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Believers Are Failing To Be Bold

by Dr. Henderson Ward  
6/10/2017 / Christian Living

The plain truth is that I do not have any confidence that humanity will right itself even if you set before it the most indisputable right direction. I am not a cynic, and I make no apology to anyone for seeing things as they are even if by saying so some people are offended. This world is going to hell, has been on that horrendous pathway for some time, and the only thing that believers can do, is as Paul says, “by all means save some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Christianity is, has always been, and will remain forever a minority religion. In case we are branded as exclusive and isolationist we should be reminded of how the Bible puts it. “...for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

It is useless trying to save the world, or humanity, or what ever notion you have that encompasses all the people of the world. People are not lost because they are ignorant of the truth, or that they have never heard the true gospel of Jesus Christ, or they are unaware that salvation is come into the world and is available for all. People cling to wrong notions, live ungodly and destructive lives even when they know that they are destroying themselves.

Like an uncle of mine who from a young age used to smoke cigarettes almost non-stop, and would boldly declare, “I know these cigarettes will kill me, but heck, you only live once.” He is now dead, and suffered from a host of non-communicable diseases, but miraculously reached the age of 88 years.

They are people today who are living abominable lifestyles that they know, just like my uncle, will shorten their life or will expose them to horrendous maladies, but continue on the same path nonetheless.

The Frenchman Jean-Jacques Rousseau said: "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." This is certainly true today and the chains are not physical, but mental. We have become slaves to systems, to ideology and to slogans and stereotypes, and often we are not even aware that such is the case.

The truth is, that none of that troubles me too much because the world has different standards to believers, and in this sense everyone who is not saved is part of this world. The Holy Spirit, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, has been calling a select group out of the world, away from the norms of society to faith and obedience to Almighty God.

I therefore expect that believers, blood washed, sanctified and totally committed to God would be different. Believers should never be quiet, and spineless, in the face of the most horrid attacks on the principles and teaching of the Holy Bible.

It is okay for believers to have different views, and different attitudes to things that are considered minor, but the essential doctrines, the clear teachings of the Bible should be defended boldly, and without equivocation.

Believers, throughout history, have given their lives for the defence of the gospel. True believers today would rather die than deny the truth of the gospel. Paul defended the gospel all through his ministry, so too did the other apostles, and here is how one told us to act, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” (Jude 1:3)

Today, like never before, the Bible, and indeed Christian values, are being undermined all around us, and many believers are refusing to stand up and fight for the cause of Jesus Christ.

There is a tide of populism sweeping the world, an ungodly cacophony of secular voices that will stop at nothing until they destroy everything decent and sacred in the world. Their joy is to tear down, to trample underfoot, to bring humanity to its knees by any means whatsoever. They have no regard for moral landmarks, they delight in anarchy, warfare, hatred, and putting people against each other. To them love is for wimps, cooperation is for losers, helping the needy is for the naive, and may the devil take the hindmost.

When people like these, people who don’t believe in right and wrong, have no guiding principles but their own selfishness and lust, then society is in for a ghastly time.

Again I say that this does not cause me any great concern. From a bad tree you get bad fruit, from a polluted spring you get impure water, and evil flowing from evil shouldn’t raise your eyebrows.

But when believers join this ungodly cacophony then I shudder. Believers are different, aren’t they?

The crisis in the church is a crisis of boldness, a failure to stand up and be counted, a failure to stand by God’s word no matter what the skeptics are saying.

Christianity has never been about popularity, it has always been about doing right.

Jesus Christ, in refusing to go along with the stoning to death of the woman caught in the act of adultery, did what was right, not what was popular.

The Good Samaritan, in stopping and helping the wounded man, did what was right, not what was popular.

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down and worship the golden image, putting their lives in jeopardy, they did it because it was right not because it was popular.

The Apostle Paul could have let Peter get away with his discrimination when Jews were gathered with Gentiles (Galatians 2:11-12), but he acted, not because it was popular, but because it was right.

Believers need to get serious and remember that you can do wrong things, that is a sin of commission, and you can also sin by not doing the right thing, that is a sin of omission. Both in God’s sight are failing to live up to your calling in Jesus Christ.

Some believers fall back on the old mantras, “well nobody is perfect” and “we all sin” and when these do not work then they are quick with “judge not that ye be not judged”. All of these mantras are true if understood in their proper context, but they should never be used for an excuse for failure to be bold.

It is one of our human frailties, and believers are sometimes the same, that we like making excuses for our failure to act because we are unsure of what will happen to us. If I helped him/her what will my friends say, what will my boss think, what will my neighbours think, what will my colleagues say.

It is my belief that God never lets us be in the wrong place, except that he has given us the grace, and the opportunity, to act on his behalf to remedy the situation.

Believers are God’s ambassadors on earth, and we need to act boldly, day by day, to represent Him. We are to stand for peace, love, justice and the kingdom of heaven even in the face of stiff opposition, because it is right to do so, it is our sacred duty, and we shall succeed because, “...greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

Enough said.

Books by this author you may wish to read.

BASTARD: A STORY OF REDEMPTION (e-book fiction)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006OF3SD6

STAND UP TO THE DEVIL  (e-book)
Volume 1 – You must first identify him
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005BQVLSS

THINGS EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD KNOW (e-book)
Volume 1 – Five tough facts to be faced
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YX5NSI

Dr. Henderson Ward received his Doctor of Divinity in theology, with distinction, from Masters International School of Divinity, USA, where he is currently a post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Ward's career involved pastoring, evangelism, and teaching. Copyright 2017

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