JOTS FROM OLD JAKE
LETTER TO A DEAR FRIEND and ANSWER
Saturday, Mar. 28, 2009 - 2:10 p.m.
Dear Brother
Thank you very much for the valuable counsel you gave when I met you recently. Because you emphasized time and again that I must be a bold witness for the Lord Jesus in the College, I started to speak to my roommates and hostel mates, telling them how the Lord saved me. I tried to obey what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that a candle must not be put under a bushel but kept on the candlestick. But the reaction is only mockery. They call me a fanatic. When I enter the dining hall, I can hear their scornful remarks and nicknames. I am very depressed.
What shall I do?
Please write.
Your brother, Vijayan
My dear Vijayan,
Thank you for your letter.
I understand your problem, but remember mockery is just a mosquito bite in the Christian life. You should not mind it at all.
Jesus Himself has said that those who follow Him are always a minority. You are certainly going to be a laughing stock to the majority which goes after the pleasures of this world. The Bible abounds with examples of this.
Christ was laughed to scorn. Read Matthew 27:29, 39-43.
Paul, a renowned preacher, writes, �We are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men� (1 Cor 4:9).
So Vijayan, don�t think your experience is unusual. It is the norm. But the most important thing is your reaction to their mockery. This is what you should do�
Rejoice and praise the God when mocked. �For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake� (Phil 1:29; Acts 5:41).
See that you don�t turn bitter against those who scorn. Keep smiling. Love them and pray that God may bless them (Mt 5:11,12,44; Lk 23:34).
Let mockery boost your enthusiasm, not dampen it. You know the path you have chosen is the right one. When Noah of old was making his ark to be saved from the deluge, you think he was not mocked at? But he was undeterred.
Finally, I want to tell you something interesting. Generally those who ridicule most, repent first! Don�t give up!
Praying for you,
Your brother & sister
Pastor T. Benjamin & Hepzi Benjamin, India.
May you be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit!
