God doesn’t want us to lie. While the account beginning in John 8:31 deals with Jesus as the Truth, some application can be made to the importance of telling the truth, simply because of John 8:34. there, Jesus says that if you sin, you are the servant of sin. It has control over you. One lie can easily grow into a bigger and bigger one.
As a leader, you want people to be truthful with you, right? You must set the example. Which means that if someone asks, you should say truthfully that you are a Christian. God can hide things till an appropriate time, of course, just as He did with Esther, with Brother Andrew, and many others throughout the ages.
This is why I emphasize prayer. If you fear great opposition, you can pray and the Lord will allow you to have peace. The fear of man is a trap the devil uses to keep you from being effective. But, if you trust in the Lord, you will be safe. (Prov. 29:25.) That doesn’t mean you won’t be persecuted; it means you won’t suffer beyond what you are able to bear with his help. And, He will get you through everything.
However, you are far less likely to suffer if you tell the truth. In many places, the Bible exhorts us to be truthful to others. Brother Andrew, for instance, helped many to be saved by smuggling Bibles into places where the truth of God’s Word was forbidden. He wouldn’t have been much good if he’d come out and boasted, “I’m bringing Bibles into your country.” He’d have been thrown in jail fast in some places. But, at the same time, if someone asked him, point blank, if he was a Christian, after he threw up a quick praer, the Lord would give him an answer that would be truthful, yet would also help him.
This, of course, gets us back to what I said aobut the Truth in that passage. The meaning is that it refers to Jesus. Well, by trusting in Him, it is really Jesus that sets you free at times like that. He also give you so much more, too, if you have family that is opposed to you being a Christian leader in your family.
