Do Hard Things Challenge 8

What's the craziest debate you've ever had with someone? Was it about putting the toiled seat down, or whether you should drive while talking on your cell phone, or whether lettuce is required for something to be considered a salad? Maybe you have had a debate over Batman being the greatest superhero or if daily bathing should be required by law?

These topics are obviously silly to debate over in the grand scheme of life, but, unfortunately, these are the types of things we often are willing to have the most passionate debates about. Why is this? Probably because they don’t matter and we know we are not going to greatly offend the other person or lose their friendship. When it comes to the big issues (abortion, sex, heaven/hell, creation, respect) we often shy away from them because of a variety of fears, but those are the conversations we need to have because those are the conversations that lead to eternal life. Let's talk about why we should take a stand, what our message should be and how to prepare to take a stand for Christ in this “sinful generation”.

In John 17 we see what is referred to as the “High Priestly Prayer”. Jesus was praying for you and for me. He was praying for us because he knew we would need to stand for Truth in this world that is not our home.

In this prayer we see at least 5 Truths about why we should take a stand.

Security-We are secure in Christ so there is no fear in standing (v12)
Joy-Christ’s desire is our joy in Him through dwelling on and living in his Word (v13)
Truth-We have all the resources we need to stand...the Word (v14-17)
Commission-Christ has commissioned us to stand for Him in the world (v18)
Success-Our stand for Christ will produce results (v20)

When you stand, what should be in the message? Is it enough to just disagree or should there be something more intentional about our conversations?

In March 8:34-38 we see 3 topics that should always be a part of the stands we take.

The Cross-Bearing the message of the cross is an essential characteristic of a Christ follower. (v34)
The Temporal Nature of this World-The perceived benefits of this world are eternally worthless (v35-37)
The Word and Character of God-We need to clearly communicate the Word and character of God as a part of our stand for Truth...after all, that is the source of truth. (v38)

The Harris brothers encourage us with 6 things to remember when we consider taking a stand:

Start with the Bible

Examine Yourself

Listen to your conscience

Seek godly counsel

Be humble, loving and bold

Be part of the solution

Is there a stand you know you should be taking but haven’t?
Is there something in your life you know is wrong but continue to do?

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.