Hiding

As we continue a two week campaign across Italy we have just completed a couple of days in Rome, what history that capital has. Every time you turn your head or walk another corner there is another building, another artifact, another story.

It was quite moving to see the site where the great apostle Paul would have been jailed prior to his execution, to think that man through God’s Spirit working so powerfully stood firm and didn’t stop preaching the gospel till this world took his life. Him, and many others, meant we could stand there and gaze at Rome with a transformed and renewed heart because that gospel message they died for eventually reached us, reached me, reached you? As we continue a two week campaign across Italy we have just completed a couple of days in Rome, what history that capital has. Every time you turn your head or walk another corner there is another building, another artifact, another story.

It was quite moving to see the site where the great apostle Paul would have been jailed prior to his execution, to think that man through God’s Spirit working so powerfully stood firm and didn’t stop preaching the gospel till this world took his life. Him, and many others, meant we could stand there and gaze at Rome with a transformed and renewed heart because that gospel message they died for eventually reached us, reached me, reached you?

We were also taken to some caves where Christians hid out during the early days due to heavy persecution, the true meaning of the word underground church. Living in tiny rooms and venturing out to preach the gospel to a world that didn’t want to hear the message. It was an inspiring place to visit. As I glance forward to the church in the west today I think we are similar in some ways, we are hidden but perhaps for differing reasons. Hidden due to fear of shame, or fear of a snub, fear of an end of friendship, fear of isolation at work, fear of being laughed at, fear of not knowing what to say. The only difference I spot is we don’t have a fear of death through our proclaiming Jesus, I wonder do we need that again? Do we need the urgency? As I thought about those people hiding in the cave, I thought about their conversations, their lingered goodbyes when one or other left the cave, the long look in the eye that this might be the last time they would see them. I thought about the emotions this would create, the love and bond that would be between the believers, dare I say it the excitement and passion. I thought in some ways maybe we have it harder, we have a silent enemy, an enemy that is not obvious, the cultural undertone of not speaking on the train or in the office. Then I thought no I don’t want to be mauled by lions, executed upside down, dragged to death that would be far more uncomfortable!

I want to gaze at them and thank them, I want to allow them to inspire me not make me feel inadequate, to remember next time I share Jesus with someone I don’t need to face the likelihood of death, maybe a snub but that’s really not that bad is it and isn’t Jesus so worth it? Lets give him the last word…

Mark 4:21-23
He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”