Profiles in Courage

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Profiles in Courage
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Spiritually, What Would You Do during this Year
Spent Overseas?

• You are a young person who goes overseas to study
  for a full year at a foreign University.
• There is a small church there, but it is a
  two-hour trip from where you are staying.
• None of the Christians there speak English, and
  you do not speak any of their language.
• Nobody will report your activity or habits to
  anyone in the U.S. who would know you.

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Joseph
Courage

• His was like your situation, except
• He was forced into slavery in a foreign land.
• There were none, Egyptian or otherwise, who held
  faith in the true God. He was the lone believer.
• No one who cared about his faith knew he was
  alive.
• Who in Egypt cared if he quit the Lord?
• Yet He always did the godly thing, even if it
  destroyed all the progress he had made in his
  life.

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Considering What is at Stake, How Do You Handle
This?

• You are always in attendance at worship Bible
  study, an excellent teacher, showing love for
  others, a natural leader. Brethren consider you
  an example of what every Christian should hope to
  be.
• You have a good job that you enjoy.
• You have been promoted and are highly respected
  by your colleagues and supervisors.
• A sudden change in policy requires you to cease
  your faithful example (reducing your influence
  and respect among brethren) or lose your job.
• Other Christians in your workplace quietly go
  along with this new policy and keep their jobs,
  hoping things will soon change back.

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Stephen
Courage

• His was like your situation, except
• A highly respected inspirational Christian,
  Stephen was arrested, brought before a High Court
  and charged with serious crime that carried
  life-changing (even life-ending) consequences.
• If he softened his preaching and lived a quiet
  Christian life, he probably would have released
  with little consequence, except the one of a
  diminished spiritual example.
• Yet he refused to compromise his works of Faith,
  boldly (accurately) charging the High Court with
  sin.

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• You have lived in the same part of the country
  for all 65 years of your life. Your relatives
  are all within easy driving distance. Youve
  never planned to move.
• One day, you receive a letter from Idaho.

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• Dear your name,
• We are a small church in Idaho in need of your
  help. None of us has been a Christian for very
  long, and we desperately need a faithful, wise
  Christian to help bring stability and maturity to
  our little congregation.
• Weve contacted others, but no one will come to
  us. We hear you are a faithful and respected
  Christian. Would you and your spouse move here
  to strengthen us in the Faith?
• You dont have to preach or teach. All we need is
  someone with a mature, consistent example to
  worship and serve among us. If you come, we
  believe great things will happen for the Lord in
  our region of the country.

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What is Your Response to the Letter?

• You have lived in the same part of the country
  for all 65 years of your life. Your relatives
  are all within easy driving distance. Youve
  never planned to move.
• One day, you receive a letter begging you to move
  to Idaho in order to strengthen and help
  establish a small, lone group of Christians.
• This is in IDAHO, and requires a commitment of at
  least several years in order to be successful.

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Abraham
Courage

• His was like your situation, except
• Abe was 75 years old, living among his relatives,
  when God told him to leave and travel far away.
• God did not tell him where he would end up.
• It was to be for the rest of his life.
• He knew of no faithful group awaiting his
  arrival.
• Yet he took his wife, possessions and went.
• At 75, he gave up a familiar, secure life for a
  life far away with fresh struggles and challenges.

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Do you recognize events in your life that require
authentic, gritty Courage?

• Courage is only needed when something I value is
  threatened.
• Courageous ones profiled in the Bible sometimes
  saw marvelous blessings as a result of their
  Courage, but sometimes faced worldly consequences
  for their faithfulness (Stephen).
• True Courage does what God says is Right,
  accepting any risks that come with faithful
  action.

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Inspirations for Courage

• Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
  the conviction of things not seen and without
  faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who
  comes to God must believe that He is and that He
  is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews
  111ff)
• Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of
  witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside
  every encumbrance and the sin which so easily
  entangles us, and let us run with endurance the
  race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on
  Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.
  (Hebrews 121 2)

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What is the Profile of Your Courage?

• If facing no spiritual accountability
• If consistent faithfulness and example threaten
  livelihood or lifestyle
• If obedience brings unwanted change

• Are you a Joseph?
• Are you a Stephen?
• Are you an Abraham?