Then the gatekeeper said to Peter: Are you not also one of the disciples of this Man?..." (John 18.17)
Wherever we go or wherever we pass, we are always noticed because of our willingness to obey sound doctrine and we are questioned about our faith in God, the way we live and the change of life and everything related to it. We are living in times when being a believer has become fashionable; a huge number of people who, having a Bible, say they serve God, however, their heart does not correspond to the divine will, elucidated in the Scriptures. But we understand that serving God is a matter of commitment and responsibility.
Commitment because, from the moment we surrender to Jesus, we make the decision to OBEY HIM in everything, for, no servant who is a servant does his own will but that of his master; Responsibility because Jesus told us that we are the LIGHT of the world, therefore we must conduct ourselves before sinners with a way of life transformed by God showing that we are different.
Jesus did not say that we are carriers of the light but that we are the light, we not only propagate the message of the Gospel but we are also the message itself with our new way of living.
One of our primitive brothers was also noticed by his different way of living. This is evident from the question the gatekeeper asked Peter: "... Are you not also one of the disciples of this man?..." (John 18.17); Peter was interrogated by that woman because the disciples of Christ stood out among other people.
Yes, one could distinguish the followers of the Messiah from the multitude that followed him seeking to receive something. Peter was not of the MULTITUDE, but rather of those who FOLLOWED the Savior of our souls. However, hearing the inquiry of that woman, perhaps for fear of being criticized by others who were there, he denied His Master before them. Jesus told us that we should not be ashamed of him, on the contrary, but confess Him as Lord of our lives (Matthew 10.30-32).
We will always have to go through misfortunes like the one Peter went through; people who dare to criticize our faith, our different way of living from others, our clothing, our willingness to obey sound doctrine. We must, therefore, always be bold, declaring ourselves as servants of Him who gave Himself for us, whose blood purified us from our ailments, making us new creatures for the glory of His name (2 Corinthians 5.17).
Another reason why the gatekeeper inquired of Peter was nothing more, nothing less than to know the conviction of that apostle, in other words, she was wanting to say to Peter: "The disciples fled, your Master was arrested, and you? What do you say about this? Do you hold to your faith in this Nazarene?"
Many flee from the reality of serving God with an upright and sincere spirit, our Master is "imprisoned", yes imprisoned in the gallery of legends by those who refute His existence, and us? What is our position regarding this?
Even though many may want to reduce our firm conviction in the Savior to ashes, we must say with clarity of words that we are followers of Christ, and that He truly lives, through our social conduct.
When the gatekeeper asked Peter if he was a disciple of Christ she wanted to know why a follower of Christ was "warming himself" among the others (John 18.18,19), as if wanting to say: "If you are a disciple of this Man, why are you among those men?"; It is evident there that everyone who truly serves God has no partnership with those who walk in the disobedience of this world, but seeks to make a difference glorifying the Lord in all areas of his life (Psalms 103.1; 1 Corinthians 10.31).
The church in this world is like a boat on the open sea: the boat is in the waters, but the waters are not in the boat; just as it is with the church, it is in the world, but the world is not in it. Let us make a difference, for the Lord is pleased with those who fear Him by giving testimony of His love before society.
Are we truly followers of Christ? Are we confessing His name with vehemence before those who do not fear Him? Many are out there, wanting to know the reason for our firm conviction to serve God, however, we must be authentic, having nothing to fear, but demonstrating our godly living before society, so far removed from God.
Jesse Caleb A. Sanches
jessecalebsanches@yahoo.com.br
http://jessesanches.blogspot.com/