Nowhere did Jesus demand His followers to show great courage. Nowhere did He say, “Never compromise on your values.” He didn’t need to! His example was enough.
In John chapter 2 Our Lord stood against all the Jewish leaders of His day because they had made a place of worship into a trading house. He chased them out with whips and overturned their tables. He castigated them for their wicked practices.
The church needs disciples that will courageously give direction. We need disciples who know and will tell the truth. We do not need to be told our duties, we need the Christ like courage to do what we already know we should do.
Discipleship is a battle, and the fight requires courage. Having courage doesn’t mean that you will never fear or tremble. Having courage means that you will do what is right, regardless of the consequences.
Martin Luther, the 16th century reformer, was a true disciple of courage. He defied the church of his day. In 1521 he appeared before the German Diet in the city of Worms; though promised safe escort, he knew he risked his life by going. The same promise had been given to John Hus a century before, and they had burned him at the stake. Church leaders had promised Luther forgiveness if he would repent of his “errors” and return to “true faith”. Luther knew this promise had little value since they considered promises to heretics as nonbinding. He also knew the history of the two previous centuries, when thousands of Christians underwent torture, sometimes death, during the infamous Spanish Inquisition.
Luther arrived safely, but the court allowed him no opportunity to defend his beliefs. Instead he was presented with a list of his “errors”. Knowing that the court would decide whether he lived or died, Luther said the following:
Unless I am convicted of error by the testimony of Scripture (since I put no trust in the unsupported authority of Pope or of councils, since it is plain that they have often erred and often contradicted themselves), by manifest reasoning I stand convicted by the Scriptures to which I have appealed, I cannot and will no recant anything, for to act against our conscience is neither safe for us, nor open to us. On this I take my stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.
Through the centuries our disciples have made their stands. They have stood for truth integrity, and righteousness, no matter what their field of labor. God has promised that He will honor those who honor Him.
(1 Samuel 2:30)