“Can you censor out the name ‘Jesus’ from your poems?”
This was a real question posed to me by an event manager; it was the condition I had to fulfill in order to be able to say my poetry at their event. To censor something means to ‘suppress unacceptable parts of a thing’. We often have movies, games or images where inappropriate things such as swearing or nudity have been censored. In this case the event manager was comparing those obscenities to the name of Jesus. It was as offensive. I suppose as this event wasn’t a Christian event, I shouldn’t have been surprised. But then I had a choice to make: was I going to alter my poetry in order to please this event manager and the audience, or was I going to keep Jesus’ name in my poetry unashamedly?
I really struggled with this choice and I actually spent most of that day altering my poetry to see if it will work, until I finally woke up! Was I trying to please God or man? Was I ashamed of Jesus? I had to turn down this event and I kept my poetry with Jesus’ name.
Now you may be reading this and you might not be an artist or be invited to perform at different events. However, you may currently work or study and find yourself keeping quiet about your faith in Jesus. Unfortunately it is more acceptable to talk about a ‘god’ or ‘the man upstairs’ or ‘a higher being’, rather than to mention Jesus’ name. However, this is nothing new. Not only Jesus’ name, but His gospel brings offense.
Paul was a preacher of the gospel and was often beaten and mistreated for his beliefs in Jesus, and yet despite many wanting him to be quiet, he boldly said he was unashamed:
‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.’- Romans 1:16, NKJV
Now although the gospel of Jesus is the power of God unto salvation, unfortunately it brings much offense. It says in the Bible that to those who are perishing, Christians are to them the ‘aroma of death’ (see 2 Corinthians 2:16).
Think about that.
Have you ever been around something that was dead? I personally think of meat that is no longer fresh. The stench is so unbearable that you would want it far away from you. Imagine that stench; that is an idea of what our lives and the gospel of Jesus is like to those who are not saved. No wonder it brings offense!
Though it brings offense, are we still unashamed? Or are we hiding our light under a basket?
‘After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.’ – John 19:38, NKJV
Joseph of Arimathea was described here as being a secret disciple of Jesus. Why was he keeping his faith in Jesus a secret? Because he feared the Jews. How often does the fear of man cause us to want to keep our faith in God a secret!
Now I am not saying that in order to be unashamed we must always have Jesus’ name in everything we write, or in every conversation. No! It is ultimately a heart issue. But people in your life shouldn’t be surprised that you are a Christian. It’s important that we start being unashamed of Jesus from today, for a bigger test may yet lie before us in future. When testing times come and we are asked to compromise our faith, will we stand for Jesus or will we falter?
I challenge you to not be ashamed. For Jesus Himself says:
‘Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.‘ – Matthew 10:32-33, NKJV
