Thank God and Take Courage

Acts 28:13-15 - And from thence we fetched a compass and came to Rehgium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli: Where we found brethren and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome, And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and the three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God and took courage.

Courage. The strength to do something in the face of opposition and persecution or even overwhelming odds. When the Monk Luther nailed his 95 points of opposition to the door of Castle Church it must have taken much courage. That act might have cost him his life and in fact he was in danger of death many times. When the deacon Stephen stood and proclaimed Christ in front of a deeply hostile crowd it must have taken much courage. When the apostles scattered into the known world to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ and his gospel they were filled with supernatural courage. Many times courage will cost everything.

We as believing followers of the Lord Jesus Christ live in a soft and placating world. Unity at all costs, political correctness, acceptance of any and all views, and embracing the plethora of human thought about morality and religion are the hallmarks of the society of humankind. Common ground is the melting pot that husks every kernel of conviction and boils it into a bland and soothing stew, palatable to every whim of the flesh. You let me do my thing and I will cheer you as you do yours. Love has been distilled down to a genteel treatment of a blind man’s stumbling rather than attempt to guide his footsteps with the light of God’s grace and truth.

Courage is viewed by the world and the compromised church as boasting and conviction is intransigence. Truth is defined as your perspective and is catalogued as evenly viable as any other perspective. In the evangelical world there seems to be some kind of rejection theology that carries with it a rebellion against anything establishment in Christianity. Like the 60's much of the church is throwing off the yoke of truth and setting a course for newer and uncharted lands. Instead of deepening and refining Biblical truth this theology rejects the tested and offers a clean slate of theological doctrines with each person having their own piece of chalk with which to write.

In this new genre freedom is now applied to the believer’s whims and desires not the unfathomable freedom we find in the Lord Jesus. I can remember the freedom I felt and still do as the Holy Spirit came into my spirit on that glorious day in March of 1975, but that is not what the church describes as freedom anymore. Freedom to enjoy questionable entertainment, freedom to partake of things that we used to avoid, freedom to express yourself in vile and unbecoming language, freedom to dress inappropriately, freedom to enjoy the trappings of this hedonistic lifestyle and still maintain you are sacrificially following Christ. And rejection of God’s Word and the “ancient” translations and interpretations is now in vogue and considered spiritually sophisticated. This 60's style evangelicalism is dismantling the doctrinal mores that have been established for centuries and through their preaching revivals have ignited and entire cities have been changed. They are now “square”, man.

Well, we are presented with a choice. The times they are a changing and we cannot stand idly by and watch as sheep and goats alike are herded into pastures that are mingled with grass and hemlock alike. Well meaning and even committed believers have succumbed to incredible deception and many millions of marginal sheep have left the ancient landmarks and now follow the sirens of new theologies. They must have new, they must have relevant, they must have something that makes them feel good and that has application to enhance their physical existence in this world. Anything that is socially obtrusive is rejected as old school, and the heaven/hell theology of the Bible no longer lights their fire. And we must take courage as did our brother Paul.

This courage cannot come from rage or frustration, and it cannot be bitter and self serving. This courage must emanate from God’s Spirit and come forth through our lives and mouths and pens projecting strength and an unwavering commitment to God’s truth. It must be vocal and it must be humble, loud and yet loving, and in the end this courage must stand for Jesus Himself. Haughtiness must not have a place and we must never think of ourselves more highly than we ought, nor must we ever think any less of our Risen Christ than He deserves. It may require uncomfortable dialogue and sometimes it may invade friendships and even family relationships. The preservation of God’s Word does not rest on our shoulders, God Himself keeps track of everything and His Word is unfailing.

Our calling is a privilege, not as if God needed us to protect His Word, but our courage is draped in love and gratitude and faith. Our service to our Great and Mighty God is an offering of praise to His Holy Name and a reflection of the life changing redemption we have found in Christ. We cannot, we must not, be silent while the sacred things are mixed with the profane. Let us have the courage to believe, yes, to believe that which many say we cannot know for sure. Let us courageously see with the eyes of faith and surety the things of the atoning offer of the gospel while others attempt to peddle redefined doctrines that undermine the power of God’s Word.

Amid the wisdom to build bridges over which the gospel can be preached, let us have the courage to stand for Christ in every circumstance. In season and out, legal or not, let us speak and pray and preach His Majestic Name without which there is no salvation. Away with all the excuses about earning the right to share His gospel, our command is to go and preach to every creature not just the ones who allow us to do so. I have sometimes been strongly rejected when I have shared His gospel only to later discover the Spirit took my feeble words and enlightened a sinner to salvation. Always humble but always strong; always polite but always clear; always listening but always speaking; and always preaching while always praying.

There is no higher calling to service than to share Jesus Christ with a lost and sin darkened world. We have sometimes halted between man made strategies and cultural concerns and in so doing we have neglected to speak the Word that when planted can produce an eternal harvest. We hand people tracks as if we are handing them a parking ticket. We speak His name with fear not wanting to suffer rejection and social uneasiness. We resist praying His name in public so that we will not be criticized by others. We have over strategized and over pragmatized and over thought about demographics and a thousand other concerns that place the power upon our mental sophistication rather than His powerful Word of Truth. And the early apostles and disciples were persecuted because they filled entire cities with God’s Word. We have to organize Madison Avenue campaigns to get people to witness on some level - promote our church - promote sex - promote success - and promote a zillion programs without lifting Christ so He may draw sinners unto Himself. We need an influx of Holy Ghost courage to empower our hearts, mouths, and lives.

Take up the offense of His cross, the uneducated religious view that still says Jesus and His cross is the only way to heaven. Recall the former days when you were illuminated and recapture the joy of your salvation and be filled with the overflowing courage that comes naturally from walking with Him who is the fountain of all courage. And as the giants of unbelief unsheathe their swords let us shout with faith “Is there not a cause?!”. It will take more than a passive Christianity in these last days, it will take a courage that follows the Lord Jesus in a way that seems out of step with the religious tide. Upstream is our path while many float past us seeking more comfortable and modern venues of palatable Christianity.

It is not a burden or inconvenience, it must always be an opportunity to proclaim the unsearchable riches of God’s grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. And if persecution and criticism and mocking comes our way, embrace it with a humble and sacred gratitude, and as Paul did, thank God and take courage. Please remember my brothers and sisters in Christ, sometimes courage looks much different than the bellicose bravado that would be familiar to the world, it sometimes looks like an unceremonious death in the jungles of Ecuador, or a lonely jail in China, or a beating in Malaysia, or a painful death by AIDs contracted through the ones with whom we attempt to reach, or being passed over for some promotion, but all courage must to the follower of Jesus Christ appear as a bloody death at the hands of sinners, miraculously and supernaturally reflected through a human life. We are crucified but we still live…yet not us…it is Him in us.

And in that glorious truth, we thank God and take courage.