\u00adcum\u00ads\u00adtances are well descri\u00adbed by Paul in 2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans: \u00abIf the good news we preach appears to someone as if behind a veil, it only shows that he is lost. Satan, the god of this world, has so blin\u00added the minds of unbe\u00adlie\u00advers that they can\u00adnot per\u00adcei\u00adve the glo\u00adrious light of the mes\u00adsa\u00adge. Thus our mes\u00adsa\u00adge about the glo\u00adry of Christ, who is the image of God, remains incom\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble to them\u00bb (2 Cor 4:3\u20134 NL<\/span>). This is the rea\u00adli\u00adty and it hurts us Chris\u00adti\u00adans: If you want to stand up for Jesus, then the word \u00abstand up for Jesus\u00bb can be repla\u00adced with suf\u00adfer, endu\u00adre or endu\u00adre for Jesus. We are curr\u00adent\u00adly expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adcing this becau\u00adse our beha\u00adviour as Chris\u00adti\u00adans is repre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble accor\u00adding to the \u00abmoral stan\u00addards\u00bb of our oppon\u00adents: e.g. when we stand up against abor\u00adti\u00adon; when we want to reser\u00adve the term mar\u00adria\u00adge for the rela\u00adti\u00adonship bet\u00adween a man and a woman; or are against same-sex cou\u00adples being able to adopt child\u00adren. We come off bad\u00adly the\u00adre! But that does not chan\u00adge the fact that we are what Jesus made us, name\u00adly salt of the earth and light in this world! We are nee\u00added! If it weren\u2019t for us; if it weren\u2019t for all of you with your faith and hope, then it would be \u00absad as hell\u00bb in the truest sen\u00adse of the word in this world!
\nWe are and remain the bel\u00adoved child\u00adren of our hea\u00adven\u00adly Father. Jesus dwells in our hearts through the Holy Spi\u00adrit. In him we have the hope of a uni\u00adque future after our pas\u00adsing. Not\u00adhing can des\u00adtroy our firm pil\u00adlars of Chris\u00adti\u00adan faith in the cur\u00adrent level 5 anti-Chris\u00adti\u00adan hur\u00adri\u00adca\u00adne! It would not be the first storm that Jesus would have cal\u00admed! That is in his power! Paul said in Corin\u00adthi\u00adans: \u00ab\u2026 ever\u00adyo\u00adne can see that our power comes enti\u00adre\u00adly from God and is not our own\u00bb. So it is also for us as salt and light. It is the Lord who makes you light and salt. It is dif\u00adfi\u00adcult for a city that is on a moun\u00adtain to remain hid\u00adden. And Jesus, who has kind\u00adled the light in you, does not put you under a ves\u00adsel eit\u00adher, no, you are a stand lamp for Jesus \u2013 or a stand lamp! Not a dumb-dumb spark\u00adle! Basi\u00adcal\u00adly, we need to keep in mind: We don\u2019t have to defend or jus\u00adti\u00adfy our\u00adsel\u00adves or God. He does that hims\u00adelf. You can\u2019t con\u00advert anyo\u00adne eit\u00adher, that has to be done by the Holy Spi\u00adrit on behalf of the sove\u00adreign God. The Lord says: \u00abI am mer\u00adciful to whom I am mer\u00adciful, and on whom I have mer\u00adcy I have mer\u00adcy\u00bb (Exodus 33:19).
\nThe inter\u00adac\u00adtion of us humans on the one hand in our search for God, and on the other hand, God\u2019s gra\u00adcious respon\u00adsi\u00adve\u00adness \u2013 is a gre\u00adat mys\u00adtery. Why were you, of all peo\u00adp\u00adle, allo\u00adwed to under\u00adstand Jesus and what he did for you? It is a mys\u00adtery! This was also expres\u00adsed so well in the tes\u00adti\u00admo\u00adnies of the bap\u00adti\u00adsed at the last one! But the\u00adre were always faithful peo\u00adp\u00adle invol\u00adved who testi\u00adfied to their faith and lived it authen\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly. Pati\u00adent\u00adly and lovin\u00adg\u00adly they accom\u00adpa\u00adnied their see\u00adking fri\u00adends! \u00abWhos\u00adoe\u00adver the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre shall con\u00adfess me befo\u00adre men, him will I con\u00adfess also befo\u00adre my Father which is in hea\u00adven\u2026\u00bb On the term \u00abcon\u00adfess\u00bb. What is in this word? The Greek word \u00abhomo\u00adlo\u00adgeo\u00bb con\u00adta\u00adins two words that we actual\u00adly alre\u00ada\u00addy know. \u00abHomo\u00bb means \u00abequal\u00bb. And in the word logeo, the\u00adre is \u00ablogos\u00bb, the word. A Mr Baa\u00adder, who took the trou\u00adble to trans\u00adla\u00adte the Codex Sinai\u00adti\u00adcus, crea\u00adted the Ger\u00adman verb \u00abgleich\u00adwor\u00adten\u00bb = to speak ali\u00adke, from this Greek hand\u00adle. The words we speak about Jesus and faith should cor\u00adre\u00adspond to the words you have recei\u00adved in you from him and also to the words you have recei\u00adved from the Bible, the Word of God. If Jesus is the way, the truth and the life for you, your spea\u00adking about Jesus cor\u00adre\u00adsponds to this truth, even if you need other words. Final\u00adly, the ques\u00adti\u00adon: What is the best way to con\u00adfess Jesus in front of others?
\n <\/p>\n
\n\tJust talk per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly about what you have unders\u00adtood about Jesus and what you have per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced with him. Then you are almost gua\u00adran\u00adteed open ears. But if you want to give your coun\u00adter\u00adpart reli\u00adgious ins\u00adtruc\u00adtion or a ser\u00admon, the con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adon will usual\u00adly end soo\u00adner than you would like.
\n\tYou are always in your assi\u00adgned place, salt and light for Jesus. No mat\u00adter whe\u00adther you are intro\u00adver\u00adted or extro\u00adver\u00adted, whe\u00adther your heart is in your mouth or in your fin\u00adger\u00adtips \u2013 you are always you, even as a new crea\u00adti\u00adon \u2013 and it is always Jesus who pulls the trig\u00adger! The more you are hap\u00adpy to belong to God, the more you radia\u00adte this joy.
\n\tAnd never for\u00adget: If you are a Chris\u00adti\u00adan, then you have expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced the most important and the best that a human being can ever expe\u00adri\u00adence! Then others may think that you look stu\u00adpid now, but they are wrong!
\n\tI know it is dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to live as a Chris\u00adti\u00adan in such a secu\u00adlar and ungod\u00adly envi\u00adron\u00adment. But we have each other! We can encou\u00adra\u00adge and lift each other up! That\u2019s good and we need that! We need the wel\u00adco\u00adme home!<\/p>\n
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups<\/p>\n
\n\tTell each other about your \u00abcon\u00adfes\u00adsi\u00adon experiences\u00bb!
\n\tHow can we pre\u00advent the zeit\u00adgeist from muz\u00adzling us?
\n\tHow can the fact that we as Chris\u00adti\u00adans have not\u00adhing to be asha\u00admed of in the secu\u00adlar world help us prac\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly to stand up for our faith?
\n\tIf Jesus and the hea\u00adven\u00adly Father are not asha\u00admed of us fla\u00adwed Chris\u00adti\u00adans \u2013 in which case will He not con\u00adfess to us after all?
\n\tWhat good is it to this god\u00adless world if we are light and salt in spi\u00adte of ever\u00ady\u00adthing; spre\u00ada\u00adding a good smell for Jesus; being a let\u00adter that others can read, etc.?
\n\tDo you have brot\u00adhers and sis\u00adters who pray for your tes\u00adtim\u00ado\u00adny and vice versa?
\n\tCan you come out wit\u00adhout shame that you belong to see\u00adtal chi\u00adle? And also to all the peo\u00adp\u00adle who also come and go here?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"