By removing eternal risk, Christ calls his people to continual
temporal risk.

For the followers of Jesus the final risk is gone. "There is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).
"Neither death nor life . . . will be able to separate us from the
love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 3:38-39). "Some of
you they will put to death. . . . But not a hair of your head will
perish" (Luke 21:16, 18). "Whoever believes in me, though he die,
yet shall he live" (John 11:25).

When the threat of death becomes a door to paradise the final
barrier to temporal risk is broken. When a Christian says from the
heart, "To live is Christ and to die is gain," he is free to love
no matter what. Some forms of radical Islam may entice
martyr-murderers with similar dreams, but Christian hope is the
power to love, not kill. Christian hope produces life-givers, not
life-takers. The crucified Christ calls his people to live and die
for their enemies, as he did. The only risks permitted by Christ
are the perils of love. "Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you"
(Luke 6:27-28).

With staggering promises of everlasting joy, Jesus unleashed a
movement of radical, loving risk-takers. "You will be delivered up
even by parents . . . and some of you they will put to death" (Luke
21:16). Only some. Which means it might be you and it might not.
That's what risk means. It is not risky to shoot yourself in the
head. The outcome is certain. It is risky to serve Christ in a war
zone. You might get shot. You might not.

Christ calls us to take risks for kingdom purposes. Almost every
message of American consumerism says the opposite: Maximize comfort
and security - now, not in heaven. Christ does not join that
chorus. To every timid saint, wavering on the edge of some
dangerous gospel venture, he says, "Fear not, you can only be
killed" (Luke 12:4). Yes, by all means maximize your joy! How? For
the sake of love, risk being reviled and persecuted and lied about,
"for your reward is great in heaven" (Matthew 5:11-12).

There is a great biblical legacy of loving risk-takers. Joab,
facing the Syrians on one side and the Ammonites on the other, said
to his brother Abishai, "Let us be courageous for our people . . .
and may the LORD do what seems good to him" (2 Samuel 10:12).
Esther broke the royal law to save her people and said, "If I
perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16). Shadrach and his comrades refused
to bow down to the king's idol and said, "Our God whom we serve is
able to deliver us . . . But if not, be it known to you, O king,
that we will not serve your gods" (Daniel 3:16-18). And when the
Holy Spirit told Paul that in every city imprisonment and
afflictions await him, he said, "I do not account my life of any
value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course"
(Acts 20:24).

"Every Christian," said Stephen Neil about the early church,
"knew that sooner or later he might have to testify to his faith at
the cost of his life" (A History of Christian Missions, Penguin,
1964, p. 43). This was normal. To become a Christian was to risk
your life. Tens of thousands did it. Why? Because to do it was to
gain Christ, and not to was to lose your soul. "Whoever would save
his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will
find it" (Matthew 16:25).

In America and around the world the price of being a real
Christian is rising. Things are getting back to normal in "this
present evil age." Increasingly 2 Timothy 3:12 will make sense:
"All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be
persecuted." Those who've made gospel-risk a voluntary life-style
will be most ready when we have no choice. Therefore I urge you, in
the words of the early church, "Let us go to him outside the camp
and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city,
but we seek the city that is to come" (Hebrews 13:13-14).

When God
removed all risk above
He loosed a thousand risks of love.

Pastor John