We cannot but speak

“For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." - Acts 4v20

We have been watching a video series on Sunday nights. It is produced by Voice of the Martyrs and tells the story of eight teens taking a mission trip to Vietnam. Their task was to carry in Bibles for the believers there. While in Vietnam they had the opportunity to visit Christians in several settings. In last night’s video they visited an underground Bible college. One of the pastors lived there, literally underground. He spoke of the dangers of speaking of Jesus. He had been arrested and beaten. His possessions had been confiscate. Yet still he carried on teaching, preaching, and training. He even tried to get the authorities to sign a paper that he would not be responsible if God struck them dead for interfering with the church. Nothing could deter him from speaking of Jesus.

This pastor is the living embodiment of a modern day Peter and John. The authorities had to let them go for lack of evidence and lack of a real crime. They harshly warned them to stop preaching and teaching. Peter and John refused to be cowed. Why? Because they could do nothing but continue to speak of what they had seen and heard. This was the same Peter who had denied Jesus! “Do what you need to do,” they said, “but we can’t stop talking about Jesus.”

Ouch! My heart is smitten by these examples. What makes us so afraid to speak of Jesus that we fail to do so? Fear of rejection? Being laughed at? Being mocked for being “Bible basher”? What is this compared to being beaten and imprisoned? What is this compared to endangering my family for the sake of the gospel? Shame on us for our fear. Maybe it is not us, maybe I need to personalise it even more – shame on ME for my fear.