Sounding the Call: An Invitation for Courageous Christianity
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Faithfulness to God requires exercising courage. The Biblical witness recounts the stories of God’s people acting courageously in the face of injustice and corruption. In moments of despair and oppression, the Scriptures show God's people speaking and acting with courage. When all seems lost for God’s covenant people, he raises up leaders who obey his calling and participate in his mission. In times of persecution, the people of God, empowered by God’s Spirit, actively wait on God before standing against the powers and principalities of this world. Throughout Scripture, the Living Word bears witness to God’s “perfect love that casts out all fear,” and enables his people to test the spirits and discern God’s “good, perfect, and pleasing will.” Today, Jesus calls his disciples to embody and embrace the example of those in the Bible, who courageously obeyed God by answering his calling. Exercising courage means speaking boldly, waiting patiently, obeying willingly, and discerning wisely.
Courage Speaks
October marks one year since I traveled to Chicago, IL, for the installation of Rev. Dr. Joy J. Moore as the president of Northern Seminary. The evening before her inauguration, Northern held a scholarship dinner where she was the keynote speaker. This beautiful night of celebration and worship recounting God’s faithfulness through the ages turned into internal chaos and confusion for those of us who traveled to commemorate Dr. Moore's presidency. Following a delicious dinner, a joyous time of worship, a riveting sermon, and a time of giving, two board members approached the podium and announced Dr. Moore’s departure effective immediately. I left the banquet disoriented, angry, and convinced a grave injustice had occurred. The next day, Northern hosted a service of lament and prayer in place of the presidential inauguration. For me, the service proved to be more perplexing than dinner until someone handed the microphone to Dr. Moore. She stood before us, in the face of board members, faculty, staff, friends, and family, and spoke slowly and deliberately; she refuted the misleading statement the board members made the night before when they said she "discerned she was no longer called" to serve as Northern's president. Eventually, Dr. Moore and Northern released a joint statement. Courageous Christianity requires clear, bold speech in uncertain and turbulent times.
This kind of clear, bold speech is evident throughout the book of Acts as Peter enters public spaces to preach and defend the resurrection of Jesus. He enters the public sphere boldly and courageously. He risks his life, safety, and reputation to defend the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The seeds of faith sown through Peter’s words in the first century continue producing a harvest today well beyond the 10, 30, or 100-fold Jesus promised Peter. It happened as Jesus said it would, but Peter could not fathom the reach of his preaching.
In our own history as Wesleyans, the early Methodist preachers risked their lives to preach the good news. They faced angry mobs and violent threats while field preaching. Naysayers threatened to silence these preachers, but they continued to speak “the plain truth to plain people.” Some sought to suppress the enthusiasm of these “Enthusiasts.” Others mocked their methodical ways of discipleship. Yet, God “raised up a people called Methodist” to spread the message of scriptural holiness throughout the land in the face of public ridicule. Their bold speech changed a nation and centuries later Wesleyans continue reaping the seeds of revival scattered by the earliest Methodist preachers. In Nigeria today, our Christian brothers and sisters face intense persecution—a genocide to eradicate Christians. In the face of death, Nigerian Christians speak boldly and clearly declaring the goodness of God and his faithfulness through all generations. Faithfulness to Jesus Christ requires us to speak boldly and clearly.
Courage Waits
Courageous faith waits. Courageous speech rejects tongue lashings, verbally berating others, and impulsive speech—it is antithetical to the gospel message. God calls us to speak life not death and to speak the truth in love, which requires us to wait on God’s Spirit to prompt us to speak or remain silent. Therefore, living courageously requires waiting as an act of faith and trust in God. As Christians we wait on the Lord, who renews our strength. We wait because we know God “never sleeps or slumbers.” We wait because even when we cannot see it, God moves and acts on our behalf. Our strength rises as we wait upon the Lord. Waiting necessitates strong convictions. Waiting insists on the truth of God’s word, the timing of God’s plan, and confidence in God to act. Those who wait learn to persevere. The faithful, who wait, finish the race and hope against all hope. Faithful Christians stake their livelihood on giving God “just a little longer” when all signs indicate death and defeat. We know God gives the final victory to those willing to hang on for dear life until he accomplishes his word.
Courage calls Christians to wait because waiting epitomizes faith. The Scriptures tell the story of God’s people receiving a calling, acting confidently based on God’s word, and waiting for the fulfillment of God’s covenant. Abraham waited to see his first child and the fulfilment of the promise to become the father of many nations. Noah waited for the floodwaters to rise. Joseph waited two years for God to rescue him from the bowels of prison. The Israelites waited for God to exact the plagues before their deliverance from Egypt. Esther waited through a period of fasting before entering the King’s court. God the Father waited until “the appointed time” to send God the Son. The disciples waited in the Upper Room for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Disciples near and far wait for the return of Jesus and the culmination of God’s ultimate plan of restoration and redemption. God’s people wait. Waiting requires courage to believe and confidence, not wishful thinking, in God to finish his work in his timing. In a culture set on instant gratification, Christian who wait patiently for God to execute his sovereign will embody courage, a sign of faithful discipleship.
Courage Obeys
Courage obeys the calling of God. As a young woman, God called me to serve in youth ministry. I wanted to move to Oklahoma – close enough to drive home in one day and far enough away to say, “I left Kansas.” As graduation neared, jobs came and went, and my dream to move to Oklahoma died as God closed one door after another. Near the end of my summer internship, I began looking further from home. I flew to south Texas and interviewed for a position in the one state I wanted to avoid. I interviewed well, meshed with the youth, and flew home with every intention to accept the position. When the plane landed, my soul felt unsettled. Discomfort and unease replaced God’s peace. I turned down the position without any job options or interviews on the horizon. This appeared absurd to outsiders, but obedience to Jesus superseded the misery of disobedience. A few weeks later, God dropped a youth ministry job in my lap while vacationing in Florida. The place and people changed my life for the better in every way! The moment I stepped into the church building, the peace of God overwhelmed me. As a 21-year-old, it took courage to say no to the only job offer on the table, trust God to lead me to the right position, and move 1,100 miles from home.
Obedience comes at a price. Sometimes it costs our reputation, comfort, image, status, relationships, and dreams. A man building a boat in a desert must be deranged. Old women preparing nurseries must be mad. Life emerging from death is oxymoronic. Is not surrender defeat? Is not dependency weakness and self-sufficiency strength? Jesus said, “Those who love me keep my commands,” and throughout God’s story, he reminds us, “Fear not!” Obedience signifies love and rejects fear. It takes courage to reject a respectable job offer because God says, “No.” It takes courage to end a life-giving relationship because God says, “Not this one.” It takes courage to uproot your family, move to a new city, and answer God’s calling. Courageous people risk the ostracization of colleagues by standing against injustice and unethical behavior in the workplace. God calls us to “be strong and courageous” as we carry his glory into unholy places. We risk mockery, misunderstanding, and ridicule, but greater than this, failing to act in courageous obedience risks the absence of God’s peace in our lives.
Courage Discerns
Finally, faithful Christians practice discernment. Paul tells us, “The same Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you.” Thus, knowing what to speak, how to wait, and when to obey hinges on our ability to discern the Spirit of God from the noise of this world. Like waiting, discernment takes time. Discernment situates itself in a community of faithful disciples pursuing Jesus together. One cannot discern the will of God apart from a community of Christ followers seeking to obey Jesus’ teachings and encouraging one another in love. In John 10, Jesus exhorts us to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd. He goes so far as to say his sheep will not follow the voice of a stranger. Yet, we know, sometimes the voices of the thieves and bandits overpower the voice of the Good Shepherd as we wrestle to discern God’s voice and obey God’s calling.
In the course of Christian history and in our own lives, we know stories of Christians acting zealously, with good, but misguided intentions. We know young, earnest Christians eager to live faithfully before God, but who act unwisely because they lack guidance in discerning God’s voice. We know old, tired Christians who live in complacency. They lack the joy of answering the dynamic calling of God in their lives and need the prodding of the faith community to jar them out of a rote religiosity and stagnation. Those of us in the murky middle-aged years fall prey to mediocrity and comparison amid child-rearing, mortgages, and keeping up with the Joneses. We need the young to keep us from becoming cynical and the old to correct our misguided priorities. Young and zealous, aged and comfortable, or middle-aged and mediocre, all depend on the community of faith to discern God’s direction. Discerning the dynamic, ongoing invitation of God the Holy Spirit happens in Christian community.
Discernment takes courage because it necessitates vulnerability with others. To discern the will of God in community, we must open ourselves to others by welcoming exhortation and instruction. Faithful disciples admit their struggles, invite feedback, and celebrate correction, which leads to Christian maturity. Discernment in Christian community is not reckless self-disclosure without healthy boundaries; it is intimate relationships with mothers and fathers in the faith in measured, appropriate ways. It seeks God’s wisdom through the wise counsel of those who have been journeying with Jesus longer than us. Discernment comes in mutual submission to God and one another as we pursue the Lord together through the means of grace. Courageous Christianity embraces the wisdom of others and trusts God’s discernment within our faith community.
Conclusion
What is the cost of cowardice for Christians today? When Christians fail to speak boldly, we fail to proclaim the gospel. The whole of Scripture is the proclamation of the good news whereby God acts and speaks—his words cannot be extracted from his actions, nor his actions from his words. God created us to reflect his glory in word and deed. Waiting requires courage. It relies on God’s strength and timing, which prevents us from impulsivity and unbridled zeal. Biblical courage exhibits trust in God by waiting for the direction of God the Holy Spirit before acting or speaking. We damage our witness when we assert our independence from God. Rebellion against God’s commandments and callings indicates unrepentant hearts; faithful discipleship hears God and obeys his calling. Radical obedience flows from a grateful heart surrendered to him even when his plan upends our plans. Finally, timidity and cowardice lead to foolishness. If wisdom is, as Eugene Peterson dubbed, “the long obedience in the same direction,” then foolishness dives headlong into Hedonism. Wise living requires reflexivity, self-awareness, and contemplation. Discerning the good life, found only in Jesus, obliges us to practice discernment in Christian community. The faithful witness of Christian disciples to live well depends on our ability to speak, wait, obey, and discern God’s calling with wisdom and courage.
Wendy Mohler-Seib is Assistant Professor of Theology at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, and an Elder in the Heartland Conference of the Global Methodist Church.