1 Timothy 6:13a -- Making the good confession--part 4

To catch up on our adventure through 1 Timothy, click here and read from the bottom post up.

1 Timothy 6:13a (NIV) :

"In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession."

We've been looking at this verse and asking how Christ "made the good confession" while "testifying before Pontius Pilate."

And that leads to the bigger question for us: How do we make a good confession before a watching world?

Or to make it even more personal: How do I share my faith with those who don't know Christ?

So we went back to the interaction between Christ and Pilate as recorded in John 18:33-38 and 19:9-11 and we're breaking it apart and looking at each interaction one by one over several posts.

To catch up on this mini-series, check out these links:

• Intro
• 1. Make it personal
• 2. Make it surprising
• 3. Make it revealing

Today let's look at the last interaction between Jesus and Pilate in John 19:9-11:

• Pilate: "Where do you come from?"
• Jesus: [says nothing]
• Pilate: "Do you refuse to speak to me? Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"
• Jesus: "You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin."

This brings us to the last point about our "good confession":

4. Make it spiritual.

Jesus points out the unseen spiritual dynamics of the situation. While Pilate revels in his own power, Jesus reveals the real, unseen power. Jesus points out that even Pilate's power would not be possible if the Father didn't allow it.

Most nonChristians are oblivious or indifferent to the spiritual world. They may give a nod to it, but by and large they are not aware of the unseen realm. It's the job of the Christian to give them a glimpse of it, not in a spooky way, but in a way that shows them that there's more to life than just physical existence on this planet. Whet their appetite for more.

The easiest way to do this is when the nonChristian encounters some sort of trouble (losing a job, facing tough exams, etc.) or tragedy (death of a loved one, cancer, etc.). At that point, you an offer to pray for them. In fact, ask if you can pray right then and there, with them. This is a nonoffensive and non-pushy way to reveal the spiritual right at their point of need.

So to recap, the way we make the good confession before a watching world is to:

1. Make it personal.
2. Make it surprising.
3. Make it revealing.
4. Make it spiritual.