Going Public

By Pastor Rey Diaz

Most of you know the story of how I publicly asked Elise to be my girlfriend.  You know how I wrote a song for her and then threw rocks at the wrong window. I was so nervous I sang the wrong lyrics, singing “I want to be your girlfriend” and had people walking by shaking their heads in embarrassment for me.  Afterwards one guy came up to me and said, “Wow that was so bad, it had to come from the heart.”  It’s all true.  It’s one of the story I don’t have to embellish.  That night I went public with my love for Elise.   But that night I also started a ripple effect.

When I look at my two beautiful children, I can’t help but think that they are part of that ripple effect.  Without being overly dramatic, these kids can be directly linked to a decision to go public with my love for Elise.  I go public with my love.  She reciprocates.  We get married.  Yada, yada, yada, now we have two children.  Going public really did start a ripple effect. 

Now think about going public with your love of Jesus.  Wouldn’t that be infinitely more powerful? Wouldn’t that ripple effect be exponentially greater?  When you go public with your faith, two powerful events occur simultaneously.  First, going public frees you.  The secret truth is that most of us care too much about what people think and it hinders us.  We start making decisions based on what other people will think.  Going public frees us.  Secondly, and even more important, is that going public starts a ripple effect.  The Bible says the faith comes by hearing the word of God.  There is something supernatural and unexplainable that occurs when you go public with your faith.  The people around you experience something almost divine.  It is like you suddenly unleashed God’s spirit on their lives.  And who knows what will happen?  Maybe that’s why Jesus called us salt and light. 

How many people around you need salt and light?  How many people around you are waiting for some hope?  How many people around you prayed to a God they aren’t even sure they believe in, “If you’re real show me a sign.  Send someone my way.”  You are the answer to someone’s prayer.  But you will never know, unless you go public.

Where are you at?  Have you ever gone public with your faith?  With your family?  With your neighbors?  With your co-workers?  If someone needed someone who could pray for them, would your name pop up?  Are you free? 

Last thought – you are probably a follower of Jesus because someone went public in your life.  You are part of the ripple effect.  That’s how this whole thing works. 

Romans 10:17-18

¹⁷ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. ¹⁸ But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”