Take a Stand

 It was not supposed to be a heroic act that would start a movement. It was just one small act that turned into a giant groundswell of courage. Rosa took a seat at the front of the bus. The law required black passengers to give up the front seats to white passengers and go to the back of the bus. She refused to do so. She was arrested and black supporters initiated a one day boycott of riding buses. When she was found guilty, the boycott lasted 381 days until segregation on the buses was ruled to be unconstitutional. Rosa Parks is famous for taking a stand even though she was seated. When once asked why she did it, she simply replied, "I was tired."

Sometimes you have to take a stand. When our oldest son, Taylor, played peewee football, the coach asked if anyone could not practice on Wednesday nights. I raised my hand among the parents and was the only one to do so. There were many other Christian parents associated with that team. Not one of them took a stand for reserving Wednesday night for church activities. The coach chose other days for practices. 

 I have seen this same thing over and over again with other parents. Schools schedule practices and other events on Wednesdays. Last year some football games were scheduled on Wednesday. What do Christian parents do? They bow down to the wishes of the school. If Christian parents took a stand and refused their child participating, the message would be heard loud and clear. If half or most of the teams or students did not show up, but supported their local church activities, those school events would be rescheduled. 

Eric Liddell was a preacher and track star. He made the Olympic team for England. He later discovered they scheduled his race on Sunday. He refused to run. Even when bullied by his coaches and other Olympic officials he refused to compromise his convictions. He ended up running the 400 instead of the 100 which was his specialized event. God honored his stand and he won the gold medal in the 400. 

Parents have to take a stand with their children. They have to draw boundaries about what is acceptable and not acceptable. This will not make parents popular with their children or even with other parents. God entrusted the raising of your children to you teaching them wrong from right and what godliness looks like. Brenda and I had to say no to a lot of things for our sons. Like movies, cartoons, certain kinds of music, or even spending the night in certain homes. We also made church a non negotiable. Even to this day when our adult sons come to visit, we communicate Bible study and worship attendance are required. 

All through the book of Acts we read about Paul taking a stand for Jesus in community after community. Many times his message was not well received. He was run out of more than one town. Once he was stoned and dragged out of the city left for dead. Incredulously he survived. He went and preached in a nearby town and days later returned to the same town that stoned him fearlessly preaching the same message. He was often beaten. He was arrested. He still took his stand. 

So did Richard Wurmbrand. He was a Romanian pastor arrested and tortured for his stand for Jesus. He was severely beaten in prison by the guards. Sometimes just for praying at night. Once when a soldier who beat him often asked what he could possibly pray about so often to incur the beatings, Wurmbrand replied meekly, "I am praying for you." He nearly died in prison. When he got out, he wrote a book titled, Tortured for Christ. God used that book to strengthen Christians in persecuted countries all over the world to keep taking a stand. 

Please take heed. If you take a stand, especially one for Jesus, be prepared to suffer. This dark world hates the Light of the World. For thousands of years dark forces have tried to silence the message about the gospel and the Lord Jesus Christ. Many have died for taking a stand. Many are tortured, arrested, and exiled from their families because of their saving relationship with Jesus Christ. The day very well may come in the United States when the same thing will happen to followers of Jesus. Will we take a stand when that time comes?