Get uncomfortable with the Gospel

“When therefore they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter; Simon, son of John, lovest thou me more than these?  He saith to him: Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.  He saith to him: Feed my lambs.

He saith to him again; Simon, son of John, lovest thou me?  He saith to him: Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee: He saith to him: Feed my lambs.

He saith to him the third time: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me?  And he said to him: Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee.  He said to him: Feed my sheep.

Amen, amen I say to thee, when thou wast young, thou didst gird thyself, and didst walk where thou wouldst.  But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee, and lead thee thither thou wouldst not.

And this he said, signifying by what death he should glorify God.  And when he had said this, he saith to him: Follow me”. (John 21:15-19, Douay Rheims Version)

When Jesus tells Peter, not only is he going to die, but how he’s going to die.  How do you think Peter felt?  Was he scared?  Wouldn’t you be? 

There’s something really uneasy about preaching the gospel. 

There are people around the world that risk death just from professing belief that Jesus is Lord. 

It’s really easy for us in our western, religiously pluralistic society to forget that many other countries don’t have the same freedoms as we do (I have documented Russian persecution of Catholics, here, Truth matters).

Now, that’s not to say there aren’t abuses of those freedoms. 

But, how many of us, either go to church, Sunday after Sunday, but seem scared to preach the gospel or worse yet, don’t go to church at all? 

Do you wear the name “Christian” with a smug sense of pride?

Or do we wear it with a sense of humility, and proclaim the gospel, forcefully, but with that same humility?

It is human nature to avoid discomfort. 

But we are called to preach that which is supernatural.

Peter could have very well chosen not to follow Jesus anymore. 

After all, Peter did deny Jesus three times (John 18:15-18)

Jesus, instead, put him in charge of his Church.

So, you may be thinking, “Oh cool, he gets to be the one that can make all the decisions”. 

See though, that made him a huge target. 

Although it was intermittent, it’s fair to say that for the first 300 years of its existence, Christianity was a persecuted religion. 

So these are my words to you: Get uncomfortable with the gospel.

You will suffer.  You will lose friends, maybe your job, even your life.

But you belong to a higher calling.

If you like this content, try reading my previous article, here; Did Jesus ever have insomnia?

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