We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. —2 Corinthians 4:8–9
I am not much of a “candy coater” when it comes to things, and I am thankful that the apostle Paul wasn’t one either. His honest assessment and testimonies of radical Christian living are needed in a day when much of the church has been mesmerized by the promises of wealth and prosperity that are preached from many pulpits. You won’t find Paul diminishing the hardship aspect of worldchanging Christian living. He warns it is hard in every way, perplexing at times, and may even lead to persecution.
However, in the church today, being crushed with despair or struck down and destroyed is not even mentioned as a remote possibility, even for those living boldly for Jesus Christ. Too much “Christianity Lite” is preached and not enough Paul-like truth, which paints the true picture of being light in a dark world. Because much of what is preached today emphasizes the benefits and privileges of the Christian life, many people are unprepared for the reality of hardship in the Christian life.
In my many years of working with young people, I have always loved talking to the teenagers and twenty-something “tough guys.” Often they say something like, “Christianity is weak and for weak people.” My challenge to them is always the same. I ask, “So you think Christianity is not for real men?” and their answer is generally the same: “No, Christianity is for the weak.”
My next statement to them—and I must admit, I relish and even instigate this type of conversation on occasion—is this: “If you think being a Christian is for the weak, then I challenge you to carry a Bible around all week at school. You don’t even have to read it, but just carry it around in front of your friends and others. Just carry that book around for five days of school and then tell me how weak the people are who not only carry it but also live by it!”
Interestingly, I have never had one taker. The fact is, they were all afraid to accept the challenge, knowing what would be said about them. That is because, dear friend, Christianity is not for cowards, but according to Revelation 21:8, hell is!
“Hard-pressed,” “perplexed,” “persecuted,” and even “struck down” does not describe a life for cowards. Christianity is living in absolute and unequivocal opposition to all that is in the world. Don’t get sold short of what real Christianity is, but read the words of a man honest enough to tell you how it really is, the apostle Paul. Be bold, be strong, for the Lord your God is with you!
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