Upper Classman: I Was Afraid of Them and Their Words

(Ezekiel – The Street Preacher Series continued)

He said: “Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me; they and their fathers have been in revolt against me to this very day. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says.’ And whether they listen or fail to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them. And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious house. You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen, for they are rebellious. – Ezekiel 2:3-7

When I was a freshman in high school I was intimidated by the upper classman that rode the bus. It was because they were holder, bigger, and much cooler and I was young, skinny, and quiet. So you can imagine what was going through my head when one of the coolest and biggest guys in school had no place to sit on the bus but next to me.

Once he realized the only seat available was next to a scrawny freshman I think he immediately went into “let’s pick on the freshman so everyone sees that I’m cool” mode. I mean before he had finished planting his butt in the seat the words began to fly. Words that I care not repeat and can’t repeat. For the next fifteen minutes I felt sweaty palms, cold chills come in waves and my stomach felt like it had entered the Olympic gymnastics team. I sat staring out the window trying so hard not to make eye contact with this locker room smelling, football playing, rebellious beast that sat next me, and was too stubborn to keep his mouth shut when the bus driver over heard his foul language. The fact of the matter is when it came to the upper classman I was afraid of them and their words.

Now Ezekiel, the street preacher, was being told to go to the Israelites (his own people) who were rebellious and stubborn and deliver a difficult message. He was told that he must speak God’s words to them whether they listen or not. And get this…he was told to not be afraid of them or their words.

As a youth speaker I’m invited to preach all the time at youth retreats, churches, and camps. As well I spend a lot of time writing. So when I read through this part of Ezekiel it got me thinking. Am I preaching exactly what God wants me to preach whether people listen or not? And secondly, when it comes to sharing my faith one-on-one with friends, neighbors, or co-workers do I allow the fear of them or their words to get in the way of delivering the message? Third, as a youth preacher how am I measuring success? Well I pray it’s not by how well people respond, but how well I obey God and complete His purpose.

Ezekiel was called to preach a message to a rebellious stubborn generation whether they were willing to listen or not. And he was told to not be afraid of them or their words. So what about you? Do you sometimes hold back from sharing your faith with your friends because you’re afraid of them or what they might say? I know I have been. But God in his awesome power and love has made it clear, we MUST speak his words whether they listen or fail to listen and whether it’s convenient or not (2 Timothy 4:2).

Ezekiel had courage and as I continue my study I’m finding his courage came from one source…the source, God. So this week it’s my prayer we all preach the truth of the gospel without fear to everyone we know whether they listen or not.

As far as the upper classman that made me sweat bullets of fear, eventually they graduated and moved on and I haven’t seen them since. But if I was given the chance now to see them I wonder how many would sweat to find out that the scrawny quiet kid on the bus became a youth preacher. Actually how awesome would that be to be reunited with them and be given the chance to share my faith.