August 18
Stealth Christians
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
—Mark 8:38
When Elijah encountered the king’s servant, Obadiah, after a three-year vacation, Elijah was ready to rock.
Obadiah, however, wasn’t. Scripture tells us he feared the Lord “greatly” (1 Kings 18:3). We also read that when Jezebel was killing off the prophets, Obadiah hid one hundred of them. But even though he was a believer, he seemed to lack real backbone; otherwise he would not have served in Ahab’s court. He was serving the most wicked king in the history of
Obadiah had heard and seen great atrocities against God’s servants, but he had not spoken up for fear of losing his position—or his head. Obadiah’s testimony was so diminished and his witness so weak that he in no way deterred Ahab from his evil. In some ways he was even an accomplice with Ahab and Jezebel in their wicked ways.
Remember, our silence can imply consent and endorsement to actions we actually oppose. If you see something wrong and you don’t speak up, others may interpret your silence as approval. Think of how Elijah instantly obeyed and firmly declared God’s will. That is the path you need to take.
We need more Elijahs and fewer Obadiahs. Obadiahs may believe; they fear the Lord; but they don’t stand up for what is right. They are afraid of persecution. They don’t want to be laughed at. They are afraid of being rejected. So they try to fly under the radar—“stealth Christians.” We need more people who will stand for the Lord the way Elijah did.
—Greg Laurie, Losers and Winners, Saints and Sinners
In his newest book, Losers and Winners, Saints and Sinners, Greg Laurie examines the lives of biblical personalities—good and bad—revealing why some fell and failed while others picked themselves up and finished strong in the spiritual race.
Copyright © 2005 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.