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One of our readers this past week became the one millionth to read this Blog since its launch on this Web Site back on January 28, 2014. While one million is small potatoes in the blog universe, having been a pastor that considered six people in Sunday service a good day during one of the lowest points in my ministry, I fully appreciate all that turn aside each week to read what the Lord has given me to write. To God be the glory! It is exactly because I have been around churches a long time that I am able as the Lord leads to write about what I have seen and heard as I do in another post this week on character featuring an edited 2011 Commentary.
Originally Published August 2011
Serving the Lord and His churches over the past thirty years I have found a troubling lack of consistent courage among too many leaders in standing for the truth and righteousness of God's Word. Many of these men--pastors and denominational leaders--will stand firm and even get ugly defending or protecting concerns for which they have a personal stake. However, in the face of potential suffering for taking a stand for God's Word, I have seen no small number wimp out as a matter of course.1 While I also have had my instances of failed courage standing for God's Word, spiritual and moral timidity among men appears to be rife and growing in our churches and nation today.
Next month Sherwood Pictures, the Christian film studio operated by Sherwood Baptist Church of Albany, Georgia and producers of the greatly acclaimed Fireproof, will release another excellent picture focusing on men, Courageous. The movie weaves together the lives of four police officers and one Hispanic construction worker. It opens with an incredible display of courage by a black officer. After tragedy strikes the family of one of the white officers, the men begin meeting to challenge themselves to a higher standard of commitment to their families and character. Their commitments are tested requiring each to live up to the courage of his commitment. One of the men does fail.
I highly recommend Courageous be seen by men (especially with their families) most importantly for its attempt to restore the sense of honor that used to attend the display of courage by men on and off battlefields. Important also (in light of my July 2011 Commentary)2 is the film’s intentional effort to show white, black and brown men equally called upon to display the character trait of courage. The film does not sugar coat the reality that acting in the courage of your convictions may cost you as I have painfully experienced in my years of ministry. Even so, when the conviction one has is of the cause, truth and righteousness of Christ in God's Word, I am learning it is worth it.
Courage is defined in Webster's Dictionary as "the ability to face danger without fear." Lack of courage has caused many of the leaders I have known over the years not to stand with or help me in my ministry for fear of exposure as spiritual frauds or hypocrites, the loss of jobs, comfortable lives etc. while knowing my work and message are biblically solid. The Bible is filled with examples of men that stood in the courage of their convictions, suffered for it, but were rewarded by God. Among them are Joseph who would not commit adultery (Genesis 39, 41:38-45), David who slew Goliath (1 Samuel 17:26-51), Daniel who defied a king (Daniel 6) and Christ, death (John 2:18-22).
The aspiring strong man of God will be taught courage by Him as a matter of building into us the character of Christ. Indeed, courage is one of twelve character traits of Christ I write about in The Strong Man Of God: Back To Basics that God forms in willing Christian men through the crucible of painful life experiences.3 This is why it has been so troubling to me about the many pastors and leaders I have encountered that have lacked not only the courage of conviction, but other basic character traits of Christ such as humility, obedience, faithfulness, zeal and integrity. The Bible is clear; God does not give any of His true sons a pass on possessing the character of Christ.4
It is God’s express will that we be “conformed to the image of His Son,” (Romans 8:29, NKJV). Christ’s character is also the purposeful mission of His discipline in our lives (Hebrews 12:3-11; 2 Peter 1:1-8). So, either the spiritually timid men I speak of have been outright religious impostors or they are stubbornly resisting God's character building program which the apostle Peter indicates is not at all a good thing (2 Peter 1:9-11). This resistance is no doubt a major reason so many of our leaders fall into sin bringing shame upon themselves, Christ and His Church. It is also why so many of the men under them in the churches rise no higher in the faith than they have.
The courage of conviction and boldness to speak or act accordingly comes from the Lord and is to characterize the lives of His aspiring strong men as we “stand fast” in Him (Acts 4:13-31; 2 Thessalonians 2:15, NKJV).5 Unless professed Christian men do step up in droves aspiring to be strong men of God in the image of Christ that possess among their character traits His courage, American Christianity will continue its slide into irrelevance. Unprepared to stand fast in the severely trying days shortly ahead, many will be destroyed in the cowardice of apostasy (Matthew 10:24-33, 13:20-21; Revelation 14:9-13, 21:7-8). Not so God’s aspiring strong men (Hebrews 10:38-39)! The risen, living Christ continues His cry among American churches, "Who is on the Lord's side?"
1 See the August 9, 2015 repost, Silent Endorsers Of Evil under the category, The Faith.
2 This Commentary, Biblical Equality And Equity, was posted July 5, 2015 under the category, Call To Repent.
3 My book and the companion instructional resource, The Strong Man Of God Men’s Group Study are both available in the Strong Man Store.
4 Read the January 28, 2018 post, Character Is Required Of Christian Men and Men Of Integrity posted on January 6, 2019 both under the category, Instruction.
5 See the November 25, 2018 post, Standing In The Evil Day, under the category, Encouragement.
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