Remaining Dangerous

Are you infected?

There is an insidious disease among Christians. Over time, we often lose our willingness to do daring and dangerous things, especially within a fulltime vocational organization, and ESPECIALLY when we are in a headquarters and distant from the rawness of field engagements with the kingdom of darkness.

I watched Act of Valor recently. It opens with a thought that the worst thing about growing old is that other men stop seeing you as dangerous. I’m not sure about that statement, but it got me to wondering, does Satan view me as dangerous? Am I still dangerous to the kingdom of darkness?

J.B. Philips wrote

The real danger for professing Christians lies not in the more glaring and grosser temptations and sins, but in a slow deterioration of vision, a slow death to daring, courage, and a willingness to adventure.

While searching the internet for this quote, I found J.B. Philips on Vision.

You’ve heard the saying, “The best Defense is a good Offense.” Yet often, as professing Christians, our focus is more on sin management—not dropping the ball—than building a thirst for the end-zone. It’s as if we only possess a Defensive Playbook—worrying more about being scored against, than scoring. But vision, daring, courage and adventure are in the Offensive Playbook. And the more we practice plays from that book the less our Defense needs to be on the field.

I like the phrase “building a thirst for the end-zone.”

To often in Christian circles, our focus is more getting along with each other rather than scoring. We feel often feel on the defensive, explaining ourselves to each other, making sure all the right people are included, moving ahead slowly and tentatively.

As I thought through some of these things, different people came to mind. People who I have known as dangerous to Satan and his kingdom.

Who is the most dangerous follower of Jesus you know? Maybe it’s someone you know now. Maybe it’s someone you worked with in the past.

What attracted you to this person? What character traits?

Send an email to this person today, if he/she is still alive. Thank them for modeling dangerous living, thirsting for the end-zone, refusing to be safe.