Does True Faith Take Risks? (Part 1) 

We were blessed once again by the ministry of Barrie Taylor on Sunday as he encouraged us not to give in to fear. "It is the time for the church to be a risk taker" he said. So, my question to us today is this, does true faith take risks?

Reading the epistles, one can only answer this question in the affirmative - Yes, true faith involves risk taking. Listen to what Paul said in 1 Thess. 2:1-3 "You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results. We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in the face of strong opposition."
The Thessalonian Church was birthed through faith-filled risk taking. Paul and his travelling companions did not think "strong opposition" is a reason to slow down, give up, or postpone their mission. They soldiered on in faith and courage, risking their very lives to plant another church. The Thessalonian church is a fruit of their faith, courage and risk taking.

But what actually happened in Philippi? Why did Paul say, "we suffered and were treated outrageously in Philippi"? Well, let's see the account in Acts 16.

Through a prophetic vision, Paul and his companions knew God was sending them to Macedonia (Acts 16:9-10). By faith they immediately set out and came to Philippi, a leading city in Macedonia. There in Philippi, a prominent woman called Lydia and her family were saved and baptised. (Acts 16:13-15). By the power of the Holy Spirit, Paul cast out demons from a slave girl, whose owners used for profiteering by fortune telling. (Acts 16:16-18)

The slave owners were very angry with Paul because their livelihood was now gone, they dragged him to the magistrate in the midst of an uproar. Paul and Silas were wrongly accused, "stripped and beaten with rods", "severely flogged and thrown into prison". (Acts 16:19-24). Miraculously at midnight, the prison doors flew open as Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns - (another reason why I love hymns).
The jailer and his household became Christians that night and were baptised. Yes, they were baptised that night! So, what's the point of all this? It is that divine courage and risk taking is synonymous with faith. Amazingly, life transforming results happen when we take courage, take risks, and go in faith to do what God has called us to do - Preach the Gospel!

Imagine Paul after that amazing episode, leaving Philippi and going straight to Thessalonica, where he then planted another church. He could have legitimately taken a few days off, but no, he soldiered on. He was a risk taker. He kept going and going and going. That's why you and I can pick up our Bibles today and read about the Church in Galatia, Ephesus, Corinth, Philippi, and Colossae. It was a result of faith-filled, sweat, tears, beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment, sheer hard work and the risk taking of men and women in the first century.
If one of our missionaries were to have a similar experience like Paul had in Philippi, we'll probably call them back to base, put a pastoral package together for them including: counselling, trauma treatments, holiday, etc. That's not wrong at all, but my point is, we have a lot to learn from Paul - To see lives transformed, we have to take risks.

We have become too comfortable. We tend to do things that only if convenient. We debate whether or not churches should open, even when the government says we can. We rationalise everything, we over think everything.

No wonder, we see very little transformation in our dark and sinful society. When did you last take a risk to preach to your non-Christian friend? When asked about your weekend at work, did you take the risk to mention you went to Church? If we must see results, if we must snatch people like that little slave girl exploited by her owners from the claws of darkness, it won't be because we wrote letters of protest, or go softly, softly, it will be because we become so annoyed and angered by the spiritual darkness all around us and say, a faith -filled, Holy Spirit inspired...ENOUGH!

As we emerge from lockdown and go back to regular Sunday service from 27 June 2021, let's be a people of courage, let's be faith-filled, risk takers who are willing to be inconvenienced for the benefit of transforming lives in our communities. I am not talking about ignorant or naive presumptions, but courage and trust in the power of the Holy Spirit, with whom we have been endowed to break the chains of oppression and set the captives free. And if we ourselves first need to be set free from a mindset of cowardice,to fulfill our purpose, that too the Lord will do. True faith takes risks. (To be continued)