Here is the list of actions. I've blanked one out; let's see if you can guess what it is.
But the _______, unbelievers, vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire.
Since salvation is a gift based on God's grace and comes to us only through belief and through no merit of our own, the list above is clearly stating that anyone whose life is typified by such actions doesn't truly believe in Jesus.
So what is the one action I blanked out? Is it being a thief? A greedy person? An addict? No, none of those. The person who starts the list of those who the Bible says will go to the lake of fire for eternity, who are not saved, is the coward.
Cowards? Really?
- When was the last time you heard a sermon on not being a coward?
Yet the Bible lists it as one of the eight sins for which, if you are typified by them, you are guaranteed to be condemned. It isn't just on the list; it starts the list.
Notice that everything on the list, except for cowardice, is a definable thing. Lying is telling something that is not the truth. A murderer takes another's life without justification. But what defines cowardice? Cowardice is disobeying God's commands because of fear. For instance, if a person refuses to stand up against abortion because they're worried about losing their job or being unpopular — that's cowardice. It doesn't necessarily make one a coward if it doesn't typify one's life, but if fear for one's reputation keeps them from standing up for helpless babies in the womb, that person might want to take a serious assessment of their life and wonder if they're a coward.
I remember committing a cowardly act while preaching to a large crowd in Asia many years ago. It was in a poor, high-crime area, and several thousand people came to hear the message on salvation. We had a great altar call, and many people came forward to publicly place their faith in Christ. As I was down in the crowd praying for people, an older woman came hob- bling toward me, supported by a teenage girl. "Preacher," the girl said, "my grandma is crippled, and she wants you to ask God to heal her."
I wasn't "that kind" of preacher. I had no idea what to do. The old woman, who clearly didn't speak English, just stood there, smiling hopefully. The young girl politely stood several yards away while I got on my knees to pray.
My heart went out to the woman and her granddaughter who'd come to hear the gospel, but I was really at a loss of what to do. "Lord," I prayed, "You and I both know I don't have any idea what to do right now. But if You don't heal this lady, You and I are really going to look stupid. Would You heal her despite my inadequacy? Don't withhold a miracle from her because of my unworthiness." (That's exactly what I prayed.)
She leaped away from me and started screaming and praising God. She started bouncing and dancing, far more than anyone her age should have been able to. It attracted a crowd — and I got away from there. I hopped onstage and walked into the back where no one else could ask for a miracle.
Even though the Lord had shown He would do something amazing despite my inadequacy, my faith failed. Days later, I realized that He may have been ready to pour out His Spirit in an unbelievable way. We may have seen miracles beyond imagination — I'll never know, because I walked away. I kept thinking of that hopeful look on her face and was relieved that she hadn't been disappointed, but I was unwilling to risk it again. My faith was too little and pride too much, such that I didn't realize the obvious, which was that someone's healing was completely up to Him. All He was asking was that I obey and act as His vessel — and I walked away.
It was an act of cowardice, and many people may have been robbed of a blessing because of me. Am I a coward? No. But I definitely needed to repent of cowardice and pray for those who may have lost out on a blessing because of my inaction.
- Courage is the opposite of cowardice and similarly vague. Courage is obeying God's commands despite fear.
Courage is valuing obedience to God's Word more than whatever the consequences from the world might be. In fact, the more fear one has, yet obeys anyway, the more courage one displays.
When I was serving on the Los Angeles Police Department, I noticed that character separated the good police officers from the bad ones. But it was courage that separated the good officers from the great ones. We had a saying on the LAPD about cowardly officers: they were first in line to eat and last in line to die.
The most repeated command in the Bible is to not fear. It's a command, not a suggestion. But can we actually control whether we are fearful? Yes. God doesn't command something that is impossible to obey. Controlling fear comes through exercising courage.
- The more one obeys God's Word, despite fear, the less control fear has.
Soon a mature believer finds that the things that once seemed intimidating are now invigorating. It can be scary to share the good news of Jesus to a stranger, but after one does it several times, fear turns to excitement. Sharing your faith turns from a chore to a delight.
- Tim Dunn, conversation with author, September 10, 2021.
Excerpted with permission from A Daring Faith in a Cowardly World by Ken Harrison, copyright Ken Harrison.
*
No comments:
Post a Comment