In business, the risk of taking action or inaction is lost profits, partnerships, employment, income, and reputation.  Risks must be evaluated, calculated, and mitigated.  In ministry, the only risk is not taking risks.  When it comes to doing the Lord’s will, there’s no risk in risking it all – but saying “no” to God is risky business.  Retreating into the comfortable confines of culture’s conventions risks consequences far greater than we would experience by taking countercultural steps of faith in Christ.

The lunacy of leaving a secure, high-paying consulting career during the Great Recession with a newborn appeared to me the height of sanity.  The thought of staying scared me to death.  Defying my heavenly Father, who had made it imminently clear the time was now to go full-time with Meet The Need, was unthinkable.  The rewards for that faithfulness were remarkable revelations of God’s love and provision over the next 17 years.  And only the Lord knew a financial disaster was awaiting me if I hadn’t obeyed Him.  Months later, unscrupulous business partners set a trap that we narrowly averted because I had gone into full-time ministry with no income.

Why did Scripture’s great heroes of faith risk and accomplish so much for the Kingdom knowing it would cost them their lives?  Each of their stories in Hebrews 11 repeats the same theme – “they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one”.  “…Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)  The more confidence we have in our future, the more courage we have in our present.  That future does not depend on risking everything for heaven’s sake, but our willingness (to take risks) demonstrates faith in the certainty of our eternal fate.  Disobedience to a clear heavenly calling risks disappointing a Father gracious enough to clear a path to heaven through the One who took the ultimate “risk” – Jesus.  The question of faith hinges on what is riskier – disappointing God or the world.  Which reward is greater – temporal accolades or eternal acceptance?

4 Most Dangerous Things a Christian Can Do

There’s no apparent danger in cheap grace – punching a “free” ticket to heaven.  Simply repeating a few phrases (the Sinner’s Prayer) without life transformation implies salvation isn’t worth much if it costs us so little (though it cost Jesus dearly).  It may be possible to be a “Christian” (but not a disciple) without taking risks, but faith without works is impossible.  Discipleship (as the word implies) carries with it an obligation of obedience.  And we’ll need the courage that comes from an eager expectation of eternity to obey God’s Word.  Jesus promised that obedience will entail suffering in this life, particularly when the commands we’re following are as dangerous and threatening to the world order as these four:

1. Serving Selflessly – Stalin knew the way to kill the Church wasn’t to ban it entirely, but to keep it from serving the poor.  The seeds for the American Church’s decline in growth, impact, influence and perception were planted when it transitioned in the early 1900s from its lead role in compassion.  Stephen became the first martyr because he was Public Enemy #1 as far as the Pharisees were concerned.  He had just been appointed to lead the feeding ministry for widows, and the Church was exploding in growth through powerful demonstrations of God’s love.  Non-Christian leaders throughout history understood that if believers are active in serving those experiencing material poverty, Christianity will spread like wildfire.  Reeducating a generation of children takes too long.  Persecution often backfires, creating underground movements that more closely resemble disciple multiplication modeled by Jesus.  The fastest way to squash the Church’s momentum is to prevent it from doing what Jesus did to open ears to hear the Gospel (i.e. acts of service).  Those heaven-focused enough to resist and persist in doing good in His name put themselves directly in harm’s way.
2. Loving Unconditionally – Presuming to replace the world’s definitions of love with God’s (Agape) is dangerous.  Secular society sees tolerance (for sin), truth (according to the person speaking), and self (above all else) as “love”.  Those “loves” are rooted in YOLO (you only live once), but believers in YALE (you’ll always live eternally) choose a higher form of love based on loving God and neighbors, including our enemies.  Drop The Stone asked Christians to stand out in a crowd during the 2024 Presidential election season by doing what the world won’t, and least expects – jaw-dropping acts of kindness for those across the political aisle.  Opposition came from all sides – progressives doubting our sincerity, Christians condemning culture, and churches wary of getting involved in “politics”.  Yet the opportunity a divisive election presented to contrast a myopic, self-centered worldview with the eternal hope of Christ drove us to endure any opposition.
3. Investing Personally – Becoming a disciple and making disciples risk life and liberty in many countries.  Persecuted believers put it all on the line for the life-saving truth of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.  There are no cultural, lukewarm Christians in the face of clear and present danger.  In America, the cost of discipleship is just our time – and life as we know it.  Discipleship requires a significant investment in intensive, personal study and journey alongside another Christ-follower.  Yet few Christians here take advantage of that freedom – sharing their faith and deepening the faith of others.  Most of us have been too conditioned by convenience to execute the Great Commission.  Only those measuring their availability along an infinite timeline would realize that the risks of disobeying Jesus’ parting command far outweigh the inconvenience.
4. Challenging Boldly – Church planters have little to lose at first.  Without buildings, members, or salaries there’s little risk in raising expectations of members to biblical proportions.  Without staff, all members are “leaders” tasked with responsibilities for discipleship.  The only way to get the new church “on the map” is to be visible in the community, so most engage in local compassion initiatives.  That outward focus understandably produces growth, which continues until there’s something to lose.  The temptation then is for risk aversion, preservation, or continued expansion by ratcheting back on demands for evangelism, discipleship, or compassion.  At that stage, members once viewed as Kingdom “employees” start being treated like “consumers”.  High expectations of the congregation reverse, where they now gauge the “performance” of the pastor.  Church leaders imitating the biblical heroes of faith, “longing for a better country”, won’t worry about the risk of earthly-minded members heading to a less heavenly-minded church down the road.

Following Jesus unreservedly will subject Christians and churches to ridicule for doing what appears irrational but couldn’t be more intelligent.  Investing in bringing the Kingdom to earth produces infinitely higher returns than building our own kingdom.  The path of least resistance in a Postmodern and Post-Christian world is to avoid risking the loss of social capital, but those whose citizenship is in heaven are more concerned about building social capital in that realm.

The Irony of Risk Taking

Not all is as it seems.  What looks safest to the world carries the most risk.  Obeying our Father is always the best bet, no matter how counterintuitive it appears.  In God’s economy, His supply far outweighs our demand.  Jesus’ teachings flip the script on all that society values – rich is poor, strong is weak, and greatest is least.  His priorities contradict everything the world craves – popularity, power, and prosperity.  Ironically, living dangerously (like Jesus) produces better results not just in the next life, but this one as well:

1. Service – Christians who argue that “being too heavenly minded is of no earthly good” typically don’t do as much good on earth.  Like the heroes of faith, those not clinging to life are most inclined to store treasures in heaven.  They’re still earthly minded, but preoccupied with others because they’ve died to self.  For churches, outward focus is the ultimate path to internal (personal and church) growth.
2. Love – Loving God and everyone He created, even our “enemies”, aren’t just good for the soul but for the mind and body as well.  Hate is stressful and retribution is dangerous.  Living for the dot (life) and not the line (eternity) shortens the dot and risks the line.  God isn’t a cosmic killjoy – His commands improve our quality of life.
3. Discipleship – “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose”.  Disciples of Jesus Christ enjoy the abundance that eludes all others – contentment, fulfillment, purpose, forgiveness, and assurance.  For churches, multiplication (of disciples) is the Lord’s math, producing the healthy growth rarely experienced through addition (e.g. inviting people to church).
4. Challenging – To get healthy, sometimes we have to lose weight.  Church “consumers” may leave when pastors risk raising expectations to the level of God’s expectations of all His followers.  Jesus preached His “congregation” down to weed out short-sighted self-seekers unwilling to obey His greatest commandment.

It’s ironic, and sad, when Christians and churches miss out on all God would provide if they were only willing to take a seemingly radical step of faith that bore no real risk.

It’s Your Turn…

Do you or your church regret not taking a risk in the past, more concerned at the time about the short-term implications than the eternal impact?