The Principle of Faithfulness

Julius Caesar was at his prime; he had just won a civil war and had been made the perpetual dictator of Rome.  He was, however, caught off guard as a group of senators made a pretense of petitioning him, only to hem him in. Then, one of the men flashed the blade of his dagger and plunged it into the Caesar. The others followed suit stabbing the dictator twenty-three times. Brutus, who was a close family friend, delivered one of the blows. Shakespeare wrote that Julius cried, “Is that you, Brutus?” What betrayal must he have felt? How common betrayal is for all of us. George Washington had his Benedict Arnold, and so do we.

Who hasn’t seen someone give up when things didn’t go well? We have all heard the well-rehearsed reasons why someone won’t go to church anymore. We are familiar with the causes of why someone gave up on his or her marriage. How admirable it is when you meet someone who after many years and many battles remains faithful. They were hurt and betrayed just like everyone else but never gave up. They faced hopelessness, confusion, and even despair but didn’t throw in the towel. Instead, they stayed at the task.

Betrayal is so hard to take because it diminishes us so. It may be the strongest and most painful human emotion. The prophet Jeremiah knew betrayal of the worst kind when he learned that his friends and even relatives were planning his assassination (Jer 11:18-19). Jeremiah struggled to recover from his hurt, and he complained to God. His questions were similar to ours:  How can you let evil people prosper? How is it that you allow them to have it so good? Why are crooks allowed to rip people off and get away with it? Why would you let hypocrites get by with wrong? You know what they are like (Jer 12:1-2).

God listened and answered Jeremiah, but the answer is not what Jeremiah expected. We, like Jeremiah, want God to reveal to us what we cannot understand. We feel that if we knew the why of things we would be so much stronger. God hardly ever does that, instead, he reveals himself to us, which is what we need more than anything else. He tells Jeremiah, “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?” (Jer 12:5).

God was saying to the prophet, “If you can’t handle this, Jeremiah, how do you expect me to entrust you the great things I have planned for you?” For Jeremiah to remain faithful to God in tough times, he would have to turn to God and trust him completely. Learning this is what helped Jeremiah to remain faithful through his long and difficult ministry. It will be no different for us today. When we are discouraged in our marriages, our churches, or our ministries, we must turn to the Lord.  Isaiah saw the weariness in people, and he asked them this question: “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31). When God strengthens us in our weariness, we feel purpose and significance. Viktor Frankl said, “Despair is suffering without meaning.” Let us turn to the One who is the creator of the ends of the earth and trust him, and he will make us faithful.

Courage

Courage is the ability to face pivotal moments in life with boldness and fortitude. Most people think of courage as a great feat performed before thousands of spectators. That rarely happens, as when David accepted Goliath’s challenge and fought him before all the army. However, most people perform feats of courage in absolute obscurity.  Sometimes having courage means we are willing to face problems squarely and not run from them. When we acknowledge our mistakes and determine to do the right thing, that is the essence of courage.

Stephen, found in the book of Acts, was such a man of courage. He lived and died with no regrets.  He lived unintimidated by those who wanted to silence him, and he remained faithful and committed to his faith to the end. When his enemies made it clear they would do whatever was necessary to suppress his voice, Stephen never flinched. He maintained his witness in the face of fierce hatred and barbaric treatment. 

Luke says that Stephen was a man full of God’s grace and power (Acts 6:8). He understood God’s goodness, and it affected the way he treated people.  In fact, Stephen became a channel of God’s power and love to those around him. He generously shared with others, and consequently, lives were touched. God’s power works through his grace.

Stephen did not write the book of Hebrews, but he probably could have.  Hebrews, more than any other book in the New Testament, declares the supremacy of Christ.  It presents Christ as our savior and high priest.  Stephen announced the message of Hebrews in his talks in the synagogue before Hebrews was ever written. The Holy Spirit anointed his powerful debates. Stephen pointed to a savior who is for everyone, and his death replaces all animal sacrifices. The same man whom the Jews crucified was none other than Jesus Christ. That message met with resistance because Stephen’s arguments were solid and irrefutable, which caused more animosity toward him.

Stephen was brought before the highest court of the land and given a chance to defend himself, but instead, he only articulated even more clearly that Jesus was the savior. Stephen’s sermon was his death warrant.  He was willing to stand true to his faith because he was committed to the truth.  As Stephen finished his final words, his enemies came after him like a lynch mob. 

Imagine this extraordinary scene.  Stephen’s enemies have all been sitting very piously in their places as he gave his last speech.  He never gave it in self-defense; it was instead a summation of God’s wondrous grace working in history among the nation of Israel.  As Stephen came to the end of his discourse, he indicted those rebellious leaders who rejected his message for their unbelief.  They could take no more, so they covered their ears and yelled at the top of their lungs as they rushed toward him.  His enemies then took hold of him; they dragged him out of the city and threw him down.  Each man took stones in hand to cast at him. 

Every time we see Christ in heaven, the scriptures give us a picture of Jesus seated at the right hand of the father, but on this occasion, Jesus is standing.  Jesus stood up in tribute to the courageous faith of Stephen.  While they were hurling stones to kill Stephen, he never begged for mercy but instead prayed to God that this sin not be held against them (Acts 7:60).  He prayed as Christ had prayed on the cross, and he showed us how to live and die with courage.