Comfortable or Courageous?

A few months ago I came across a statement that made me lean in and pay attention. The author titled it, "Why Men are Leaving the Church" and then went on to explain his point. He stated that much of church life today (in some congregations) consists mainly of following rules and keeping a proper perfect life; in some ways feminine and neat. In addition, much of the bold, blaring, mission-hearted parts of the church are dwindling. How many times does a "Paul" almost get killed for his faith in North America? How often does a "Peter" preach to a large crowd who thinks he is drunk? 😏

The author continues his argument with the thought that men are becoming discontent and edgy because they don't have "manly" things to do. I agree that this is true to some extent. Men are typically, if not always, made with a sense of adventure and daring. They have a strong drive to conquer. This is clear in the way little boys go hunting with sling shots, give their utmost in an arm wrestle, and like to play cops and robbers. It shows up in the teenage guy's big and definitely loud truck with a modified exhaust system. A boy's play is often louder than a girl's and typically more dangerous. 

Men are called and literally made to fight, so they MUST be given battles. We do them a great disservice if we try to bundle them up into neat packages of dos and don'ts with no space left to risk and to conquer. If they don't become engaged in a spiritual battle, they will expend their energy elsewhere, often in flimsy earthly fights that carry no eternal weight. 

As I thought about this topic some more, I began to wonder if perhaps this is not really an issue about letting men be men, but rather of the church being filled with fire and true Gospel-heartedness once more. I read a Martyrs Mirror account of two individuals who went up to a Prime Minister to share the Gospel in a country where it was strictly forbidden. Of course they were thrown into prison for it, but years later this Prime Minister remembered their words and accepted Christ as His Lord and Saviour. Perhaps our careful protective Western ways need some boldness infused into them once more. Maybe we need to remember what it actually looks like to be completely unashamed for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

What if we would be willing to leave the predictability of our own comfortable agendas to bring souls in for the kingdom? Perhaps we could travel to the unreached people groups that have yet to hear the Gospel and risk our lives for a good cause.

A few weeks ago, I came across an ancient group of people that intrigued and inspired me. The Spartans reigned over the Greek city-state of Sparta a couple centuries before Christ was born. This tribe was unique in many ways, but it was widely renowned for its fierce and elite warrior culture. At the young age of seven, boys would enter the Agoge, a school of intensive and brutal military training. By the age of twenty, they were fit and ready to join the army in which they remained for active service until the age of sixty. 

Now we get to an interesting but powerful part of the Spartan story - their women. I've written about fierce warriors, and there is a saying that behind every good man there is a good woman. This section of history lends itself to that very philosophy and gives us a glimpse into part of why the young Spartan men were so successful. Apparently the Spartan women were every bit as cruel and war-driven as their men were. So much so, that some of them went to extremes such as killing their sons who came back from battle as cowards. Now in no way do I suggest that we ought to treat our young men in such a manner, but I believe we can gain a little bit of inspiration from these people. An ancient Spartan legend states that before battles, a Spartan mother would hand her son his shield and impart five words of wisdom to him - "with it or on it." What she was saying was, "Son, you go out there and fight, and you give it all you've got. There is absolutely no room for cowardice. Come back carrying your shield in victory, or come back being carried on it by others because you died courageously." (Sparta-history.com)

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 Mothers, would you let your sons go and follow Jesus Christ in the great battlefield of life as courageously as these Spartan women did? Would you let them go out to a hostile area in order to share the Gospel if it meant the expense of their lives? Would you let your daughters leave home if God called them to, even if it meant your grandchildren might grow up somewhere else? What if like the Spartan mothers we were more focused on faithfulness and courage than safety? How would that change our churches and how would that change our world? 

Now I have mentioned mothers, but this challenge belongs to all of us. Will we risk or play it safe? Will we encourage others to live a life of self-sacrifice and humility like our Lord, or try to keep them safe and comfortable just so we feel better in our own zones?

I have met many types of Christians in person and also through books of history, but the people that always inspire me the most are those who truly made a difference in the Kingdom. They would serve faithfully in whatever place they found themselves, and they were all marked with courage and great faith.

Unfortunately, I see a complicated trend in North America toward all things safety. We live for comfort and feel-good things. We do our very best to protect ourselves and others from all harm. To the point, that I fear this interferes with our commitment and self-sacrifice for our Master of Masters. We think about missions, but the cost is danger. We consider talking to someone about the Gospel, but then our reputation is at risk. We ponder giving generously, but then wonder what will happen to our needs. We almost invite that person to church, but then we're afraid of what they will think or how they'll be treated. We debate about speaking hard-to-hear truth to a fellow Christian, but opt out for fear they'll get angry at us. 

I read the pages of Scripture and see the Apostles laying down their lives one by one for the Gospel. Then I remember the story of Felix Manz's mother who stood on the shore and encouraged him to be faithful as he was drowned for his faith. And I feel sad because I see us losing out on the greatest call of all, simply because we are too busy playing it safe. 

As life goes on and God keeps teaching me new things, I am becoming more and more aware of the intense battle that we as Christians are engaged in. Like it or not, we have an adversary and an enemy that would absolutely love to wipe out our souls entirely. If we sleep on the battlefield or enter without the Lord's armour, we will be taken out. I believe we all know that true battles require courageous soldiers - the dedicated, lay-your-life-on-the-line type of people, the kind that would rather die trying, than stand by observing.

What are we here for and what were we made to do? The time is short. The harvest is ripe. The church is in need of active, engaged members more than ever. If we focus only on our safety and maintenance, we are not truly following the call of our Lord to reach all nations. Let us go. Let us bid others go - some to the nearby neighbours, some to the pulpits for truth, and some to other continents. Let us never put a cap on what the Holy Spirit may call us to do, and let us stand firmly in the fight - for Christ and His Church.