They went out and spread the news about Him throughout all that land. (Matthew 9:31)
No doubt you have heard of the US Secret Service. Do you know how it got its name? The agency is a holdover from the Civil War days, when the organization’s primary purpose was to work as “undercover” agents to track down counterfeiters. Over the years, their mission has expanded, most notably to include protecting government officials, but much of their work is still done under cover.
One of the tragic failings of the church today is that there are far too many “secret service saints,” who are serving their Savior “under cover,” so as not to let anyone know Whom they serve. It is one of the strangest paradoxes I know of: the Christian faith begins with a public profession of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ for all the world to see, but all too often it is lived out in the most clandestine way. This sort of secret service is exactly what Jesus warned against: light that has been hidden under a bushel and salt that has lost its saltiness.
But this is not for you! What we profess with our lips must be practiced with our lives in such a way that those we come in contact with know who we work for. We must never be satisfied with the profession we make by going to church on Sunday. We must make that same profession at the office, in the gym, on the college campus, and around the neighborhood. We must remember these words of our Lord: “Whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). In other words, secret service saints are not allowed!
How well are you making your Lord known to those you come in contact with? May it never be that you and I should be like the person who, after a ten-year friendship, was told, “All these years I’ve known you, and I never knew you were a Christian!”
The best way to make Jesus known is to know Him better, and the best way to know Him better is by reading His Word. When we study the Bible, the Bible studies us; and when the Bible studies us, we will never find ourselves in the “secret service” of our Savior.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 