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Passion 2012 (#6 - Fearless and Unashamed)

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."
Ephesians 6:19-20

#6. Fearless and Unashamed

Two words that absolutely haunted me at Passion 2012 were fearless and unashamed. I think they resonated so personally with me because they are something I had already been fighting with before I went to Passion. But isn't that silly? How can someone who clearly knows and undoubtedly believes what Jesus Christ has done for us be ashamed or scared to share that news? What is it about our culture that makes us afraid to care enough about people to introduce them to the one person who can save them?

For me, I realized that when I am ashamed and scared, I'm making everything about me. What will people think about me? What if I say something wrong or stupid? What if they don't want to be my friend anymore? Look at those pronouns...me, I, my. What's wrong with that picture? I'm slowly learning to battle those thoughts. Instead of shamefully and fearfully standing on the sidelines, I'm remembering that it's all about Jesus. I'm believing in the reality that an eternity separated from God in hell is not something to be gambled with. Instead of questions, I have reminders that I repeat to myself:

  • Stop worrying about what the world thinks of you. Worry about what God thinks of you.
  • You have been equipped.
  • Someone introduced you to Jesus. Imagine where you would be if that person had been more concerned about your friendship than your eternity.

At some point you are going to have to step out in faith to follow Jesus where He wants you to go. It seems like a scary place, but the beauty is that you don't need to fear what He has already defeated. Christine Caine preached that to us at Passion, and what a revitalizing reminder it was. Louie Giglio said, "you can minimize your fears by maximizing your view of Jesus." In fact, the only thing to fear in this world is death, and Jesus already conquered that for us! Live in that freedom!

Don't get me wrong, now. Living a fearless and unashamed life is going to take work. You are in the middle of a constant battle, and you will have to fight. You must believe in the importance of prayer and then live your life prayerfully. You must also understand that the Word of God is your weapon, and the Lord will use it to equip you if you are consistently in it. You have to be plugged in to a community of believers who can hold you accountable and ask you the hard questions. Hebrews 3:13 says, "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called "Today," so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." You are going to be constantly lied to by the enemy. Having people who can help remind you of the truth is a crucial component of living a life fearless and unashamed.

For me, I decided that I wanted to make an even more outward declaration of living a fearless and unashamed life. I wanted to make sure that there is no way I could ever deny my faith or be scared to talk to someone about Jesus. I wanted to force opportunity to share the gospel upon myself. So, despite the fact that I literally ran away from home when my mom got a tattoo when I was younger (haha), I decided that a permanent reminder to myself and those around me was the way to go. Just before Christmas I got my first ever tattoo. It's on my left wrist, and it says "love, sacrifice, serve" over a cross. It's the story of Jesus (God loved us so much that He sent His son Jesus to serve us on earth, and through that service He sacrificed His life for our sins), and it's what the story of the life of every Christian should be. We should be living our lives to love God and love others, serve God and serve others, and sacrifice for God and sacrifice for others. Now, I'm not suggesting that every person run out and get a tattoo, but for me it was the right thing to do. I'm already planning my second. It's going to be the exact same thing on my right wrist, except the words will be "surrendered, fearless, unashamed." I can't wait to get it! Here is my first:



Anyway, the point of this blog today is to just remind you of who you are in Christ. You are equipped, and you live in the freedom of a fearless and unashamed life. I encourage you to read through 2 Timothy and Titus. These two books never fail to remind me of the access, opportunity, and freedom we have to share Jesus with the world. They are an encouragement and a challenge to me to basically man up and be Jesus to the world. I want to be a person who is never ashamed, and I hope that is what you want as well.

You don't need to wait to fully participate in the plans and purposes of God. They are right now. Whatever you are doing, do it for the Lord. Don't wait for the "perfect time." It will never come. Just know, as Christine Caine puts it, that light works most effectively in the dark. Be the light in the dark wherever you are. Live fearlessly and unashamedly proclaim the gospel.

I'll leave you with two core values of the 268 Generation. These are two things I pray for my life every day, and I hope you will pray them as well.


Have a desire to see Christ celebrated where I live.
Have a willingness to shine the gospel to all people.

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