Matthew 16:13-18 13 Now when Jesus came into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of man is? 14 And they said, Some `say' John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. 15 He saith unto them, But who say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

The question hung in the air like a thick morning fog. Imagine the complete silence and the small crowd around Jesus looking stupefied—too scared or uncertain to speak. They didn’t know what to say in response to the Lord’s question, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15).

Then, as though some invisible hand had flipped a switch, bringing him into perfect awareness, Simon Peter’s head shot up. He looked Jesus in the eye and declared, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Peter got it right.

Calling Jesus “Christ” and “God’s Son” was a big deal in biblical times. Such a statement led to the death of many brave believers, as the Jewish and Roman authorities persecuted Christians who were willing to take a stand for their faith. Even those who walked side by side with Jesus and excitedly took part in His ministry would be taking a huge risk to call Him “Christ.” So they sometimes remained silent while continuing to work for the kingdom.

Isn’t it interesting that today’s church often has the opposite problem? Many people are quick to exclaim “Jesus is Lord!” but then fail to go about His work and ministry.

Is there a disparity between what you profess with your mouth and what you’re doing for the kingdom? Jesus calls us to be complete in testimony and in deed. If your confession is “Jesus is Lord,” then your life should reflect your bold stance. What can you do today to reveal your faith to others?

Bible in One Year: Zechariah 6-10 Chapter 6 1 And again I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains were mountains of brass. 2 In the first chariot were red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; 3 and in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grizzled strong horses. 4 Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What are these, my lord? 5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6 `The chariot' wherein are the black horses goeth forth toward the north country; and the white went forth after them; and the grizzled went forth toward the south country. 7 And the strong went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. 8 Then cried he to me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, they that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country. 9 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 10 Take of them of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah; and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, whither they are come from Babylon; 11 yea, take `of them' silver and gold, and make crowns, and set them upon the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest; 12 and speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh Jehovah of hosts, saying, Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: and he shall grow up out of his place; and he shall build the temple of Jehovah; 13 even he shall build the temple of Jehovah; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne; and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. 14 And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of Jehovah. 15 And they that are far off shall come and build in the temple of Jehovah; and ye shall know that Jehovah of hosts hath sent me unto you. And `this' shall come to pass, if ye will diligently obey the voice of Jehovah your God. Chapter 7 1 And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius, that the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah in the fourth `day' of the ninth month, even in Chislev. 2 Now `they of' Beth-el had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech, and their men, to entreat the favor of Jehovah, 3 `and' to speak unto the priests of the house of Jehovah of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so many years? 4 Then came the word of Jehovah of hosts unto me, saying, 5 Speak unto all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh `month', even these seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even to me? 6 And when ye eat, and when ye drink, do not ye eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? 7 `Should ye' not `hear' the words which Jehovah cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited? 8 And the word of Jehovah came unto Zechariah, saying, 9 Thus hath Jehovah of hosts spoken, saying, Execute true judgment, and show kindness and compassion every man to his brother; 10 and oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the sojourner, nor the poor; and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart. 11 But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they might not hear. 12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which Jehovah of hosts had sent by his Spirit by the former prophets: therefore there came great wrath from Jehovah of hosts. 13 And it is come to pass that, as he cried, and they would not hear, so they shall cry, and I will not hear, said Jehovah of hosts; 14 but I will scatter them with a whirlwind among all the nations which they have not known. Thus the land was desolate after them, so that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate. Chapter 8 1 And the word of Jehovah of hosts came `to me', saying, 2 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. 3 Thus saith Jehovah: I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called The city of truth; and the mountain of Jehovah of hosts, The holy mountain. 4 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age. 5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. 6 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: If it be marvellous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvellous in mine eyes? saith Jehovah of hosts. 7 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; 8 and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness. 9 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Let your hands be strong, ye that hear in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets that were in the day that the foundation of the house of Jehovah of hosts was laid, even the temple, that it might be built. 10 For before those days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in, because of the adversary: for I set all men every one against his neighbor. 11 But now I will not be unto the remnant of this people as in the former days, saith Jehovah of hosts. 12 For `there shall be' the seed of peace; the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things. 13 And it shall come to pass that, as ye were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will I save you, and ye shall be a blessing. Fear not, `but' let your hands be strong. 14 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts: As I thought to do evil unto you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I repented not; 15 so again have I thought in these days to do good unto Jerusalem and to the house of Judah: fear ye not. 16 These are the things that ye shall do: speak ye every man the truth with his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; 17 and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith Jehovah. 18 And the word of Jehovah of hosts came unto me, saying, 19 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The fast of the fourth `month', and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love truth and peace. 20 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: `It shall' yet `come to pass', that there shall come peoples, and the inhabitants of many cities; 21 and the inhabitants of one `city' shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to entreat the favor of Jehovah, and to seek Jehovah of hosts: I will go also. 22 Yea, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek Jehovah of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of Jehovah. 23 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: In those days `it shall come to pass', that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. Chapter 9 1 The burden of the word of Jehovah upon the land of Hadrach, and Damascus `shall be' its resting-place (for the eye of man and of all the tribes of Israel is toward Jehovah); 2 and Hamath, also, which bordereth thereon; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise. 3 And Tyre did build herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets. 4 Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire. 5 Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also, and shall be sore pained; and Ekron, for her expectation shall be put to shame; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited. 6 And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. 7 And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; and he also shall be a remnant for our God; and he shall be as a chieftain in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite. 8 And I will encamp about my house against the army, that none pass through or return; and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes. 9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy king cometh unto thee; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, even upon a colt the foal of an ass. 10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off; and he shall speak peace unto the nations: and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 11 As for thee also, because of the blood of thy covenant I have set free thy prisoners from the pit wherein is no water. 12 Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even to-day do I declare that I will render double unto thee. 13 For I have bent Judah for me, I have filled the bow with Ephraim; and I will stir up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and will make thee as the sword of a mighty man. 14 And Jehovah shall be seen over them; and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning; and the Lord Jehovah will blow the trumpet, and will go with whirlwinds of the south. 15 Jehovah of hosts will defend them; and they shall devour, and shall tread down the sling-stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, like the corners of the altar. 16 And Jehovah their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; for `they shall be as' the stones of a crown, lifted on high over his land. 17 For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the virgins. Chapter 10 1 Ask ye of Jehovah rain in the time of the latter rain, `even of' Jehovah that maketh lightnings; and he will give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field. 2 For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; and they have told false dreams, they comfort in vain: therefore they go their way like sheep, they are afflicted, because there is no shepherd. 3 Mine anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the he-goats; for Jehovah of hosts hath visited his flock, the house of Judah, and will make them as his goodly horse in the battle. 4 From him shall come forth the corner-stone, from him the nail, from him the battle bow, from him every ruler together. 5 And they shall be as mighty men, treading down `their enemies' in the mire of the streets in the battle; and they shall fight, because Jehovah is with them; and the riders on horses shall be confounded. 6 And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will bring them back; for I have mercy upon them; and they shall be as though I had not cast them off: for I am Jehovah their God, and I will hear them. 7 And `they of' Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, and their heart shall rejoice as through wine; yea, their children shall see it, and rejoice; their heart shall be glad in Jehovah. 8 I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them; and they shall increase as they have increased. 9 And I will sow them among the peoples; and they shall remember me in far countries; and they shall live with their children, and shall return. 10 I will bring them again also out of the land of Egypt, and gather them out of Assyria; and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon; and `place' shall not be found for them. 11 And he will pass through the sea of affliction, and will smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the Nile shall dry up; and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart. 12 And I will strengthen them in Jehovah; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith Jehovah.