Monday, March 14, 2011

Safety Matters!....

Last night's Life Group was especially good in my opinion.  Among other topics, we spent some time what our definition of the word "SAFETY" is.  This was spurred by chapters 7 & 8 in the book Radical.  As God calls us to "GO" and preach the Gospel to the nations, we are to expect persecution of some kind, IF we are doing God's work.

The parallel was made to sending soldiers into battle...but sometimes we are more willing and proud of sending our kids into war than to a hard mission field of the Gospel, where they might be killed.  If our child comes and says, "I want to go preach Jesus in Iraq", then we would ourselves why they would take such a risk...but for freedom and country we are willing to sacrifice and just be "proud."

Safety to a soldier is to remain alive....and that is what we pray for when our young men and women go and defend our freedoms.  Safety to the "missionary soldier" is to be connected and known to Christ.  To die for His name is actually a privilege...but is that the kind of "safety" we would be willing to pray for?  If our child said they wanted to go into a Muslim area with the Gospel, would we be willing to FIRST pray for their testimony being known to all people in that area, remembering that would probably bring persecution on them.  Or is our first thought their physical safety?

Why do we not proclaim Jesus more here in the "safe" borders of the USA?  Are afraid of ridicule, embarrassment, persecution of some kind?  It's "safer" to say nothing and put our faith on our car in the form of a fish or wear a cross around our neck...but is that really proclaiming the Gospel to lost world?  If we are not willing to take the Gospel to another part of the world, then what are we willing to do right here?  That's what it boils down to.

We all find ourselves wanting to be "safe"...our families to be "safe", free from harm and persecution, etc...Paul said "to live is Christ, to die is gain."  Scripture says that we WILL face persecution if we are doing the will of God...Am I really willing & wanting to live that way?  I guess I never really have to face that question here in Parker, Colorado, if I don't want to....  thankfully?

1 comment:

  1. Well said, honey! The truth is that we're living in what we perceive as "safety" in our little town. God is Sovereign over the number of days of our lives. Why not live them out in "danger" for Him, huh?

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