The Secret Disciples Of Jesus

Matthew 10:32-33
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.'

In this verse, the Lord has placed a condition that you must have the courage to tell the world around you that the Lord is your Saviour. If you disavow me, I will disavow you in front of the Father in heaven. I inferred from this verse that God would like to be known under our name.
Abraham's generation is enjoying the blessings of the Lord even now.

Matthew 22:32 says, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'

To the past generations, God addresses and introduces himself as the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Our God is great and mighty. Does he really need to introduce himself as the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? He is the creator of the world, and we are his creations. Does the Lord really need to be introduced through us? By saying the statement in Matthew 22:32, God is connecting himself to us.

The verse continues, Matthew 22:32, " ..He is not the God of the dead but of the living."

What we can infer from this verse is that though Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob passed away from this world, they are still living. When the closest people in our lives pass away, we feel sorrow and great pain.
However, even though they have passed on, they are still living in another world, and this verse is proof of that.

So God has such an ardent want to be known through us, and the only thing He wants from us is to declare aloud His name. We should introduce Him to others. When Jesus came down from the heavens to earth in flesh and blood, He was revealed to us. He thus became the visible edition of the invisible God. When Jesus went back to the heavens, the Holy Spirit was sent as a guide to each of us. Hence, while we lack a physical representation of the Holy Trinity, we are expected to carry out the works and be the physical representation of Christ on earth. We must help people meet Jesus.

In another 10 years, the whole world, even to the corners of the world, will know about us. A project is underway to do just so. So be a part of it. Tell the world about Jesus and acknowledge Jesus to the crowds.

Also, know that no one can come before the Father except through Jesus Christ.

 John 14:6 says, 'Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'

Matthew 7:21-27 says, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

While the people mentioned in the verses above  prophesied and drove out demons, due to the evil things they did in this world, Jesus will not acknowledge them in the presence of the Father.

Jesus says you should live publicly as a follower of Christ. However, in some circumstances, that may not be possible. For example, a wife is blessed by the touch of the Holy Spirit. But, if the husband gets to know about it, he might leave her, and society might cast her out. In such circumstances, the woman might keep her faith inside and not share it with the world. There are so many people in this world that are under similar circumstances. We call these people 'secret disciples. Hence there are two types of disciples - public and secret.

In certain nations, carrying a Bible or preaching the gospel is against the law.
People who live in such places sustain their Christian faith in secret and often are part of underground churches. If such people make huge proclamations about their Christian faith, their entire community might be wiped away. Hence, in such situations, not making public proclamations about their faith does not mean that they are not acknowledging or disavowing God. It just means that they need to be smarter and ask God for wisdom to practise their faith. In the Bible, there are two secret disciples, one was Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

John 3:1-2 says, 'Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."

Nicodemus was a Sanhedrin member, part of the Jewish ruling/political council. He came to meet Jesus at night in the dark. Several people interpret that Nicodemus was in spiritual darkness. Nicodemus acknowledges that what attracted him to Jesus were the miracles that Jesus performed. He also had to meet Jesus at night because the Sanhedrin council would never acknowledge Jesus, and Nicodemus would have been dismissed from the council if they knew about the meeting.

There are several of us who lead a secret spiritual life where we read a scripture or hear a message and start our walk of faith in secret. However, as your faith increases and as Jesus presents opportunities before us, be bold and exercise your faith. Nicodemus, as his faith increased and as time passed by, did greater things for the kingdom of Christ.