Exactly, professing ones faith is a tricky issue. In the north where we mainly have the traditional protestant faiths, it is considered "showy" to talk about one's relationship with God. I grew up Lutheran and my old Norwegian Grandmother became suspicious every time she heard someone profess their faith in God.
It's a weird double standard for some of us. We believe in God but we don't shout our faith. When people shout their faith, we find their motives suspect.
I'm Norwegian as well. My parents/grandparents were also Lutheran but there's no Lutheran church in town so mom was mostly Episcopalian, when she went (which wasn't often). I grew up in that Church. I loved being Norwegian and our town had a pretty large Norwegian population, each one sending for someone else when they came.
I don't believe in boring people to death with my faith but I don't mind answering their questions. I hope that we, by our loving actions, show Him to others without having to talk too much about it.
Faith is one's mind is only vapour it has no real substance.It is only when it is articulated that it gains substance. Christ had mad confession with the lips paramount to salvation. First to him But the n he says that we must confess him before men.
Now departing from the rhetoric of preaching witnessing and other things I want to look at this from the aspect of the great commandment and the second.
The great commandment is to Love God with all you heart with all your soul and all your strength -- To beleive that one can beleive in their mind along and obey this commandment is not not understand its words.
How can you love a woman and never express that love you have for her. People who are in love speak of whom the y love to others they speak to those who they love they write poems and so on.
But this love is beyond romance because we can be head over heals and not love the person with all of outr heart soul and strength -- I think we could agree taht few do.
If one is in madly in love with someone and does not express it -- what do we call that behavior delussional, dreams, it is all ether and no substance
The underlying truh here is that many who call themselves by the name of the Lord do not love God. They are not actually fond of God, and really they are beleivers because well it is a family tradition and nothing more. it is an obligation that they fulfill once a week or in europe only on the high holy days.
When one is in love theyir thoughts are filled with their love and they can not help but speak of their love -- when that is not the case we have a completely diffent effect and now bringing how confession witnessing and preaching into this sphere we see that not all that much which is done is done out of such a love, we see that these are more soldiers of duty than love.
And so when one speaks of salvation and God not out of this bubblng flow of love and heat of relationship people can sense it, people know it but they can not put their finger on what is wrong. And some reject that while others accept intelectual arguements for beleiving -- fire insureance comes to mind.
People want reality not theology.
No place does christ say thou art saved by thy doctrine. Or thy theology hath made thee whole.
But your love of Jesus and persoanl relationship with him will.