Those of you who know me well might think this a slightly
hypocritical title for a blog written by me. I am literally afraid of
everything. You name it, it probably scares me or makes me nervous in some way.
My idea of living dangerously is on-a-par with Miranda Hart, and the ‘seeing
how many times you can walk past a hand-dryer without setting it off’,
activity. Such fun! But as Christians I believe we are genuinely called to live
dangerously. For some, being a Christian where they live is, by nature,
life-threatening. Think of Iraq, Syria, North Korea, Nigeria, communist states.
The list could go on. God calls us to dangerous lives. Someone like
‘Brother Andrew’ who smuggled Bibles into Soviet Russia epitomises that. If you
haven’t read his book ‘God’s Smuggler,’ get yourself a copy and read it. If you
have read it, read it again.
Not all of us are called to be Brother Andrews in what he
did, fair enough. But we’re all called to live dangerously, it just takes
different forms. I was listening to the song ‘Burn Like A Star’ by Rend Collective, and it really got me
thinking. The words say ‘we are aching for the real thing.’ ‘Aching.’ That word
does not hold positive connotations. Think about it, ‘toothache,’ ‘headache’, ‘earache.’
These are not nice things we would wish upon ourselves! But we are singing
songs which literally say, I am in pain because I want more. I want more of
Jesus, more of his Kingdom on this earth.
Paul writes that the earth cries out in pains as a mother in
child birth as it eagerly awaits the return of Jesus.
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of
childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who
have the firstfruits of the spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our
adoption and sonship, to the redemption of our bodies.’ (Romans 8:22-23)
Do we? As Christians we have a glorious hope that Jesus is
coming back, and that this earth is not the end. But how much do we live in
light of that? Or do we whip it out when we need a nice compact answer to the
old ‘God and suffering’ question. We are living in a world that is not what Jesus
intended, we are living in a world that is not yet complete. We should be
constantly in agony over the brokenness of our globe, but how often do we just
settle for what is now? How much are we really crying out in pain for what is
going on in Iraq, Syria, Nigeria. For the children dying each day of
preventable diseases. For the ten thousand people affected in some way but the
Ebola virus. And coming out of our pain, our brokenness for this world should be
action. Jesus was so devastated by the state of this world, he gave up the
glory of heaven to come and die! When we have an earache, or a headache or
whatever else, we seek relief. We seek treatment. Do we really do that with
God? When we are so utterly devastated by the fact that every minute one woman
dies in childbirth, do we actively seek an end to this suffering? By digging
deep into our pockets, by getting our hands dirty. By laying aside other commitments
to see healing begin, the same way we do when we get ill. Because that’s what
Jesus asks of us.
Secondly, we need to think about what we are saying! ‘We are
aching for the real thing.’ (Rend Collective-Burn Like A Star) is one example. Some of the worship songs we sing
are incredibly dangerous to our own personal comfort. ‘Set a fire down in my
soul that I can’t contain and I can’t control, I want more of you God.’ (United
Pursuit-Set A Fire). What a song! But
how dangerous, if we really mean it. A fire that WE can’t control? Giving up
control so that Jesus can have it. I want more of you, LORD. The God who
brought Israel out of Egypt, the God who raised Jesus from the dead, the God
who appeared to Moses in a burning bush, the God who saw Ananais and Sapphira drop
down dead. He is a dangerous God! As Mrs Beaver says about Aslan in C.S Lewis' novel: ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe:’ “Safe?! Of course he isn’t safe,
but he is good. He's the
King I tell you.” What a beautiful comparison to Yahweh. Of course he is not
safe. But he is good. And if we really mean it, if we really want to, he will
come and inhabit our hearts. He will answer our cries for more of him. Just don’t
expect it to get easier, or to be comfortable when he does! My personal
experience of this comes from the fact that I no longer feel at home in the
country I grew up in. I am aching to go and live in Africa now, because God has
taken my heart and put a burden for that nation on it so strongly that I can’t
ignore it. And it’s going to be tough. And it’s going to be scary. It might
even be dangerous. But when we ask him, if we really mean it ‘we will receive.’
He tells us himself in the book of Matthew. (Matthew 7:7).
So as we read the Bible, and as we pray, and as we worship, let’s
think about what we’re asking. Let’s dwell on it, and then let’s pray it, with
all our might! Let’s pray dangerous prayers that God would raise us up into
faithful people, Kingdom builders, willing to live dangerous lives. Jesus tells
us to ‘carry our cross.’ That is literally to take up the thing that will kill
you and go. Being a Christian is dangerous, sometimes even deadly. But it’s so
worth it.
about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships,
so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression,
and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for
justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer
from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may
reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that
you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able,
with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.
And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,
Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour,
and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you
and remain with you, this day and forevermore.'
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