By Pastor Greg
One particular character has always been a favorite of mine. Can you guess who it is? There is actually a quiz that helps you discover which Wizard of Oz character you are. I kid you not. I took the test. Guess who I am? Go on, guess!
I’m the cowardly lion. I need a little courage. “What makes a King out of a slave? Courage! What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! What makes the elephant charge his tusk, in the misty mist or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder?
Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got? Courage”. What did the Apostle’s have that we ain’t got? Courage. You can say that again.
Since its beginning, the world has been against the Church; against those who are followers of Christ. Only moments after the Holy Spirit filled the early followers of Christ and only moments after they began preaching, people have been telling the church to sit down and shut up. (Read Acts 4:1-29)
With the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Church is born. And the moment it is born, the church gets to work; boldly proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah. But do you see how quickly the persecution began? In just a matter of days, Peter and John were being told to sit down and shut up.
How do you suppose Peter and John felt during this trial? I imagine their hearts were racing and they were a bit nervous. But instead of complaining about what happened; instead of hiring a lawyer to protect them, and instead of marching down the street claiming to be the victims of government abuse, this early church prays. They thank God for their trial and for the opportunity He gave them to stand and proclaim Christ. Then, to top it off, they ask for more boldness. “And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word”. (Acts 4:29).
One of the key foundations of this early Church was their courage. And I’m not talking about being aggressive. Courage is doing what needs to be done or what should be done even when the heart is still trembling and full of fear. Courage is not being blind to the threat, but knowing that there is something far more important at stake. Courage is taking the step forward fully realizing the consequence. These believers did not ask for fire from heaven to destroy the enemy, but for power from heaven to preach the word and heal the sick.
Can you imagine if Peter and John had gone back to their room whining and crying about what they had to endure? “God, this is too much!” They hate us, they called us names, and they won’t let us speak about you! Lord, remove those who oppose us so our job will be easier”. If we were to stumble across a prayer like this in the Bible, it would look all wrong; completely out of place. Well, there actually is a prayer like this. Jeremiah complains to God one day that all the people hate him and that no one listens to his preaching. And instead of going “There, there Jeremiah. Don’t cry. Let Me see if I can smite all those nasty, bad people who make your job so difficult’, God says “If racing against mere men makes you tired, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thickets near the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5). God looks at Jeremiah and says, “You call that hard? Show a little backbone for Pete’s sake! Show a little courage”.
I think this would be God’s reply to the Church in America today.
Over and over again we are told how the secular world is making life difficult for the Church. The Atheists and even our own government seem to be against Christians and the Church. We are up in arms when a Church is denied the same basic freedoms that other organizations have. And with the way Christian morals and values are marginalized, the Church acts as if it is the most persecuted minority in this nation. I know. It sure seems that way. And this might just be true. It sure seems the leaders of this nation are trying to eliminate any symbol, reference, and teaching that happens to reflect Christianity. So what are we to do? How should a Christian react to being marginalized; to being told they cannot teach, preach, and pray anywhere except within the confines of their building? What if the government even starts telling us what we can preach and teach in our buildings? So what are we to do? Some Christians think we need to use lawyers to fight our fight for us. But I think the church just needs to get a little backbone; to display some courage when people start telling us what we can teach and preach.
God has always been looking for men and women who have the courage to speak up and stand up when the world tells them to sit down and shut up. God is looking for a Church filled with people of courage; people who don’t ask Him to calm the sea, but to give strength to the sailor. There is a lesson we need to learn from the example we see from this early Church. What should today’s church do when we face those who want to silence our message? Pray, but don’t pray for easy lives, pray to be stronger men and women. Pray for strength to stand when the world demands you sit down. Pray that the Lord might give you His words to speak when told to remain silent. Don’t pray for tasks equal to your abilities; pray that the Lord would grant you the abilities to accomplish the task set before you. Pray for boldness. Pray for courage
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