Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Faith

True Confession

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Do we have what it takes to deliver the Gospel to the remote places in the world? Do we have the courage to go where we may be killed for talking about Jesus? What about our possessions; are we willing to sell everything we have and give that money to the poor? Would we choose Jesus over our own family and children? All of these are questions that I think most Christ followers would quickly answer in the affirmative: “We are willing; we will go.” If this is true then why aren’t more going? Why have two billion people never heard the name of Jesus or learned of His love for them? Why do so many of us live in affluence while nearly half the world exists on less than $2 per day?

To avoid any resentment and in the interest of full disclosure, let me make a few confessions: I passionately love Jesus Christ and seek to serve Him in authentic ways that shake the world with His love and for His glory. That was the easy one; that is the person I am striving to grow into. The reality though, based on the questions above, is something different. I live in the middle of America, safe, secure, and far away from the remote places of the world. I face no real persecution for boldly stating my beliefs, but outside of the internet, I have never voiced these opinions in a country that would imprison or even kill me for speaking such words. I have far too many possessions. Despite moving towards a minimalist lifestyle, the sheer quantity of items in my house is astounding. Most would consider me to be on the upper end of the economic scale; I earn a very good living. I’m not jets and jaguars rich, but I do okay. I have not sold everything and given it to the poor. While generous with what I’ve been entrusted, I live in a manner that is far above what most in the world will ever know. I struggle with the thoughts of what I would do if someone was threatening my family; I wonder if I would choose to show them grace and mercy or if I would violently react to protect the ones I love.

I confess all this for the purpose of letting you know that I have a long way to go on my journey of living a Christ-like life. I believe I could sell everything and trust that the Lord would provide for my needs. I am confident I would not waver in my faith even if I were staring down the barrel of a gun (or far worse). I can see myself going wherever the Lord leads me, even as I wonder at the logistics of it all. As for acting peacefully when confronted with violence against my family, well, that’s still a work in progress. But for all my confidence that I would react in a way that is honoring to God in all these areas, I still have never acted on any of them. I’m not there yet, and I covet your prayers.

I suspect you are not so different from me. You love the Lord and honestly believe you would do anything for Him and never waver in your beliefs. I also suspect that you’ve never taken action on many of these areas either. Here is the bottom line though; we’ve got to get this done. We’ve got to put our faith into radical action if we truly want to see the world come to Christ and make His Kingdom a reality here on earth. Our safe and lavish lifestyles have become a hindrance to our obedience. Jesus told us to go and the furthest we venture is down the road to our place of work. That’s not going; that’s staying put. We were told to go into all nations proclaiming the name of Christ and that means more than sending a check each month. While we live in luxury, people all around the world are starving and have no clean water to soothe their parched lips. We have been given so much and we have kept it for ourselves.

If you are honest with yourself, my guess is you are confident in your confession but in reality it has become a lip-service faith. I’m with you. Perhaps we will never face death or prison for our beliefs. That’s not a bad thing as long as we are willing to put ourselves in those situations if needed. One way to know for sure we’d be prepared to do so is by following all the other commands of Christ. If we cannot be trusted to serve Him in small ways, how can we honestly claim that we would serve Him in the major trials? As we approach a new year, consider how you might spend some time going to where the lost and hurting desperately need to hear about the love of Jesus. Consider your response to the poor and determine ways you can simplify your life, divest your resources and make a significant impact on their lives. Immerse yourself in Scripture and devote your every action to be used for His glory. Prove yourself faithful in the smallest things so He will entrust you with more. Pray for one another. Join me in making 2011 a year that will be like none before it, a year in which we truly shake the world with the love of Jesus. We’re not there yet, but let’s be on our way.

Living in Faith, or Living in Fear?

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Fear is the enemy of hope and the opposite of faith. When confronted with decision points in our life, we will generally side with one or the other. We will either choose to cautiously back away in fear or boldly charge forward in faith. Fear can be a good thing; it can keep us from touching a hot stove or falling off a cliff. Faith can be misplaced at times, as in expecting to sprout wings on your way down the side of the aforementioned cliff! But for the purposes of our discussion, I am talking about the fear that paralyzes you from moving forward or taking a chance you know you should take. The faith I want to discuss is the God-given strength to face down your uncertainty and doubt and move forward down the path He is leading you.

On the track “Fear” (from his album, ‘Explore Dream Discover’), Daron Earlewine calls fear the most insidious four letter word. It’s the most damaging curse word of all. Fear will keep you from living the life for which you were created. It will cause you to hide your talents from the world so that no one will see; it will keep you up at night just thinking of facing the new day without the courage to change. Fear will rob you of opportunities to serve and love others, and it will make you pass up opportunities to tell someone about Jesus. Certainly this is not the life of power and freedom we see exhibited in Jesus Christ. We were not meant to live as timid beings on this earth. Yet fear can be so paralyzing that we cannot imagine ever rising up from beneath it. We know we shouldn’t feel this way and determine to overcome it, only to find ourselves frozen again.

Fortunately, faith is the cure for the common fear. As the agents of God’s mission we have been called and empowered to boldly go into all the earth serving others, reflecting God’s love and telling them the good news of Jesus Christ. This power is available free of charge to all who follow Christ; it’s part of the package, a bonus if you will. Not only do we have the privilege of serving the King of the universe, not only do we get to spend eternity basking in His presence, but we receive the power to overcome fear as well! Faith is an action verb, not a passive one. As we read in James 2:20, faith without action is useless. If you are like me, you’ve spent far too long convinced that faith was passive, just something you believed. Faith is so much more than a simple belief; that is just the seed.

As our faith grows we will find it becomes progressively more active; the more active our faith, the less confining our fear. Similar to the effects of compound interest on money, little steps of faith each day snowball into a dynamic and rich faith that laughs in the face of fear. One who has fully devoted their life to Christ – and has a life that actually reflects that commitment – knows no fear. When you come to the realization that the worst thing that could happen to you in this world results in giving you everything you’ve ever wanted in the presence of Jesus, fear becomes irrelevant.

Are you living a life of fear or faith? Fear stops you from walking in the way of Jesus; faith propels you toward Him. Fear limits your effectiveness in the Kingdom of God; faith magnifies and multiplies your gifts as you employ them in the service of others. Fear is of the devil and should find no place in the heart of a disciple; faith is a gift from God and should permeate every inch of our being. We were created to do good works for Christ (Ephesians 2:10), and to accomplish that purpose we must boldly move forward regardless of the risk. Jesus did not flinch when the road before Him became difficult and dangerous. Instead, He trampled fear beneath His feet and pressed on because of His faith in the Father. We are called to do the same. Release your fear and take bold steps of faith; plant your feet firmly in the footsteps of Jesus. Place your faith in the one who knows no fear.

Betting the Farm on Jesus

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As I began gathering my thoughts and praying about my goals for next year, I suddenly became aware of a very obvious but often underlying point. Everything I am considering, the core around which I am planning every action, is Jesus Christ. I have reached a point in my life where this is becoming as natural as breathing to me. No longer am I making plans based on what my whims and desires might be or setting my aspirations on making a significant amount of money. No, everything revolves around Jesus. My dreams are to do things that will draw others to him. My joy comes from the thought of freeing the oppressed and seeing the name of Jesus taught to all nations and people groups. I don’t say this to point out how much I’ve grown (indeed I would argue that having been a Christian for thirty-seven years now, my progress has been ridiculously slow), but rather to say that if Jesus is not who He said He was, I am basing my life on foundation of deceit and empty words. In other words, I’m betting the farm on Jesus.

I’ve been asked how I could possibly believe the things I do. The whole story seems rather fantastic and rather imaginary, does it not? I have also been told that it takes a lot of faith to believe the way I do. As Steve Taylor once penned in a lyric, “Don’t you know by now why the chosen are few? It’s harder to believe than not to.” It’s far easier to dismiss the Biblical message and the Gospel as a fanciful story written by suspicious men of days long past. It’s easier to live a life that is accountable to no one other than yourself. Who wouldn’t enjoy the thought that we should indulge in all of the best this world has to offer? Christianity is viewed as an archaic set of rules meant to limit our freedom and subject us to judgment. Couple this with a beginning that ultimately cannot be proven, and we see why so many laugh in the face of the Gospel.

I believe that reality is the exact opposite. While the story is truly fantastic, it is no less plausible and actually far more logical than any alternative the world has offered. When accurately studied, the whole of evolution is untenable and hopelessly ridiculous. I find that it takes far more faith to believe in the magic circumstances of primordial ooze and it’s equally fortuitous progression into human kind than it does to believe in creation by a loving God who possesses intelligence far superior to our own. I find the sacrifice of Christ on man’s behalf hard to fathom from the standpoint of what we deserve, but also see it in perfect harmony with the character of God revealed in Scripture. The last thing I find in a life of following Jesus is a lack of freedom. I have never felt so free or at peace as when I am seeking Him. I never found freedom in anything the world offered, only temporary satisfaction that was quickly exchanged for long term bondage. That is not freedom! The so-called rules of Christianity are actually things we choose to do out of love for our Lord. We don’t give up or miss out on anything. Instead we bask in the glory of the love of Jesus. I have seen Him answer prayer; I have lived a life that defies explanation outside of Divine intervention. I am not sorry for, nor doubtful of, what I believe.

So I’m all in. I am betting the farm on the truth of the claims of Jesus Christ. My life will mean nothing outside of Him. Every step I take, I take with the intent to follow Him. My goals and aspirations revolve around continuing His mission. My passion is to become the person He created me to be so that I might express His love to others and work for His justice in a broken and hurting world. This allows me to face the future with an invigorated attitude and confident direction.

In what are you placing your faith? Do you have a firm foundation on which to build your life? Are you convinced that Jesus is who He said He was? True hope, true freedom, are found only in Christ. Decide today to follow Him and give Him all of your life. Your dreams and desires are safe with God. Like me, you can feel confident on betting the farm on Jesus Christ.

Risk vs. Reward

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No matter how you stack it up, life is a never ending adventure. Each day we have the opportunity to rewrite the script, to change our course and to seek new challenges. In the free nations of our world, we have the privilege of achieving high levels of success and acquiring great wealth. We can do all of these things without giving much thought to the spiritual side of life; so we risk squandering the most incredible opportunity of all, the chance to know God personally, to enjoy an intimate relationship with the one who created us. Many are afraid that if they give their lives to Christ that they will have to give up too much of what they have worked to obtain. They are afraid they will be required to sacrifice their lifestyle, their friends and their activities. The price simply seems too high.

What if we risked it all? What if we determined to live our lives full throttle for Jesus Christ? If we threw ourselves into the teeth of life with reckless abandon and didn’t care what we might lose, how then might we impact the world? Two thousand years ago, one man and twelve of his followers literally altered the course of human history forever. One man’s influence has permeated through every generation that has come after Him. A small handful of ordinary souls who devoted their lives to following Him spread His message throughout the world and thereby continued the mission to which they had been called. They risked everything; they suffered persecution, torture and even death. All this they deemed worth the cost because they knew if they endured for God’s sake, He would reward them with eternal rest and peace in His kingdom. They were willing to lose everything they had achieved and acquired for the sake of continuing the mission of Jesus Christ. They risked it all and lost everything of temporal value, yet they gained everything that could be gained; they got Jesus.

If the price still seems too high for you, that’s okay; you don’t have to pay it. You don’t have to risk everything and follow Jesus. You can continue life as you know it, acquiring more and achieving greater and greater success. You can pile up cash, purchase expensive toys and take exotic vacations. You can absolutely live your life totally devoid of anything to do with Jesus and thereby not risk losing everything you now possess. That’s great news, right? Here’s the problem. By refusing to risk it all, you are guaranteed to lose everything. This truth is spelled out very plainly in Scripture (Matthew 16:24, 25). If you are not willing to risk it all, you are assured of losing everything. You can gain all that this world has to offer and in the end it will be taken from you, you’ll be stripped naked, and you will be left alone. You will suffer an eternity that is absent of God, absent of love, and absent of redemption. You will lose it all because you were unwilling to risk everything for the person and cause of Jesus Christ. This is reality, and it is your future if you continue down the path the world chooses. What will you decide?

The risk of following Jesus is nothing compared to the certainty of not following. We can risk it all and thereby gain everything. Or, we can play it safe and lose it all. These are the two choices that we have in life, there is nothing else. You can’t risk a little and hope to gain a little in return, perhaps just enough to guarantee your comfort. It simply doesn’t work this way. Jesus said that if you are not for Him then you are against Him (Matthew 12:30). What is the greater risk, to give your life to Christ or to stand in opposition to Him? I assure you if you oppose the God of the universe, you will lose every time. It’s a no win situation, so why would you even want to go there? You can’t keep putting off your choice, because today may be the last day that you have the opportunity to choose. None of us has any guarantee of tomorrow (James 4:14). You must make the choice today, and it affects more than the rest of your life; it affects your eternity. Again I ask, what will you decide? Will you play it safe and hope for the best, and by doing so lose everything you have and all hope for salvation? Or will you risk it all, throwing yourself with abandon into the mission of Christ, no matter the cost, and gain life? The price is great and the risk is heavy, but the reward is beyond measure.

Will You Give Up Your Life?

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A few days ago Al Qaeda terrorists stormed a church in Iraq and held hostage those who were gathered there. An attempt to free them by the police turned deadly and as I write this the number of those killed is fifty-two. Many more were injured and may not survive. I lead with this to remind us all that while this blog deals with the spiritual side of things, there is a very real physical element to our decision to follow Jesus. While spiritual warfare rages around us unseen, the implications of that very battle are manifested in human lives at every moment. It is said here often: following Jesus is difficult and not for the faint of heart; what perhaps isn’t said enough is that following Jesus can be deadly.

We should expect nothing less, for when we decide to follow in the footsteps of Christ we know where they eventually lead. Jesus steadfastly and purposefully walked to His own death on a cross. I hope you have not been deceived into believing that following Jesus would lead to a life of prosperity, health and the comforts of all this world has to offer. Sorry, but that’s not in the program. Jesus said that we must give up everything for His sake and that we must be willing to lay down our lives for Him, just as he did for us. He told us we would have no place to call home here on earth, and that we would face trial and persecution. None of this should come as a surprise or a shock. Yet every day Christians live in oblivious bliss, confident in their confession of faith, while blindly ignoring what it means to follow Jesus.

It is sobering to hear of the slaughter and torture of our Christian brothers and sisters. We become pensive and introspective. But for those of us who are able to do something about the injustice, we must do more that reflect; we must act. If you live in the West, you are blessed beyond all measure. We are richer than any people that have come before us. We have the ways and we have the means to come to the aid of our brothers and sisters in need. We have the technology and the know-how to proclaim the gospel to lands that forbid us to do so. We have been given so much and therefore much is required of us. We have grown comfortable and lazy in our homes and cities. We have lost the stomach to fight for the orphans, the windows and for justice. Now is the time to must rise up and fight for the name of Jesus. We must take a stand and proclaim His love and His message to all peoples, regardless of the cost to our own lives. If we are not willing to forsake everything, to lose our very lives, then how dare we call ourselves followers of Christ?

These are not easy words, but they also are not new. Look again at what Jesus told us to do. We are to go into all the world to teach others about Him. Yet two thousand years after He gave this command, a third of the world still has never heard His name or experienced His love. What excuse do we have for this? We are not doing enough. Christians around the world are giving their lives for the sake of continuing His mission, and we in the West are content to build buildings and insulate ourselves from all that is happening around us. God forgive us.

What are we to do? Pray diligently and confess our apathy. Weep before God, acknowledge our weakness and beg for the courage to run the race He has set before us. We travel a road that leads to physical death but spiritual life. We must not waver; the mission is too important. Too many have not heard, and it is up to us to tell them; if not us, then who? If not now, then when? We who bear the blood of Jesus must not shy away from shedding our own blood for the sake of His kingdom. The responsibility is ours, and it is great. Together we must carry our cross into the world to continue the mission of Christ. We must not grow weary, because we cannot fail.