Taking a Risk for Jesus

Anyone who has ever studied or actually been in leadership knows that risk is something that joins leaders at the hip. Every decision, every new product or venture carries with it the risk of failure. The higher up in the leadership chain, the greater the risk. The fallout for failure is also increased.

Jesus detailed this when he told the story of the ten leaders who's ruler gave each the same amount of money to conduct business while he went away. When he returned to see how the men had used the money, he found the first had increased his ten-fold and the second had made a five-fold increase, but the third man on the list had hidden his share and made no profit or loss.

This is essentially a leadership lesson on risk. The third servant was deemed worthy enough to be entrusted with a portion of the ruler's money, but he became scared of the risk and chose to play it safe, hiding the money. It's no surprise that the ruler became angry and pointed out that the money could've been put into a bank and returned with interest.

Meanwhile, the other two were given a greater share of the money and responsibility. But, consider for a moment the risk these two men put their ruler's possessions in. The bank is a relatively safe risk, but these men greatly increased their owner's money with their investment. Consider that even in good years, today's stock market typically takes about a decade of good times to double, and that's with a decent amount of risk. We're not told how long the ruler would've been away or what his money was invested in, but one thing is clear, it was surely risky.

The difference between the three servants was that two of them took the risk to succeed or fail. The other was scared.

This same scenerio plays itself out today just like Jesus told it some 2,000 years ago. Especially in these difficult economic times, we are all very familiar with risk.

Let's take risk and kick it up a notch by factoring in the risk people take for the cause of Christ. It's bad enough when just market fluctuations are working on you, but when you turn your life over to Jesus and allow Him to guide you, that risk gets amplified. Here's a couple of reasons why.

First, and probably the most prominent is that when we become fully, devoted followers of Jesus, walking in His steps and into His ministry work, we are guaranteed to have Satan come at us with guns blazing. In much the same way that responsibilities grow as leaders move up the chain of leadership, the risk and strength of Satan's attacks grows greater as Christians accept more responsibility for passing on the message of Christ. Anyone who wants to be a part of spreading the Gospel should automatically anticipate the war Satan will unleash.

Second, the risk of failure in the Christian ministry is greater than just about any other endeavour. In the business world, there are tried and true formulas to reduce risk and maximize success. However, Christian ministry is full of the random ups and downs associated with the numerous free-will personalities we come into contact with each day. Unlike rules of business, there aren't too many rules of ministry that can be relied on time and again. What works to bring one person to Christ may not persuade anyone else.

Top that off with the fact that most people employed in ministry rely solely on Christians to donate their time and money to continue the work of the ministry and to pay the bills, and the risks mount.

So, what is a person to do in light of the great risks associated with spreading the Gospel? I think we need to remember these things:

• Our risks and inconveniences pale in comparison to what Christ went through to provide salvation to those who would believe in Him.
• Jesus never said spreading the Gospel would be easy. In fact, He said it would be hard, so expect opposition and challenges.
• The parable of the sower details that it is our responsibility as Christians to tell people about Jesus. Their response to the message is in their own hands.
• Sometimes when the risk is high, so is the discouragement. We feel alone in ministry. But, just as Elijah thought he was alone only to learn there were 700 other prophets God was protecting, you aren't alone. There are many others around you who stand in the ministry with you.
• In Acts 1:8, Jesus not only gave us our ministry instructions, but he also told us we wouldn't be out there on our own. The Holy Spirit has our back. Even when things seem desperate, He is there waging war against Satan, and preparing the way for us to spread the Gospel.