Not for Wimps
When Barnabas went to the new Greek speaking congregation in Antioch he urged them to "remain true to the Lord with all their hearts."If I were a new convert, I would be nervous if I received an admonition like "Stay true with all your heart...."
Faith is not for wimps.
Paul has given the Corinthians quite a work-over. He's had to confront them about immorality, divisions, abuse of the Lord's Supper and a number of other things. One would expect a gentle and encouraging ending, something like: "Hang in there, I know it's been a bit rough, but we'll get there..."
Not Paul! Here's what he says:
| Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love. (1Corinthians16:13-14) |
Wow - there's a wake up call!
Be on your guard - there's danger out there!
Stand firm in the faith - there's temptations that will make you wobble!
Be Courageous - there's scary stuff out there
Be Strong - there's opposition out there that will defeat the weak.
Do everything in love - because sometimes people will drive you to want to do otherwise
Unfortunately "Mainstream" Christianity has become soft. Whether it's the prosperity gospel or the privilege of a modern consumer society, but we are not resilient anymore. We want the kind of Christianity offered by some of the preachers we see on TV: "Come to Jesus and all your problems are over. You'll be healthy and wealthy (but maybe not wise). You'll always get a parking place and always have money."
Christians who buy into this complain about uncomfortable seats in church and sermons that go five minutes overtime. They are easily discouraged and become disgruntled when things don't go their way. They'll easily skip church saying: "I don't like those new/old songs..." or "the preacher just isn't on my wavelength..." or "I just don't get on with so and so..."
The reality is that we are called to courageous Christianity. Christians don't always have perfect health. Their cars don't always start. In fact, they may be targeted and ridiculed by fellow students or business associates. They may become targets of bullies and thugs. They may become victims of crime and face temptations. They may face health and financial setbacks. They are marked as "enemy" by Satan and his kingdom of darkness. There is a battle and we're in it!
Being the church can be hard, we have to face our brokenness and courageously love one another standing firm against that which would derail us from our mission and purpose.
A modern day preacher might have "cut his losses" with the church in Corinth, but not Paul. He perseveres and calls them to do the same.
Christianity is not for Wimps!
