In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. –Matthew 5:16
In his book, Fearless Faith, author John Fischer writes,
“Many Christians count too much on the comfort of a Christian environment for the maintenance of their faith. They depend on the familiar surroundings of church, fellowship and Christian activity to help bolster their faith, as if somehow they could get it by osmosis. They don’t interact with the environment as much as they blend in with it. But faith does not seep through the skin. It begins in the heart, and it is strengthened by the challenges placed upon it by a real and complex world. Home is where we are a light in the darkness—a house on a rock in the storm, a lamp on a stand, a city on a hill. Christians grow by being in a place where faith is at risk. This is, in fact, what cultivates a fearless faith.”
Our faith is designed to be fearless, operating in the real world, not hidden away, safely within the four walls of our local churches. We may be ridiculed and persecuted. But, as Fischer aruges, it is when we put out faith at risk that our faith can grow stronger. Jesus is the model for fearless faith. He hung out with the kinds of people most Christians in our day would not. Jesus words still apply today. "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."
Choose to take the road towards fearless faith. Start where you are. Befriend, love, and serve your peers, your neighbors and your community. Be a light that shines in the darkness and the world will take notice and understand that God is still at work today.
GOING DEEPER:
- What evidence in your life suggests that you have isolated yourself from those who don’t know Christ?
- Are you willing to develop a friendship with a non-Christian peer or neighbor so that you can be used by God in their life?
FURTHER READING: Matthew 9:9-13; Luke 7:34-47; Matthew 5:13-16; John 17:14-19
This was the topic of our Kingdom Heroes Bible Study this week: RISK.
In a couple of weeks' time, we will be hosting our second annual Trunk or Treat. Am I a little nervous about this? Of course, I am! I am nervous because it is a risk. It's putting ourselves out there. It's inviting our community in.
I'm pleased to report that we have a handful of community "trunkers" and volunteers that want to join us: the Fire Department, Volunteers in Police Service, the Boy Scouts, Rotacare, and a law firm so far.
It is our chance to "be the light" and share God's love with our guests. Please pray and consider how you can be involved on that day. We need people to sit at the Welcome Table, be greeters, run the games/activities, host a trunk, give out the food, sing music, take photos, pray with people, and so much more. This is going to be an evangelistic effort on our part.
Let's shine for Jesus!
AnnMarguerite Jones