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DANGEROUS FAITH (The Barbarian Way, Part 2) JULY 2, 2006
INTRODUCTION “Jesus never called us to a proper or safe religion. Jesus beckons us to a path that is far from the easy road- a path filled with adventure, uncertainty, and unlimited possibilities.” These words are from the back cover of Erwin McManus’ book “The Barbarian Way.” McManus uses this phrase to describe the life of a follower of Jesus Christ- a life that in sharp contrast to the anemic, bland, ‘civilized’ veneer of modern religion, seems reckless and… well, “barbaric!” But the call of Jesus has always been to go where He sends us no matter what the cost may be. In spite of what anyone else may tell you, it is a path filled with uncertainty, mystery, and risk. It is a dangerous faith.
Now, I know this may not initially appear to be an inviting or attractive way to present the message of the gospel to a lost world. In fact, contemporary religion has made an art of making the invitation seem easy, safe, beneficial in all respects- in essence, ‘respectable.’ We don’t want to frighten anyone away, and use the defense, “Anything to bring someone into the kingdom!” But is this is really the gospel of Jesus? I and many others would argue that it is not- that far from being the safe, predictable journey of material and healthful blessing that some groups portray, the call of Jesus is in fact a dangerous one with very real and costly risks. Let me point out a few ways in which this is evident:
1- THE CALL IS NOT FAIR The barbarian call is not fair or equitable. Jesus does not- and never did- promise to call you to the same life everyone else will live. If you accept the call to follow him, he does not promise to spare you from some of what others are spared. In a conversation after the resurrection, Jesus wrapped up his meeting with these profound and disturbing words for Peter: The truth is, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked and go wherever you wanted to. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will direct you and take you where you don’t want to go.” Jesus said this to let him know what kind of death he would die to glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.” Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who among us will betray you?” Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?” Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You follow me.” (John 21:18-22) What Peter was saying here is, “Well, golly, Lord- if I have to die, what about that guy! He’ll have to die too, won’t he?! Wouldn’t that be fair?!” But Jesus said that what happened in Peter’s life had nothing to do with what happened in John’s life- or anyone else’s for that matter; and Peter’s idea of what is fair or equitable does not figure into the formula. Where God will choose to lead you and how God chooses to use your life cannot be predicted by how God has worked in the lives of others before you.
John the Baptist- the one given the honor of proclaiming the arrival of Jesus’ ministry- received for the faithful carrying out of his calling the honor of having his head cut off. When he sent word to Jesus from prison, asking Him if He really was the one they had been waiting for, Jesus responded: “Go back to John and tell him about what you have heard and seen—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. And tell him: ‘God blesses those who are not offended by me.’ ” (Matthew 11:4-6) Jesus didn’t say anything like, “Don’t worry John- everything will be okay! Just hang in there- this was all some big mistake.” Jesus said nothing about his situation in jail, and in the end, John was executed.
The end result of Jesus’ ministry was death on a cross. Was that fair? No way! He healed the sick, raised the dead to life, gave purpose and meaning for life for those who were rejected, and for that the religious leaders- those who should have known better!- had him executed. But look at what it provided for humanity! Neither John nor Jesus saw their 35th birthday… but they were both faithful to their calling. If we start looking to the lives of others and comparing our lot with theirs, we will be sadly disappointed, because Jesus never promised fairness as we understand it. 2- THE CALL INVOLVES RISK How many people like mushrooms? Do you ever wonder who ate the first poisonous mushroom and found out that it wasn’t good for them? Why did they do it? They were hungry. But if they didn’t do it, we would never have benefited to enjoy the good mushrooms! Someone had to try it- if they didn’t, we would never know the good stuff. Now hang in there with me for a moment- Honest, I have a point here!!
A world without God cannot wait for us to choose the safe path. If we wait for someone else to take the risk, we risk that no one will ever act and that nothing will ever be accomplished. Sometimes we will fail, sometimes we will get hurt- but there is also the chance that sometimes something good is going to happen. If we risk nothing, we will gain nothing… and we will contribute nothing.
Not every risk will end well. In the letter to the Hebrews, we find what is sometimes referred to as the ‘hall of faith.’ It starts out with a list of characters that we associate with as ‘faithful and successful Christians’- Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah… people we want to be like as followers of Jesus: God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith… By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death. (11:2, 33-35). For these individuals, it was as if every battle is won and every enemy is conquered.
But here’s my point- this short list is the exception to the rule. These people are listed exactly for that reason- the results of their lives were so unusual. The norm was the fate of the “others” that are listed immediately after in the next verses: Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others trusted God and were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free. They placed their hope in the resurrection to a better life. Some were mocked, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in dungeons. Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half; others were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, hungry and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world. They wandered over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. All of these people we have mentioned received God’s approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race. (11:35-40). These people experienced a different result of faith. They trusted Jesus with their lives and they lost their lives on the journey.
Sounds a little different from the name-it-and-claim-it stuff we sometimes hear, doesn’t it? Truth is, in following Jesus you will risk and lose something, and it may be much.
WRAP UP… THE CALL IS THE WAY OF JESUS If all of this is true, then why on earth would anyone want to be a part of the barbarian way? What would make any rational, sane person choose a life like the one I’ve just briefly described? The realization that this is really the only life Jesus offers. He (Jesus) said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process? (Luke 9:23-25)
How quickly we forget- if we ever knew at all- that the biblical word for ‘witness’ is actually the word for ‘martyr.’ Yet at the slightest hint of failure, suffering or loss, our natural reaction is to pull away- surely God would not be calling us to fail? To loss? What about all of those verses that talk about blessing? Well, they are there… but so are all of the ones we’ve just looked at. The following statement and challenge from McManus should cut to the heart of the issue: “Instead of concluding it is best to be wherever God wants us to be, we have decided that wherever it is best for us to be is where God wants us. But God would never choose for us safety at the cost of significance. God created you so that your life would count, not so that you could count the days of your life.”
You see, Jesus’ death wasn’t to free us from dying, but to free us from the fear of death. Is it possible that the transforming power of the church has been lost because we keep inviting people to step into the comfort, safety, and security of Jesus Christ? We’ve created a religious culture in which- even though we’re the most blessed society in the history of the planet- our best-selling literature still focuses on how we can be more blessed… The original call of Jesus was so simple, so clean, so clear: “Follow me.” He wants us to surrender our lives to him and follow him into the unknown. And if it means a life of suffering, hardship, and disappointment, it will be worth it because following Jesus Christ is more powerful and more fulfilling than living with everything else in the world minus him.
Rather than living a long life, are we willing to live a life worth living? Earlier, I mentioned that the care-free religion presented by many in the name of Christ is not the same as the call of Jesus: I wonder if this is why it seems so unappealing to so many? If the call does not cost anything- if it has no risk or adventure- is it worth it? Jesus said we need to count the cost carefully before joining his counter-cultural revolution of faith. But if we follow, we find what real life is all about!! Jim Elliot- one of 5 missionaries killed by the Auca Indians in 1958, and now the subject of the film “The Sword & the Spear”- wrote these words while he was a student at Wheaton College:
"[He makes] His ministers a flame of fire. Am I ignitable? God deliver me from the dread asbestos of 'other things.' Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be aflame. But flame is transient, often short-lived. Canst thou bear this my soul—short life? In me there dwells the spirit of the Great Short-Lived, whose zeal for God's house consumed Him."
Elliot lost his life at 28, leaving behind his young wife and daughter. Perhaps his most well-known quote was “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” This is the dangerous faith of the barbarian- it is the faith God seeks in all of us.
(Quotations in this message are taken from “The Barbarian Way” by Erwin Raphael McManus, published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005)
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