Pastor John Piper is loved for his passionate preaching. And I don’t know if I have ever heard him as passionate as he was this past Sunday.
In my last post I linked to a great article written by Pastor John concerning the Muslim reaction to a recent address by the pope. That article is a well crafted appeal for Christians to both love Muslims and stand up for the name of Jesus Christ.
Toward the end of his message, Piper mentions the article as he is dealing with this phrase from Rom. 16:4: “who risked their necks for my life”. Piper goes on to stress how what he wrote could potentially get him killed by Muslim extremists. And he discusses how Christians need to be willing to risk their lives in this way to stand up for the truth of the gospel. [If you are going to take issue with Pastor John on this, please read his brief article mentioned above first!]
Unfortunately, in the editing of Pastor John’s sermons for placement on the web, this passionate appeal gets left out of the print edition of his sermon. It is still there however in both the audio and video versions. What follows is my own transcription of Pastor Piper’s passionate appeal to put your life on the line in standing up for the name of Jesus Christ.
Many people don’t have to risk their lives, but some do. And frankly, after a week like this, I look at the rage in the world against Christians, from some, of course, not all Muslims, I think: “Hmmm, this is a conversation couples should have”….[Couples], who care about holding to the truth…this is a conversation you should have …They put their necks (this is a very good image), they put their necks on the block for him [Paul]. This is death.
Notice, husbands and wives, it doesn’t say Aquila risked his neck for me. That’s not what it says. I don’t like the idea of Noel dying at my side; I would rather die to save my family. I don’t like the idea of all three of us at home dying, with a bomb or anthrax or poisoned water or whatever—I don’t cherish that thought. That’s the thought here: the couple together risked their lives.
So last night, before we went to bed, I said, “We need to have this conversation, Noel, because I am going to say this out loud.” I said, “What I wrote in the Star this week could get me killed.” And I’m going to write it ’till I die. Are you with me? And you know what she said? “There is no turning back.” And there isn’t.
What are we going to do? Just go silent when things get tough? When real first century Christianity is suddenly on us? We are all going to show our true colors. (He makes a mumbling noise.) “Not the only way…not divine…not crucified…not ‘He who does not have the Son…does not have life’ [1 Jn. 5:12]…not ‘He who does not obey the Son,…the wrath of God rests upon him’ [Jn. 3:36].” Don’t talk like that among Jews and Muslims and Hindus and Buddhists. You’re gonna get yourself killed! Well, how else are we gonna’ spread the aroma of Jesus? Change the gospel? Yeah, that’s what a lot of people do. We’re not going there. And if you don’t want to go to a church that might get bombed, go to another church! Because the message we have is that Jesus is God. And there are no others. There’s so much to say….
Have that conversation tonight, okay couples?….Can we talk truth that might get us killed? Can we risk our lives for a Paul, [for] Christ? Oh what a chapter this is! What a web of precious partnerships!….What a woman and a man, Prisca and Aquila were! What a great Lord and Savior they served! Let us join them!
∼striving for the unity of the faith for the glory of God∼ Eph. 4:3,13 “¢ Rom. 15:5-7
I listened to the audio. Thanks for the link. I had never thought about preaching the gospel in America as being dangerous before. I knew that it was dangerous in other countries, but never here. I’ve actually told others that there will probably come a time in my life that it will be dangerous, that we will face persecution and violence as we speak the truth in love, but I didn’t think that time was yet upon us. Piper’s message made me rethink that. Although not near as well-known as John Piper, what choice do we have? “Count the cost, take up your cross and follow HIM!” May He give us the courage and strength we need to obey, serve and live radical lives for HIM!
The other thing I appreciate about this excerpt, Don, is that Piper emphasizes he is not going to downplay the message. This is what post moderns, many emergents, and most liberals do. We can’t compromise or water down such vitally important truth.
Thanks for commenting.
God bless you richly in Jesus Christ,
Bob Hayton
I sent the article around to several friends last week. It’s time Americans joined the rest of the world in thinking ahead about the fact that what they do for Christ may just cost them something.
As America rapidly becomes a thrid world nation (a debtor nation, imports over exports, huge deficits, etc.) there is no real reason to believe this will not effect the Church. Augustine defended Christianity as it was being accused bringing down the Roman Empire. I fear Christians will one day be heavily persucuted, not merely passively as now, but actively as we move deeper into God’s judgment.