author: Reinhard Bonnke
translation: Anna Geshele
If we consider the drama of events and courage, then only one section of the history of the life of the church is worth all Hollywood films. Scripture begins with a heroic escape.
Introduction
The main characters of those events, perhaps, did not occupy the main places of the Bible, being meek in their virtue. But their fearless faith nevertheless attracted attention, and God set them apart from others. Of course they were believers (see Hebrews 11:1). All this made them positive heroes, and that’s how we see them. They did not bend to the will of everyone. Undoubtedly, they were exceptional people, but they did not imprint their names on the walls of human history.
In the eyes of God, great people are actually of little importance. Especially if the result of this growth was fame, wealth or power. God recognizes only those who have grown thanks to the best quality – faith. People can be distinguished by faith. In the eyes of God, people full of faith are giants, but good giants, with big hearts, ready to help. Unbelief produces people of little faith who only hide behind the name of Jesus (Matthew 6:30).
2 Kings 4:8 talks about a difficult woman. She was a great woman. Величие ее не в богатстве и не в социальном статусе, а в вере. This story is unprecedented and evokes the kindest feelings, and the reason for this was her courage and faith, which are inseparable.
Faith breeds courage. We remember that the priests and rulers of Jerusalem saw the boldness of Peter and John (Acts 4:13). Everyone saw their fearlessness. The judges of Israel were amazed at the open and fearless faith of these simple fishermen from Galilee and the confidence with which they approached the court, and which only kings possessed when issuing decrees. The Bible is a book of courage, not servility. And the final warning of this book is addressed to the fearful and unfaithful (Revelation 21:8). Scripture portrays us as courageous people who dared to go where no one else dared to go and do what no one else dared to do. Would you say they were extremists? Yes, that’s true. It was the extremists who changed the world.
Abraham, Moses and David (1)
The first man mentioned in this book who showed courage is Noah. But let’s leave it and remember Abraham. God revealed a fantastic idea to him. He had to leave his old life, his home, his family, and let God lead him from place to place. He was to become a pioneer of a new order in the world, such was his destiny. In that cruel age, when the world was more like a jungle with wild animals, he needed to have extraordinary courage compared to Columbus, who traveled to the West. Of course, at first the founder only ventured on part of this plan, taking his family with him, and went to Harran. There they settled for a while, but this was not his destination. Urged by God, Abraham left the path of doubt and became the father of all who believe (Romans 4:11).
My next Biblical hero is Moses. Thinking about what he did makes me break out in a cold sweat. His courage in leading thousands of families from prosperous Egypt to a barren land cannot be measured. With amazing boldness, Moses fled from the power that captured the slaves. Even Egypt couldn’t believe it! It was complete madness. It seemed that he was walking towards death. The strategists of Greater Egypt cannot be compared with such a plan. Moses left no way for retreat; he and his people trusted God completely. Nothing that belonged to them was to remain in Egypt: “not a hoof would be left” (Exodus 10:26). A person can allow himself to be like this when he is led by God Himself.
Abraham, Moses and David (2)
Continuing to talk about courage, David comes to mind. The unforgettable battle between David and Goliath is reminiscent of a Charlie Chaplin movie. Boy versus giant. A Goliath at David’s age could probably kill a whole herd of elephants. In fact, we are talking about something else here: the giant provoked all the heavenly forces and they rolled like thunder from the sky, endowing the stone that flew at Goliath with enormous power. Faith lets go of the power that inspires fear.
Где бы я ни упоминал о Давиде, он всегда импульсивный, стремительный, влиятельный, способный взять Израиль в руки и придать ему желаемую форму. He remembers the sins he committed, but managed to use this to achieve a new understanding of what God is. Psalm 51 speaks precisely of his deep repentance and fulfillment of faith. Then he, like no one else, understood that God exudes streams of love and mercy, and not the inviolable greatness of the Fire of Sinai.
David did not do anything halfway. He raised the spiritual level of Israel with great success through innovations in worship. He trusted God and loved Him most. David’s greatest ambition was to build a temple to praise the Lord. Wealth flowed into his vaults, but he used it to build an altar of unparalleled beauty. No, King David did not give a stingy tenth, but the best hundred percent: the best temple, the best music, the best praise and the best gifts. David was brave in battles and generous in gifts. He was never one to waste time on trifles. His bold and public glorification of God even somewhat shocked his wife.
These three biblical examples of courage showed how faith gives boldness to people. They shocked the world with their extraordinary actions. Then the courage of these people was repeated from generation to generation by millions and became the norm. The gospel inspired unprecedented deeds, sacrifices and generosity. Royal wars, noble motives, commercial projects – all of them were left behind by the boldness of the believers of the army of Christ. The Church was ahead of and outlived the world in everything. I think God is proud of our actions.
Courage and Christianity are inseparable
Millions have abandoned caution for the sake of the Gospel. Although we do not quote many of them, for example, Luther, Tyndale, Wycliffe, Livingstone, Wigglesworth. That courage characterizes believers does not require proof. Courage and Christianity are inseparable. When the first disciples left everything and followed Jesus, they set an example for an endless stream of followers who gave themselves completely to God. Then they sang: “We will leave everything for Jesus!”
The Pharisees at the same time gave their tenth, carefully measuring, weighing, counting so as not to give more. Forgetting about money, Jesus gave everything in unlimited quantities, urging people to forget about themselves and their passions, which had already surpassed love for parents and family.
Those who met Jesus along the way became infected with it. Zacchaeus spent an hour with Jesus, and his stony heart began to exude unprecedented generosity. I think that many today would have stopped him from being too enthusiastic, but Jesus did not stop him. Remember how one woman anointed His feet with ointment and He protected her (Luke 7:38). In Bethany, another woman poured it on His head and completely emptied the alabaster vessel of precious myrrh. (Matthew 26:6). Although the contents of this vessel were the most expensive item, she did not think that she was doing too much. Nothing can be too much when it comes to love, or about God. The woman kept nothing for herself, just like the widow who sacrificed her last. Many are still puzzled that Jesus blessed these seemingly excessive giving. But His style of life is such that He pushes out all kinds of egoism. Jesus wanted the world to be filled with sincere people who are willing to serve and give without thinking about the cost.
The concept of boldness comes from God. After all, He is like that himself. We know that God is not exhausted by giving, and we continue to be amazed at how He can remain an example of courageous sacrifice or action. Risk is not inherent in Him. What brave thing can He do? He committed the most wonderful and courageous, at the same time, the most incomprehensible act for us. God is love, and love makes us vulnerable and open to attack. His boundless love was accordingly subject to stronger blows. And that’s what happened. God gave everything he had. He gave His Son and He was crucified. “This is love, not that we loved God, but He loved us and sent the Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
The Bible is a book of complete trust in God; it does not give rise to caution and indecision. In Greece, a wise person was considered to be one who adhered to the golden mean in everything. But it’s not like that with God. “But because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). God is not looking for people who show restraint, but He is looking for those who have loved Him so much that there is no longer room for restraint in them.
Showing Courage
Let’s take a closer look at how courage manifests itself.
Courageous devotion. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:26). It is clear that no one in their right mind would hate their entire family, especially since the fifth commandment states, and Christ Himself spoke about this, that we must love even our enemies. Here Jesus is saying that devotion to Him should take precedence over devotion to our loved ones and to ourselves.
Смелое служение. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1). The two preceding verses (Romans 11:35-36) make the sacrifice itself look pitiful and base. “Or who gave Him advance, that He should repay? For all things are from Him, by Him and to Him. To him be glory forever, amen.”
Serving God cannot be on the same list as our other interests. Service is the purpose of life. This is not something we can do in our free time, or when we are tired of our immediate activities. Whatever we do, we must continue to serve. Jesus is passionate about making sure that his people are courageous and not those who constantly put off what matters most.
Bold generosity. We see this already in the early gospel stories, but it became the norm in those parts of the world where the apostles preached. An example would be a group of pagans who collected money for Christians in Judea. “For they are willing according to their strength and beyond their strength – I am a witness: they very convincingly asked us to accept the gift and their participation in serving the saints; and not only what we hoped for, but they gave themselves, firstly, to the Lord, then to us, according to the will of God. And just as you abound in everything…so also abound in this virtue” (2 Corinthians 8:3-7). The Corinthians were distinguished by their special inspiration, service, and gifts of mercy, but there was another gift that they had to develop in themselves – this was the transfer of everything that was available for the work of God.
Finally, in my discussion of courage, I came to the story of the weak King Joash going to the dying prophet Elisha. And Elisha prophesied to him to take his bow and arrows and strike the ground. The king did this two or three times, not trusting what was said. Elisha became angry and ordered to strike the prescribed five or six times so that the power of Aram, the enemy of Israel, would be completely defeated. When he struck for the last time, it was revealed to everyone who King Joash really was. He could never defeat Israel’s enemies. There was no greatness or courage in him.
There is almost no place in the Bible for those who hesitate and never have the courage to take a step toward faith. They are all dead. “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11). Before us is a land of victory where everyone can become outstanding in the eyes of God. Remember: “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). Unbelief turns an outstanding something into an outstanding nothingness. Faith turns an unremarkable person into an outstanding person of God. Будьте смелыми, сильными, а Господь Бог ваш пребудет с вами вечно.
Source: slavabogu.ucoz.ru
