A Disciple is Courageous

Lenny Skutnik was just an ordinary guy. At 28 years old, he had worked as a meat-packer, a house painter, a furniture plant worker, a hamburger cook, and a floor cleaner in a supermarket. Now he had a government job, earning a modest $14,000 a year as a mail clerk for the Congressional Budget Office in Washington DC.

On January 13, 1982, Lenny Skutnik was driving home from work in when he got stuck in a monumental traffic jam. Something had happened at the 14th Street Bridge, and traffic was stopped dead.

Lenny got out of his car and, along with hundreds of other commuters, walked ahead toward the bridge to see what had happened. When he got there, this is what he saw: the tail section of an airliner sticking out of the icy Potomac River.

Air Florida Flight 90 had just taken off from National Airport in the midst of a snowstorm. It’s wings had become coated with ice. They were unable to lift the airplane, and it plunged into the river, just missing a direct hit on the 14th Street Bridge. Seventy-eight people died in the crash.

Lenny watched in horrified fascination as several injured survivors clung desperately to the wreckage or floated in the icy river. Rescue crews had already reached the scene, and were frantically trying to pull people to safety.

One woman in particular caught Lenny’s eye. Her name was Priscilla Tirado. Her husband and infant son had just been killed in the crash and now Priscilla was floating in the river fighting for her life. She was desperately trying to grab a rescue ring that was dangling from a helicopter above her. But she just didn’t have the strength to hold on. She was numb with shock and hypothermia.

Lenny looked around and didn’t see anyone doing anything to help her. Everyone seemed mesmerized by the spectacle. So Lenny sprang into action. He dashed down to the riverbank and plunged in. He had never taken a life-saving course and he wasn’t an especially great swimmer. But he did what he had to do.

When he got to Priscilla, her strength was almost gone. Lenny managed to grab the ring for her and helped her to get it around herself. The helicopter pulled her to safety.

Lenny Skutnik emerged from the water soaked and shivering. He was a hero. Reporters clamored to record his words, but he didn’t have anything especially profound to say. “Nobody was doing anything, so I just did it.” he said, “It was the only way.” Lenny Skutnik was a common man with uncommon courage.

Courage is the willingness to do what needs to be done in spite of danger, fear, or hardship. Courage is not the absence of fear. It is the willingness to act in spite of it.

In fact, Eddie Rickenbacker, the World War One fighter ace defined courage as “doing what you’re afraid to do.” If there is no fear, there can be no courage.

It takes courage to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We live in a world that is rapidly becoming much like the world of ancient Rome—a world of political corruption, religious confusion, and moral depravity. A world where Christianity is not appreciated.

In case you haven’t noticed, it is not “politically correct” nowadays to claim that there is any authoritative, final source of truth anymore—let alone that it might be found in an ancient book that we call the Bible. It’s just not socially acceptable to build your life around the teachings of a man who lived 2,000 years ago. People will think that you’re weird—that you’re totally out of touch with reality at best, or a dangerous religious fanatic at worst.

So if you’re going to be a committed Christian, you’re going to find yourself increasingly out of step with the spirit of the age in which we live. That’s why you’re going to need courage.

In 2 Timothy 1, Paul wrote to Timothy about courage. He himself was in a dungeon in Rome when he wrote this. He was awaiting execution simply for being a Christian. He was writing to a young man who needed reassuring that being a follower of Jesus Christ was worth it, in spite of the trouble or suffering or hardship it might bring. Let’s see what he had to say:

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

There are four things about being a courageous Christian that God wants us to know:

1. Courage enables me to overcome shame

Look how many times Paul talks about shame in this passage:

2 Timothy 1:8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord

2 Timothy 1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed

2 Timothy 1:16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains

The word “ashamed” here means to feel embarrassed, inadequate, or inferior. Have you ever been humiliated? Do you remember how that feels? Like in school - when you put up your hand to answer a question, only to find out to your horror that when the teacher called on you, you had completely forgotten what the answer was? And all the rest of the kids laughed at you. Maybe next time you weren’t so quick to put up your hand!

The Japanese have a saying that it is better not to be the tallest tree in the forest. Because the tallest tree is more obvious, and is more exposed to the harsh winds of winter. So the Japanese people place a great value on just fitting in, just being one of the group and not standing out too much. And there’s something of that tendency in all of us. It has something to do with fear of humiliation.

On September 20, we’re encouraging our young people to take part in “See You at the Pole”. This is where Christian high school kids all over the nation gather at the flagpole of their school first thing in the morning, just to pray, and to say “Hey, we’re Christians”.

Now, if you’re a teenager, that’s a pretty intense commitment to make. Because if you show up at See You at the Pole, you’re taking a stand. You’re coming out of the closet. You’re identifying yourself to your fellow students as a follower of Jesus Christ. And you’re taking a risk that they will mock you. You’re taking a risk of being humiliated. That’s the one thing that will keep you from showing up—fear. Fear of being humiliated. Fear of being rejected. Fear of being persecuted.

Paul said that some of his friends, including Phygelus and Hermogenes, had abandoned him. They deserted him because they were ashamed of being identified with him. He was under attack for being a Christian, and they were afraid of being associated with him. But not Onesiphorus.

2 Timothy 1:16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me.

The only thing that can overcome that fear is courage. Godly courage. Courage will enable you to stand up and be counted as a follower of Jesus. And courage will enable you to stand alongside others who are followers of Jesus.

2. Courage enables us to accept suffering.

2 Timothy 1:11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am.

2 Timothy 1:8 …join with me in suffering for the gospel

A Sunday School teacher once asked her class of third graders to name their favorite Bible story. A little boy named Johnny spoke up and said “I like the one where everybody loafs and fishes.”

That seems to be the idea that many people have of the Christian life. Everybody loafs and fishes. But it isn’t so. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is not an easy life. It’s going to involve suffering.

1 Peter 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ… If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you… If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

Bruce Olson was a missionary to the Indians of northern Colombia. He had worked there for 28 years. On Oct.24, 1988, Olson was kidnapped by two dozen armed guerrillas of the Communist Union of the National Liberation Army. He was accused of being a CIA agent and having been responsible for the deaths of thousands of natives.

Olson was dragged in chains from base to base in the Colombian jungle. In each place where he was being held captive, Olson reached out and tried to befriend the rebel soldiers. He taught them how to read. He began Bible studies with them. He introduced them to Jesus Christ.

When the officers became aware of the influence he was having on their soldiers, they quickly transferred him to another camp. But he would simply begin the process all over again there. Olson conducted Bible studies with over 200 guerrilla soldiers and saw about 60% of them come to faith in Jesus Christ.

During his captivity, Olson became very ill and began hemorrhaging internally. The soldiers begged their superiors to release him, but permission was denied. Instead, the soldiers gave their own blood to him for transfusions.

The rebel officers repeatedly pressured Bruce Olson to confess to being a CIA spy and a murderer. Finally, when he refused, he was ordered to be executed. He was tied to a tree. Before him stood 15 guerrillas who formed the firing squad.

Many of them were men whom he had led to Christ and who were now his dear friends. But they had no choice but to obey orders, or they would be shot themselves. So with tears streaming down their faces, they fired. But unknown to them, their officers had loaded their guns with blanks, in the hopes that they could terrify Bruce Olson into a last-minute confession.

Soon after, the rebel leaders decided to release Olson. When they did, one of the officers told him “We will never forget you. You are the first person in our camp that we have captured that has been a friend to us. We esteem you.”

Bruce Olson says that he did a lot of praying when he was in captivity. But his prayer was not “Lord liberate me.” it was “Lord, make me effective for you where you have placed me.”

That’s godly courage. And that’s what it takes to accept the suffering that will come because you are a Christian.

3. My courage grows when I appreciate God’s gracious purpose for me.

a. In salvation

b. In his personal plan for my life

In the year 1900, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was preparing an expedition to the South Pole. Needing volunteers, he placed the following ad in the London newspapers. “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”

The response was overwhelming. Shackleton said “It seemed as though all the men in Great Britain were determined to accompany me on my journey.”

Why? Because there is something about being involved in a great cause, in a great mission, that captures the imagination and galvanizes us to action. When the Marines say “We’re looking for a few good men” they are swamped with recruits. Guys would give their eye teeth to qualify for the Army Rangers, or the Navy Seals.

As a Christian, you and I are involved in the greatest mission in all of history. It’s the mission of God to save the human race. Jesus Christ is our commander. The Gospel is our weapon.

Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

When you realize that being a Christian means that you’re playing for all the marbles, and that you have a job to do and a mission to accomplish, your courage will grow. God’s purpose for you is that you be a herald—a messenger—of that Gospel.

That’s why he saved you and left you here on earth. He didn’t take you home to heaven because he’s got a strategic job for you to do. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. There are people that only you can reach with the message of the Gospel.

But in order to do it, you’re going to need courage. Because you’ve got to take some risks if you’re going to get the job done. In the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln had to sack his top general because the guy just didn’t want to take risks in order to get the job done. He never wanted to go on the offensive.

Courageous Christians are Christians who take risks in order to reach out to people. Because they know that the stakes are eternal.

4. We can have courage because we know our future is secure.

2 Timothy 1:12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.

A few years ago, during the Bush administration, we had the Savings and Loan scandal. People were putting their money into savings and loan institutions that were not financially sound. And their deposits were not secured.

If the institution failed, they would lose their money. When the dimensions of the problem were revealed, there was a crisis of confidence. People began to panic. The federal government had to step in and bail out those S&L’s and secure those deposits at a cost of billions of dollars.

Paul is saying here that he has made a deposit, too. That’s the actual expression he uses in verse 12: I am convinced that God is able to safeguard the deposit I have made with him against that day when I’m going to need to draw on it.

He’s talking about his soul. He has placed his soul in the hands of God. And when he dies, his soul is going to be secure in heaven with God. When you place your soul in the hands of God, you’re getting the best deposit insurance you can get! You’re putting your faith in the right place.

Paul tells us what our security is based on in verse 9.

2 Timothy 1:9 (God) has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

When we put our trust in Jesus Christ, we’re placing our future destiny in the hands of God. He—not me—is responsible for my eternal security. My arriving safe in heaven when I die does not rest on anything I do. If it did, then I’d be about as secure as a deposit in one of those bankrupt Savings & Loans!

My eternal security is based on what Jesus did for me. Knowing that I could never live a righteous enough life to please a holy God, Jesus did that for me. Knowing that I could never offer up a sacrifice for my sins that would turn away the wrath of God, Jesus did that for me. He became my substitute. My stand in.

And when I accept him as my Savior, I’m standing on His merits, not my own. And that’s why I can be sure that my destiny is secure. And that makes me want to stick my neck out for him, after all he’s done for me.

There are two kinds of people who claim to be Christians. Some of them obey and follow Jesus’ teachings when they feel like it—when it’s safe, or convenient, or comfortable. When it doesn’t involve suffering, or hardship, or humiliation.

Then there are those who follow Jesus no matter what. Even when it’s dangerous, even when they don’t feel like it, even when they’re afraid. Because they know who they have believed and they’re convinced that he can safeguard the deposit of their faith and their soul for all eternity.

Which kind of Christian are you?