Be bold ! A . Lionel
Fear is the antitheses of courage . The devil uses this fear to topple us . Fear cripples us . It makes us ineffective . It causes our knees to shake .
“ On the evening of that first day of the week , when the disciples were together , with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders , Jesus came and stood among them and said , “ Peace be with you !””( John 20:19 ). The disciples were , at that time , trembling with fear . Even today , we feel threatened by events that happen around us . If the Bible is juxtaposed with the newspaper , several events of these last days frighten us . A pastor in Chhattisgarh was brutally tortured and murdered . The States of Delhi , Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh , why , even Tamil Nadu also , have seen pastors being persecuted . Violence against Christians has become fairly widespread across India . How do we respond ?
“ At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him , “ Leave this place and go somewhere else . Herod wants to kill you .” He replied , “ Go tell that fox , ' I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow , and on the third day I will reach my goal .' In any case , I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day-for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem !” ( Luke13:31-33 ) Yes , unless the Lord permitted it , no one could lay a hand on Jesus .
“ Jesus , knowing all that was going to happen to him , went out and asked them , “ Who is it you want ?” “ Jesus of Nazareth ,” they replied . “ I am he ,” Jesus said . And Judas the traitor was standing there with them . ( John18:4-5 ) Who would be so daring ?
“ For you died , and your life is now hidden with
Christ in God .” ( Colossians 3:3 ). Even a sparrow does not fall to the ground without our Heavenly Father ' s will . “ Fight the good fight of the faith . Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses . In the sight of God , who gives life to everything , and of Christ Jesus , who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession , I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ ,” ( 1 Timothy 6:12-14 ). We are disciples of our Lord Jesus , who boldly testified before Pilate .
All of us remember the anti-Christian riots that happened in Khandamal district of Odisha , a few years ago . Missionaries were forced to leave the place immediately . Our Working Committee meeting was going on then . We prayed for them . Everyone prayed . Praise God that missionaries acted boldly .
Today , where are the Nehemiahs who would boldly say , “ Should a man like me run away ?”
The words , “ Fear Not !” appear in the Bible 366 times . We can appropriate one for every day of the year . “ The sluggard says , “ There ' s a lion in the road , a fierce lion roaming the streets !”” ( Proverbs 26:13 )“ The sluggard says , “ There ' s a lion outside ! I ' ll be killed in the public square !” ( Proverbs 22:13 ). Do not heed these words . Do not fear when the devil says , “ Don ' t go to the village , they ' ll kill you !” Be steadfast . Courage is your best companion !
I love young people . The reason is that they are more daring . “ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one ' s youth . Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them . They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in the gate ” ( Psalm 127:4-5 ).
What is the testimony people gave of Jesus ' disciples ? “ When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled , ordinary men , they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus .”( Acts 4:13 ).
Yes , my Jesus was a courageous man . In fact , He is the embodiment of courage .
( This is Part III of the transcript of Bro . Lionel ' s message at the 45th General Body meeting of BYM on 28th August , 2016 )
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