Taking Risks for Jesus

But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died....welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ.

Philippians 2:25-27 & 29-30

Epaphroditus was a church member at Philippi. As far as we can tell he wasn’t a pastor or a deacon. He was just a normal guy except for this one thing: he risked his life to serve the church. One of the Greek words the passage uses to describe this risk means to throw down a stake or make a venture. It's like saying Epaphroditus gambled with his life for the cause of Christ.

How exactly did he do that? Epaphroditus traveled from Philippi to Rome to deliver a love offering from the church to Apostle Paul to help meet his needs in prison. This was a trip of over 1,000 miles probably on foot and by boat. It would have been a considerable sacrifice for Epaphroditus. Think about the time away from work and family, the physical exertion, and the danger of travelling with a large sum of money. Unfortunately, his trip was made all the more difficult by illness. Epaphroditus took ill and was near death’s door. We believe this happened during his journey, and yet he pressed on risking his life to deliver supplies to Paul. 

Epaphroditus put his faith into action by volunteering to do this one big thing for the gospel, and when it nearly ended up costing him his life, he pressed on anyway. He wouldn’t put his hand to the plow and look back. 

Epaphroditus almost died for the work of Christ. What will you do? What adventure will your commitment to the gospel take you on? What one big thing is God calling you to? Maybe it's starting a ministry in your community or church. Maybe it's going on a mission trip. God may even be calling you to surrender to a call to the ministry. One thing I know for sure is this. If you're a believer, God does want you to do something. He has a plan for you, and it will involve risk. Aren't you tired of warming a pew? Take a risk for Jesus!

Go Ahead and Jump

Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Mark 10:28-31

People often talk about the Christian life as a leap of faith. While it's true that the decision to turn away from your sin and surrender your life to Jesus is like a leap of faith, the truth is that it doesn't end there. The Christian life isn't just one leap of faith, it's a series of leaps of faith based on God's Word. And the more often you jump the more comfortable you get with it. 

Think about a flying trapeze act. The trapeze artist swings on a bar high above the circus. After several swings to gain momentum, she lets go and flies through the air performing tricks (flips, twirls, etc...) only to be caught by a "catcher" hanging from another swinging trapeze bar. These tricks are done as high as 40 feet in the air, but you don't think they started off that way, do you? No! They start learning at lower heights, flying across small distances, performing simple or no tricks. Only after practicing for many months or years do they gain the ability and confidence to perform the big tricks so high up in the air. 

It's the same with us as believers. The more we take the small leaps of faith, the more confidence we gain that God will always catch us. So, if we will only discipline ourselves to make the small leaps, to obey God in the everyday things, then before we know it God will call us out to greater heights. That's where the thrill is in the Christian life. That's where God can really use us. 

So many believers are bored with the Christian faith and have no idea why. But I know why! It's because they have very little faith. They are still playing on the kiddie swings. They've never been willing to step out of their comfort zone and obey God. They got saved and then refused to take any more leaps of faith from that point on. So their walk with the Lord is stunted. Their unwillingness to risk anything for God prevents them from going on any great spiritual adventures or experiencing any great spiritual victories. Think about it. Great victories require beating larger foes, and that can only happen if you have the faith to step onto the battlefield with that foe. 

Fear of risking big things for God will keep you from receiving big blessings from God. Take a leap of faith today. Obey some command in Scripture that you've been ignoring or follow a prompting of the Spirit. Give a big gift to your church. Talk to someone about Jesus, even if it means they avoid you from now on. Finally tackle that sin in your life. If you know God is with you and that He is pleased by what you're doing, then no risk is too big. So, go ahead and jump.