Making An Impact For God Sermon I: The Courage Of Conviction Series

MAKING AN IMPACT FOR GOD: THE COURAGE OF CONVICTION

As my elder brother passed through death into life everlasting life, a hospital chaplain spoke of the process as a “tug of war” between Creator God and Medical Science. My brother, like many of us, had made the statement, “When God is ready, I am ready.”

Whereas God was indeed ready, Medical Science managed to prolong my brother’s earthly life even though brain activity had ceased. Since most of us played the game “tug of war” using a rope, we get the picture: God pulling heavenward, Medical Science pulling earthward. The chaplain was right, The Author and Finisher of Faith always wins that final battle. However:

During that period of life often referred to as “the dash” (the period between birth date and death date), there are many moral and spiritual struggles which mature people of God are held accountable for winning – simply because we know better! We made a commitment to walk with the Lord in the Light of His Word. Therein lies our challenge:

21st Century Culture presents to us choices based on personal preferences. Christians must make decisions based on convictions of the heart.

So, the issue becomes whether and to what extent we compromise with society’s expectations relative to our assimilation into, or adaptation to, today’s cultural shift away from Judeo-Christian morality to an “anything goes” mentality. Christians of course don’t live in isolation from the world into which we were born or for whatever reason find ourselves living in now . . . In every part of the world, a great many of our brothers and sisters in Christ live in hostile environments.

Jesus knew this would happen, so, on the night before His crucifixion, He prayed that God would guide and protect His followers as they faced challenges to their Christian Commitment once He ascended back to the Father. “As you go through trials and temptations, keep in mind that I have gone to prepare a place for you . . .” What was our Lord concerned about? That assimilation into the world be without compromise with the world. No withdrawal. No hibernation. No isolation.

Even so, we all know that holding onto deeply-held Christian beliefs, while at the same time withstanding pressure to compromise convictions, is not at all easy. Never has been. Never will be.

As far back as we can go in biblical history, The Committed had to deal with pressures put on them by the Uncommitted to embrace certain cultural standards which, if they did so, would force them to compromise their religious beliefs . . . to renounce their Christian way of life. The same is true today.

Christians are constantly pressured to compromise Biblical standards . . . Christian principles . . . the Christian way of life . . . Judeo-Christian values so as to accommodate the socio-political agenda of a given segment of society.

Thus, desperately needed by The Committed is a leadership example of how to make an impact in “our world” – for God and for good – without compromising our Christian convictions.

The focus of the Book of Daniel is: How God used four Hebrew young men to impact a pagan culture in which they were forced to assimilate – Daniel 1:1-21 . . .

Even in a free society, godless segments expect if not demand Christians to assimilate (to become like, to absorb the ways of, a prevailing government or ruling class) . . . which is not always a bad thing. Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon devoted Christians to consider the effect that “going too far” could have on one’s total commitment to the Cause of Christ . . . one’s personal Christian testimony.

Times have changed drastically, and our world is hugely different from his, but Daniel’s response to the demands of a pagan culture is exemplary:

(1) Daniel honored the conviction of his heart – and so should we. Daniel had been taken to Babylon against his will, but, for a purpose. The destruction of Judah and the subsequent captivity had been allowed to occur in keeping with God’s purpose (working in and through all things to bring about what is best for those who love God and remain faithful to Him). To accomplish that goal, only the best and brightest of Hebrew young men were selected to go through three years of intensive training for being assigned to duty in the king’s service.

Smart enough to know that, in their new country, he and his friends would have no choice but to learn the language and literature, as well as adopt manners and customs of Babylon’s people, Daniel went along with what he conscientiously could go along with. He went along – up to a point at which he “drew the line”.