Courageous Faith

Some of our greatest moments of courageous faith happen not because we somehow summoned the strength on our own, but because we were surrounded by a group of people that helped remind us how to be courageous especially when we’ve forgotten how. You have to wonder if that was the case for the paralytic man who was healed in Luke 5. After all, he didn’t lower himself through the roof and ask Jesus to heal him—his friends did. Today, we’ll look at how courageous faith is fostered and found in the community.

Our world is fast paced, ever changing, and completely unpredictable. Our faith often reflects the hurried nature of our surroundings. It’s easy to believe this pace is completely different from the times Jesus lived in; surely he wasn’t as busy or spread as thin. Yet, the Gospels reflect a Jesus in high demand, with the people around him always needing more. His response to mounting pressure and stress teaches us a valuable lesson. Perhaps the most courageous thing is to not keep pushing harder but instead to lean into holy rest. Today we’ll look at the importance of finding peace in a world of chaos.

Sometimes the place where courageous faith is needed the most isn’t just in what we do, but it’s in what we say. For instance, have you ever been in situation where you knew the right thing to do is speak up, speak out, or speak the truth in love but you didn’t because fear got the best of you? As humans, we’ve all had things that we would’ve said. So, as Christians, how do we infuse more courage into our conversations? Today we’ll look the power and importance of candor.

Have you ever done something that you knew was right, but acting on it would come with a price? According to Luke, one day Jesus saw a woman who had been crippled for 18 years enter the synagogue on the sabbath. At that point he had a decision to make. Does he help her even though healing on the sabbath was forbidden? Or does he stay quiet and not make waves? The answer in these kinds of dilemmas always comes down to one question: Do we believe our convictions so much that we can’t help but act? Today, we’ll look at the courage of conviction.

For most of us, it’s not uncommon to experience a challenging season of life and come out the other side feeling deflated. And yet when Jesus emerged from his 40-day temptation in the wilderness, Luke notes he wasn’t discouraged or exhausted but instead was energized and excited. In fact, he says that Jesus returned “filled with the Holy Spirit” and preached a daring—and even dangerous--first sermon. So what’s the secret to having a daring faith? Today, we’ll look at having the holy audacity to speak up even when others want you to sit down.

No one had a more courageous faith than Jesus. But long before he preached his first sermon or performed his first miracle, Jesus made two important pitstops: The Jordan River where he was baptized and the wilderness where he was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights. So how did those two experiences help prepare Jesus for a life of ministry? Today, we’ll look at how having clarity in what God’s calling us to do is the first step in having a courageous faith.