We
mention many qualities of the character that God wants to produce in our lives
as followers of Jesus. One that is not mentioned as part of the fruit of the
Spirit in Galatians 5, but I am finding as I grow older is increasingly
essential, is courage.
As
a young man I thought that I was invincible. I really thought that I was not
going to be harmed by doing risky things, but as I grew older & hopefully
wiser, I realized that there were things that could harm and even kill me. So,
to be honest, in my older years I back off doing risky things. But now I
believe that one of the things God is calling us a Jesus’ followers to do is to
risk for the kingdom, and to do that, we need godly courage.
When
we think of courage, we usually think of David as he faced Goliath or Daniel in
the lion’s den or Paul facing hostile crowds.
But
I want to focus on three men in Scripture who many times get overlooked.
The
first man is Andrew who was not afraid to bring things to Jesus.
John
1:40-41
One
of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s
brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the
Messiah” (which means the Christ). He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him
and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which
means Peter).
Andrew
brings his brother Peter to Jesus.
John
6:8-9
One
His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here
with five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
He
brings a boy with a lunch to Jesus. Jesus uses both Peter and the boy’s lunch
to change people’s lives.
We
need to have the courage to bring what we have to Jesus. We and others may not
view what we have to bring as being very valuable or being something that Jesus
can use, but we need to have the courage to bring everything to Jesus. Jesus is
powerful to use everything we bring to Him.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is about bringing everything we have to Jesus.
The
second man is Barnabas who was not afraid to stand up for someone who others
were not sure about.
Acts
9:26-27
And
when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they
were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But
Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on
the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had
preached boldly in the name of the Lord.
Many
time when Jesus transforms a person, others are skeptical of the change that
the person claims to have happened. In Paul’s case they may have been afraid
that Paul was lying so he could find and harm more followers of Jesus. Barnabas
had the courage to believe that Jesus had changed Paul and brought him to the
apostles. This allowed Jesus to use Paul to take the gospel to the Gentiles and
change the world.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is about believing that Jesus can and does change
people and welcoming those people into the body of Christ and allowing Jesus to
use them to build His kingdom.
The
third man is Philip who was not afraid to go anywhere God directed him to go.
Acts
8:4-5
Now
those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the
city of Samaria and proclaimed to them Christ.
Acts
8:26
Now
an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that
goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.
When
persecution is brought against the church in Jerusalem the believers are
scattered and Philip is directed to go to Samaria and proclaim Jesus to them.
The Samaritans were hated by the Jews so it was risky for Philip to do this.
God brings revival through Philip’s preaching. Then Philip is directed by God
to go to the middle of nowhere and in the midst of a great revival, Philip
obeys and goes.
When
we decide there are places or people that we will not go to so we can share
Jesus, then we are being disobedient to Jesus and limiting what He can use us
to do (we are not limiting Jesus).
We
need to be so available to Jesus that wherever and whenever and to whomever He
tells us to go, we obey and go.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is about going wherever and to whomever Jesus
tells us to go.
Courage
is not not being fearful; it is, in our fear, still obeying what Jesus tells
us. It is an act of the will, not of our emotions.
With Godly Courage
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
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