John 18:18

John 18:18 says, And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.  After being questioned by the damsel, Peter left the door and went to where others were who were not identified as being with Jesus.  He was further separating himself from Jesus.  When we are asked if we are a Christian, especially in a threatening situation, how do we react?  I have heard people say that they are Christians, but not one of those born-again people.  They do not want the world to judge them as strange.  We can either profess to be born again through salvation in Christ, or we can attempt to hide in the crowd.  Peter, instead of standing with Jesus was warming himself at the fire of His enemies. Verse nineteen adds, The high priest then asked Jesus of His disciples and His doctrine.  The high priest had to have known that Jesus had disciples following Him, but now He stood alone.  We, as followers of Christ, need to ensure that the world never asks where His disciples are.  We need to stand with Him through all trials and threats in life.  We do not need to be looking out for our physical needs, but for our spiritual needs.  We need to stand with Christ and not attempt to hide with His enemies.  It is better to stand in the cold with Jesus than by the fires with His enemies.  Of course, had Peter gone with Jesus, he would have been out of the cold, and the high priest would have known where at least one of Jesus' disciples was. We need to never be too concerned about our own safety and comfort to stand away from Jesus to find comfort with the world.  When the people of the world wonder where the followers of Christ are, they should be able to identify us by our words and actions.  We have been promised that if we stand with Christ, all our needs will be met.  Yet, we often turn to the things of the world to find security.  We need to stand with Christ, no matter what.