0431. Many Came and Confessed

Many Came and Confessed

"And many that believed came, and confessed" (Act_19:18).

1. They came. The words suggest the thought of separation; stepping out from the crowd; taking a positive, public stand for Christ.

To the man with the withered hand, Christ said: "Stand forth." Some how or other Christ knew the value of the man’s standing aloof from the disbelieving crowd.

If we are going to follow Christ, we must come out of the world. We must step forth, we must come to Him and stand by His side. We must go outside the camp with Him and bear His reproach.

2. They confessed. This is the natural result of saving faith. He that is of the light, "cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought of God."

With the heart we believe unto righteousness, but "with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." The one who says, "I believe," but who will not confess Christ, may well question the reality of his faith.

(1) We should confess Christ because it brings glory to His name. We are saved, we are His chosen people in order that we "may show forth the praise of Him Who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light."

(2) We should confess Christ because it will establish us, in our faith and strengthen us in our stand for our Saviour. There were ten lepers healed, but where were the nine? Of the ten only one returned to give glory unto God. That one not only showed the gratitude of his soul, but he received an added commendation from the Lord and was made strong in his faith.

The woman who touched the hem of the garment and was healed, would have quietly stolen away through the crowd, had not Christ said: "Some one hath touched Me." "And when she saw that she could not be hid," she came, and confessed. And she went home the happier and the stronger thereby.

(3) We should confess Christ in behalf of others. They need our testimony.

Illustration: When a great lawyer, chief of the U. S. Court of Appeals walked onto the platform in Rochester one day, and asked Mr. Finney if he would not stop preaching and call for mourners; and when Mr. Finney made the call and the Chief Justice fell down on his face, it is said that twenty-five lawyers followed the Chief Justice that night in confessing Christ.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR