Courage in an Age of Compromise

Every night at bedtime, my seven-year-old son and I read chapter books together. We recently finished reading about Jim Elliot and his four friends who gave their lives in Ecuador so that Christ could be made known to a remote and violent tribe.

If you aren't familiar with their story, here is a brief summary.

Several missionary families spent years trying to locate a tribe known as the Aucas (now more commonly called the Waorani) in the remote jungles of Ecuador. The isolated tribe was known for its violent response to outsiders. Yet these missionaries felt compelled to reach them with the good news of Jesus Christ.

After learning some phrases in their language and making initial contact from an airplane, the five men decided it was time to meet the tribe face-to-face. They established a camp along a riverbank and made contact with the people they had spent years trying to reach.

Before leaving, the men had agreed that if things went poorly, they would not use their guns (though they had them) to defend themselves. Without Christ, the natives were not ready for heaven. The men were willing to lay down their own lives so that these people might have an opportunity to hear the Gospel and receive the forgiveness of Christ.

All five of them were speared to death on a beach following a tragic encounter with members of the tribe. One of the natives who watched the event later reported that as the men were dying, the sky filled with angels singing over the martyrs.

As I read this story to my son, we were both moved to tears. This kind of sacrificial love is what makes Christians different.

While other religions like Islam seek to destroy those who do not agree with their beliefs (See the Quran verses Surah Al-Baqarah (2:191),Surah An-Nisa (4:89),Surah At-Tawbah (9:5), Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:33))  Christians seek out those who do not know Jesus and lay down their lives for them. Just as Jesus laid down His life for us, while we were still sinners.

I have been deeply burdened by the state of our world, the growing hostility toward biblical values, and the increasing influence of religious ideologies that reject the foundational truths of Christianity. Throughout history, extremist movements have sought to silence or destroy those who disagree with them. Yet the example Christ gave us is radically different. We are called not to destroy those who oppose us, but to love them, pray for them, boldly share the Gospel with them, and, if necessary, lay down our lives so they might come to know Jesus.

Loving unbelievers does not mean agreeing with their beliefs. It does not mean minimizing their need for Jesus as Savior. It does not mean avoiding confrontation. It does not mean merging their ideas with your own. You do those things and you will "love" people straight to hell. Loving unbelievers as Christ loved means telling them that their beliefs about God are wrong. Sometimes gently, sometimes directly. It means showing them by the way you live, the difference that the true God makes when He is Lord of your life.

Love People, But Don't Compromise the Truth

Something else Christians need to understand in this cultural moment: Being a Christian does not mean accepting every belief, affirming every worldview, or allowing other people's convictions to dictate how we live.

Somewhere along the way, we've confused loving people with agreeing with them. We've confused kindness with compromise, and disagreement with unkindness.

But that isn't what Jesus taught us.

We can listen to people without agreeing with them. We can seek to understand their beliefs without accepting them as truth. We can build relationships with people whose worldviews differ from ours without allowing those worldviews to shape our convictions.

Scripture tells us not to conform to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). Colossians 2:8 warns us not to be taken captive by philosophies and traditions that are contrary to Christ. And 1 Corinthians 5:9–10 reminds us that we are not called to isolate ourselves from unbelievers.

We are called to engage with people, love them, and share the truth with them. But we are not called to adopt their beliefs or compromise God's Word to make them comfortable. I am not asking you to be closed-minded, hostile, or unwilling to understand other people. We as Christians should be so deeply rooted in Christ that we can engage with people of any belief system without being intimidated, manipulated or persuaded to abandon biblical truth.

The World Needs Brave Christians

As the world grows more hostile to the truth and the values in the Bible, we as Christians need the courage to seek out people who may be violent or blinded to the truth. I believe that as Islam rises in our government, it will become increasingly hard for believers to practice our Christian faith. Many of us will need to be willing to lay down our reputations, our comfort and even our lives.

How do I know this? The Bible tells us that this will happen in the end of time, which I believe is very near. Though there are different views on this, it is my belief that Christians will be martyred during the tribulation.

Revelation 7:9–17 (NLT) gives us a beautiful glimpse of what awaits those who remain faithful:

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, 'Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!' ...

Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, 'Who are these who are clothed in white?

Where did they come from?'

And I said to him, 'Sir, you are the one who knows.'

And he said to me, 'These are the ones who died in the great tribulation.

They have washed their robes white in the blood of the lamb. That is why they stand in front of God's throne and serve him day and night in his temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their shepherd . He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes."

When we are willing to face opposition for Christ, we join with Christians from the past and the future, who believed God's power and worthiness was far greater than the momentary affliction.

For the last two thousand years, Christ-followers have made incredible sacrifices to spread the Gospel. The apostle Peter was crucified upside down. William Tyndale was burned at the stake for translating the Bible into English. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed at a Nazi concentration camp after standing against the persecution of Jews and Christians. Twenty-one Coptic Christians were martyred in Libya by Islamic extremists in 2015. The list could go on and on. People even killed Jesus, for heaven's sake.

Christians, we will face animosity—sometimes even from people who claim to be Christians themselves but have become blinded to the reality of evil.

But when we boldly hold fast to the truth, God can work through our sacrifice. Take Jim Elliot and his friends for example. After their deaths, their wives continued the work to reach that tribe with the Gospel, and the truth broke through their hardened hearts. Many of the tribe came to Christ and completely changed their violent ways.

As Tertullian famously said in AD 197, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."

So, as Islamic ideology spreads, as governments crumble, as world wars threaten to break, as power grids may fail, and as the world feels less and less stable; Christians, we must rise up without fear of confrontation. Hiding in our homes and focusing on protecting ourselves will not win souls for Christ. We must speak the unpopular truth, regardless of the personal cost. Because the truth of the Gospel is worth it. Because sometimes disagreeing is the most loving thing we can do. And because we KNOW that Christ is on His throne and He will fulfill his promises to His children.

Hebrews 10: 32-39(NLT)

Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown in jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that would last forever.

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

"For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous one will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.' But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones whose souls will be saved.

As you reflect on the calling that God has for you in this time, consider how you might be living in fear rather than faith.

Are you avoiding difficult conversations because you're afraid of offending someone? Are you keeping your faith quiet because you want to be accepted? Have you become more concerned with being liked than being faithful?

Pray with me that God will give you and me the courage to step up and boldly proclaim that Jesus is the only way to the Father.

May we love those who oppose us enough to tell them the truth. May we have the courage to stand firm when the world tells us to compromise. And may we never allow fear of this world to keep us from fulfilling the calling that God has placed on our lives.

The Gospel is worth it. Jesus is worth it. And eternity is worth it.

Keep your eyes on Jesus.