Daniel is one of the great stories of the Bible which illustrates the blessings and dangers of following God rather than man.  We live at a time when people fear man more than God.  Fear of lawsuits paralyze churches and leaders.  Fear of offending someone stops Christians from sharing the Gospel.  Fear of the criticism keeps churches from conducting their ministries by biblical principles.

          Daniel feared neither lawsuit nor king nor even death penalty.  He only feared offending the God who sustained him.  Daniel lived in Babylon under King Darius of Persia.  He had become one of three trusted Administrators who supervised 120 managers in ruling all of Babylon.  But of course, the "satraps" (managers) envied Daniel and sought to depose him.  Try as they might, they could find no legal reason to have him removed, so they contrived legal means.  They could have taken some lessons from today's media that seems able to dredge up some bad on everyone!  So they tricked the King into creating a law - for just 30 days! - forbidding worship of anyone except the king.  No one would be allowed to pray to any god without death penalty in the lions den.

          But when Daniel heard of the new law - and this is what I admire in him so much - the Bible says he went home and prayed to God, just as he had always done.  So much for the fear of man made laws!  Today church leaders would stop what they were doing, debate the issues, write numerous papers, and finally issue opinions on why it's best to follow the law (in effect, running for cover!).  But Daniel did as he'd always done - he got down on his knees and prayed.

          Following Jesus Christ means taking risks.  It means we set aside personal fear and fear the Lord, that is, respect what He tells us.  It means we trust His ways are best and follow them.  Christians today seem to look for reasons not to follow God, and not to do His will.  We are so fearful of anything man throws in our path, fearful others will criticize us, and gutless in the face of public opinion that we paralyze ourselves.  We're terrorized by godless interest groups, run for cover when threatened, and retreat from our duties when the liability rates go up.

          In 1914 Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton set out to cross Antarctica - travelling 1,500 miles across the South Pole, using 39 sled dogs to lead them.  Once there, they did not set foot on land for 497 days.  In the process, they lost their ship, the Endurance, on crushing ice floes and for months survived by eating their dogs.  They endured frostbite, isolation and hardship beyond imagination.  When the ice began to melt and crack, they boarded three life rafts they'd made from salvaged shipboards and sailed 800 miles to Easter Island where they were rescued.

          How did Shackleton get men to volunteer for such a hazardous voyage?  Truth is, they signed up in response to an advertisement he placed in the London Times that said, "Men wanted for hazardous journey.  Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger.  Safe return doubtful."  In spite of this warning, brave men came from all over to sign on for the crew.

          Shackleton pledged that no man would die on this voyage, saying to his crew, "Follow as I lead, do what I say and I'll get you home."  Incredibly, two years later, he did, and not a man was lost.  Isn't it amazing that people will sign up to follow a man for such a questionable cause under such miserable and dangerous conditions?  Yet, so many people are reluctant to follow Jesus Christ, to commit their lives to the One who died for them, even to leave their homes for Sunday church and Sunday School!  Where are the courageous men and women willing to sign up for the trip?

          Jesus once said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it." (Mark 8:34-35)  Our Lord did not promise that following Him would be easy.  In fact, it's so dangerous believers have paid the ultimate price.

          But He promised to be with us, to guide us, and that by following Him, we will discover what it means to truly live.  For there is no other way to truly live except by following Jesus Christ.  Shackleton said, "Follow as I lead, do what I say must be done, and I'll get you home."  Jesus says the same.  "Follow as I lead, do what I say and I'll get you to your real home!"

          In Matthew 10, Jesus told His disciples of the dangers of following Him.  He said people would not always welcome them, and that they would be like sheep among wolves.  They might be arrested and betrayed for their faith.  He said even religious people would reject them.  He said, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 10:22)

          Daniel knew all about hate and taking risks.  He heard the latest foolish law, but he went back to prayer as usual.  He knew he'd be discovered, but he wasn't afraid.  Unjust laws that restrict religious freedom should be disobeyed.  Lawmakers who continually toss God out of the public square should be ignored.  And if they toss you in prison because of your faith, you're in good company - Daniel, Paul, Peter and our Lord Jesus Himself spent time in prison for the faith.

          Billy Graham's daughter Anne was interviewed on the Early Show and asked, "How could God let something like 9-11 happen?"  She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling Him to get out of our schools, get out of our government and get out of our lives.  And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out.  How can we now expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

          Daniel would agree!  If he saw how the western Christian church caves in to pressures from within or without, he'd have a hard time telling the Christians from the lions.  But Christians in some parts of the world are a different story.  They've been imprisoned, killed by the sword, and followed dead bodies of their loved ones to the cemetery.  They know what religious persecution is all about.

          The Apostle John also knew persecution.  He was removed from civilization and isolated for years until his writings were smuggled to believers.  Read what he said in 1 John 2:18-25.  It's about the Antichrists who deny Jesus.  He says anyone who publicly denies Christ or even dilutes the Gospel of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ alone - that person is an antichrist.

          Powerful antichrists in high places may kill and maim, but the little ones on the street or in the home are just as nasty.  They belittle or ridicule the followers of Christ.  Little antichrists chip away at the church, ridicule its teachings, frustrate its leaders and confuse its members.  They make obvious sin sound acceptable, even preferable.  Antichrists exist in religions that oppose Christianity, and sometimes they infiltrate Christianity itself.  The Christian tongue is only a few inches from the brain, but to hear some Christians talk today, the two seem miles apart.

          People often ask me if we're in the End Times, and I say yes we are.  We've been in the End Times since Christ returned to heaven, and we're waiting for Him to come again.  But the closer we come to His return, the more troubling our world is going to become.  Christians are going to be confused and rattled beyond belief, and many will fall away.  Common sense will disappear and confusion will abound.  Satan will entice believers into sin, and the church will become more corrupt and useless each time it changes its beliefs to accommodate the ways of the world.

          Yes, we are getting ever closer to the end.  So what do we do?  It's simple - follow Jesus Christ!  Stand firm in the truths of God like Daniel.  Remain true to the faith like Paul and Luther.  Learn the teachings of Jesus like Mary and Martha.  Mature in our faith like Timothy.  Love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourself.  But resist those who tell us wrong is right and that Bible truths no longer apply today.

          Our Lord Jesus is a God of immense patience.  He seeks and saves the lost, no matter where they live.  He loves the backslider and the atheist, the liar and the killer.  He forgives all who come to Him in faith.  He does not turn His back on sin, but He welcomes the sinner who repents.

          Christianity is not old or out-of-date.  It's the only thing that's truly up-to-date, the only thing that gives us hope!  "On Christ, the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."  God help us all repent of our sinful ways and to follow Jesus.  Amen

Copyright © 2003 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.