COURAGE. Take it.

Dr. Andy Bannister, from the Solas Centre For Public Christianity (U.K.), was recently asked in an interview what he thought the greatest challenge for the Church in 2022 was. Of the three things he was invited to list he placed courage as the first and most pressing challenge. He stated that many Christian and church leaders had retreated in trepidation over the past few years in the face of an increasingly aggressive culture becoming confused about environmentalism, gender distinctions, and human sexuality which regarded Christianity as its enemy. His colleague, Dr. Aaron Edwards concurred with Andy’s assessment and lamented that so few men have the temerity to take a stand for truth. If these Christian thinkers are correct, how can we respond to this “most pressing issue for the Church in 2022”? Would you like to be more courageous? At what points in your life would you have particularly liked to have been more courageous? God’s Word describes dozens of people who found courage after applying the two spiritual principles for finding it. But of all those mentioned in the Bible, one person in particular displayed more courage than most and exemplified the spiritual principles for doing so. 

But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”
Second Chronicles 15:7 

 

TRUE COURAGE REQUIRES SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT

And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
Isaiah 11:2

The prophet Isaiah foresaw Christ as having the seven-fold anointing of the Holy Spirit (Isa. 11:2).When Jesus was baptised, the Holy Spirit indeed came upon Him (Matt. 3:16) and immediately He “was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matt. 4:1). How would you have felt if you knew you were going to have a face-to-face encounter with the devil in a few hours? Jesus approached this otherwise terrifying encounter with the confidence of knowing the Word of God and the Holy Spirit’s empowering presence. Every tempting assault of the devil that ensued was then countered by Christ using the Word of God in the power of the Spirit. (This is why it is imperative for would-be courageous followers of Christ to be increasingly familiar with the Word of God so that they too can resist the fiery darts of the devil – Eph. 6:11-18). When Jesus returned from this initial encounter with the devil, He did so in the power of the Spirit and as a slightly more courageous man (Luke 4:14).

 

FOLLOWING CHRIST INSPIRES TRUE COURAGE

When the apostle Paul was pioneering the church in Corinth he encountered massive opposition. In his darkest hour there it seems that he nearly abandoned the mission, but then he was enabled to take courage because of a spiritual experience with Christ –

¶ When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are My people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
Acts 18:5-11

‘SPIRIT WORDS’ INSPIRE COURAGE 

The apostle was strengthened and filled with courage by Christ’s presence and the words that He spoke to Paul. The Word of God – particularly the spoken or preached Word of God has the power to strengthen and fill a servant of God with courage. Notice what happened to the despondent Daniel when he heard the Word of God – 

And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
Daniel 10:19

At a time when Jesus was saying some hard things to the crowds who were only interested in being given a meal, Christ began to tell them that He was more satisfying than any food they might eat. At this odd comment, these several thousand people left Him. Christ turned to His confused disciples and asked them if they too wanted to leave? Peter’s response was profound –  

So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”
Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed,
and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
John 6:67-69

Peter is a great case-study in developing courage. He initially faltered several times culminated in his humiliating denial of Christ three times before the rooster crowed (Matt. 26:34, 74-75). But after the resurrection of Christ, Peter had a private meeting with Jesus on the shores of Sea of Galilee. Again the Lord spoke strength and courage into Peter.

¶ When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”
John 21:15-17

‘SPIRIT FILLING’ EMPOWERS COURAGE 

Ten or so days later when Peter and the other believers were gathered in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon Peter and he became a model of a courageous leader when he preached to tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in the temple precinct. The result was that 3,000 people came to Christ and were baptised as a result of Peter’s courageous preaching (Acts 2:14-39). A few weeks later the gathered apostles again prayed to be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit, and there were (Acts 3:1-26) and in a moment that would have made most men cower, Peter took courage and did it again:

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” ¶ Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:8-13

While some believers erroneously view the filling of the Holy Spirit as merely a subjective experience which is largely irrelevant before 10AM or after 11:30AM on a Sunday, the bible reveals that the filling of the Holy Spirit is relevant every hour of every day — especially because God is looking for His people to step up and step forward courageously!

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6

Your pastor,

Andrew

Let me know what you think below in the comment section and feel free to share this someone who might benefit from this Pastor’s Desk.

ARE YOU AFRAID OF DRAGONS?

ARE YOU AFRAID OF DRAGONS?

How different would your life be if you were no longer afraid of anything? I’ll tell you: it would be different. My answer to my question is informed by a series of responses by a large group of elderly people gave to a survey asking what their biggest regret in life was. Almost without exception they responded by saying that their biggest regret was that they didn’t take more risks in life. With the benefit of their hindsight they could now see that what they were afraid of when they were younger was never worth being afraid of! 

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6

Courage is not the absence of fear – courage is doing what’s right and noble, despite being fearful. God knows that we are all subject to various fears at various times to varying degrees. When He says, “Do not fear” – it is not a scold; rather, it is an infusion of His assuring Word into our fearful souls which enables us to be courageous – in much the same way that Christ’s word to Peter, “Come!” had the divine power to obey it infused into it (Matt. 14:29). Most of us fear the same kinds of things: being humiliated, being rejected, being harmed, being a failure, being a loser, and death. How different would our lives be if experience God’s reassurance in these times enabling us to have courage?

Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
For I, the LORD your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, 
“Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.”
Isaiah 41:10, 13

F.W. Boreham loved cricket. As a boy in the school class room he would often be caught daydreaming as he imagined himself on the cricket ground enjoying all of the delights of the sport he loved. Having matriculated high school at the age of 15, his father arranged for him to be a junior clerk at the local brickworks. A part of his responsibilities was to make sure that the early morning train out of the brickworks yard had the correct number of carriages with the correct loading. One particularly foggy Kentish morning he and the signalman went over to the tracks as usual and F.W. Boreham confesses in his autobiography that his propensity for daydreaming probably caused him to be somewhat negligent about where he was standing as he checked off the carriages. As the train was about to come past them, the signalman pushed the points lever to switch the tracks for the train – but what Frank Boreham had neglected to notice was that these were double points with a dual lever. As the signalman pushed his lever forward the other lever, which the young Boreham was in front of, knocked him onto the tracks in the path of the oncoming train! It was around 50 yards before the loaded train could stop. Frank’s right leg had been severed just below his knee. It was 1886, and medical treatment for such injuries were extremely crude by today’s standards. FWB contracted septicaemia and was given only a slim chance of survival. Medical staff did their best for him, but eventually they realised there was nothing more they could do for him. They telegrammed his mother to advise her that within the hour her son would die. Frank Boreham’s mother immediately went down to her church and pleaded with God to spare her son. She would later write to her son –

“Then I knelt by myself” Boreham’s mother told him, “and I prayed for you. I told God that if He gave you back to me, I should always regard you as His own, and I vowed that I would never rebel against any use that He wished to make of you. When I rose, I felt that an intolerable burden had been lifted from my heart.”
Crago, p. 26

Frank had a sudden and miraculous recovery the very moment his mother prayed and offered her son wholeheartedly to God and His service if He would spare his life. Throughout the rest of life, Frank was never able to play his beloved cricket again. But when he moved to Hobart he got involved in the Hobart Cricket Club and soon became its president. Upon moving to Melbourne in 1916, he became a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club and became one of their most loyal members, never missing a first-class match. 

And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
Daniel 10:19

When F.W. Boreham was discharged from hospital and came home to recuperate, the day came when he could return to work. As he walked from his front door on his way to the Brickworks he had barely made it past his front gate when he lost his balance on the icy pavement, slipped, fell and broke his left leg. He would break this leg another three times throughout his life and would live in the constant fear that this would happen again. Added to this constant fear, Frank was incredibly shy and had to work incredibly hard to be around people. When he wrote his autobiography he would reflect- 

Like the medieval saint, we can testify that we have had many and great troubles in our time, but most of them never happened!
F.W.Boreham, “My Pilgrimage”, 1939, p.221

Boreham learned that each of his fears could be overcome doing two things: (i) keeping his focus God and living in His presence (Matt. 6:33). In his classic book, A Bunch of Everlastings, he quoted Brother Lawrence to make this point, “Were I a preacher, I should above all other things preach the practice of the presence of God; and, were I a director, I should advise all the world to it, so necessary do I think it, and so easy, too. I cannot imagine how religious persons can live satisfied without the practice of the presence of God: while I am with Him I fear nothing, but the least turning from Him is insupportable” (p. 34); and, (ii) walking in faith rather than according to his natural feelings. To this end he determined to lay down his life and shyness for Christ and try to develop Christ’s heart for people by initiating celebrations with others around significant dates and events in his life. This included his birthday, his ordination as a minister, his induction into his pastorate, his wedding anniversary, and the anniversary of his church.

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Luke 12:7

As someone who battles with shyness, I have learned from F.W. Boreham about how to deal with it and glorify God in the process. Yet, I know that for many of us, fear can be crippling. It’s common for people to fear the unknown. The future is unknown. It’s common for people to also fear change. People bring change. People can be scary. If I could give everyone who battles with fear two gifts, I would want to give them the two gifts that God has given me through F.W. Boreham – a greater vision of the grandeur and beauty of God, and, a holy courage to do what is unnatural but good by choosing not to be intimidated by people.

THE THING ABOUT DRAGONS

There is a classic story about a boy and his dragon. One day he comes into the kitchen and asks his mother whether there is such a thing as dragons. She tells him of course not. But Mum, he protests, they must be real, because there is one in my bedroom. That’s ridiculous his mother tells him. The boy returns to his bedroom and the dragon is now bigger. The boy then asks his mother to come and see the dragon in his room. Shoe comes to his bedroom and refuses to acknowledge that there is actually a dragon there. As she persists in her denial of dragons, the dragon gets even bigger. In fact, the dragon gets so big she has to move around it to vacuum the house – yet she persists in denying its existence. At the end of the day when her husband arrives home from work he finds that their entire house is now missing. A neighbour comes over and tells him that a giant dragon poked its feet through the floor of their house and walked off with it. The father tracks down their house and asks the dragon to return their house, to which his wife joins in the request (finally acknowledging the existence of the dragon), to which the dragon agrees and puts their house and then begins to shrink back to its original size. The moral of this story is that when we avoid and deny our fears they only get bigger and scarier. 

The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.
Proverbs 29:25

In the closing book of the Bible, Christ is introduced to His frail and fearful first century audience by telling them fear not!    

¶ When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead. But He laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 
Rev. 1:17

And then His Revelation closes with the best reason ever for not ever being afraid of the dragon again.

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Revelation 12:9

And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
Revelation 20:2

It is my prayer for you that whatever dragons you’ve been afraid of, that you will now get a revelation that Christ is greater, grander and more glorious than any dragon! With your eyes fixed on Christ and your heart set on walking after Him by faith, you no longer have to be a slave to your fears and you can now live with the constant assurance that God is your heavenly father who has adopted you as His child – and He is the kind of Daddy who always looks after His children!

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Romans 8:15

 Your pastor,

Andrew