BEING MOCKED

 

Being Mocked

³² And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” ³³ So Paul departed from among them. ³⁴ However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. (Acts 17:32-34 NKJV®)

   This snippet is from the book of Acts when Paul was in Athens. He was engaging a crowd in the marketplace where ideas were debated. You will notice that attitudes have not changed since the first century. When I had expressed my faith only being through the blood of Jesus Christ, I have been mocked. But there have been times when I have encountered someone wanting to hear more about Jesus.

    I married the girl next-door. I went into the marriage thinking I knew my new Bride’s family. Surprise, I did not know her family as well as I thought. Her family claimed to be Roman Catholic but none of the children had even taken First Communion. They celebrated mass on TV but had no connection to a local church. When I witnessed my faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, some of my new brothers-in-law mocked me and called me a Jesus Freak. My mother-in-law told me she hated me because I was taking her daughter away from her and the Catholic church.

    Not changing my witness, things began to change. Gradually, a couple of them wanted to hear more of this Jesus. I was asked what the Bible taught. After 40+ years of staying true to my faith, my in-laws stopped mocking me and Jesus. The good news, some of my in-laws became members of Bible teaching churches. A couple of my in-laws requested my saying the last words at their funerals. I still had a brother-in-law that was calling be a Jesus Freak until his death. We both thought of it as a complement 

    This month Ash Wednesday will be celebrated, starting of a season when people will hear of the Resurrection. Are you ready to willingly give testimony about what Easter really is about. I pray your testimony is not just for a season but lifelong and life giving.

                              Wess Mechler –P.H.D.   Jesus is Alive!!!

 NKJV®- The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.