Danger and safety are not necessarily at odds with each other.

We pass through dangers safely when God is with us. What must be protected is protected.

In the same way, the church is both a shelter and a force. It is a refuge in the world for those under attack. At the same time, it is dangerous in the best sense, because it calls us into spiritual battle against evil, human degradation, hatred, injustice, racism, and greedy warfare.

We make what others have called “good trouble.”

Then we soothe the troubled soul.

Just How Dangerous Are You as a Disciple of Jesus?

Following Jesus is not a casual pastime. It is a calling that demands courage, clarity, endurance, and love. Dangerous disciples are not reckless people. They are surrendered people. They are people who have decided that obedience matters more than comfort.

I have been thinking about that word: dangerous.

Not dangerous because we are cruel, divisive for sport, or eager for conflict. Dangerous because genuine discipleship disturbs darkness. It exposes lies. It confronts evil. It refuses to baptize hatred, greed, or indifference. It moves toward broken people with healing and truth.

A dangerous disciple is dangerous to all that opposes the will and reign of God.

D = Dedication

Philippians 3:12–14

Paul writes with focused intensity:

“… this one thing I do …”

There is something powerful about a life that is no longer scattered.

Dedication includes:

Humility — “I do not consider…”

Charity — forgetting what is behind

Clarity — straining toward the prize

Intensity — “I press…”

Tenacity — living up to what God has already shown us

The dedicated disciple does not drift. He presses on.

A = Adventure

2 Corinthians 11:16–12:10

Paul’s life was no safe, padded journey. It was marked by hardship, weakness, peril, and divine grace. Yet he did not waste those experiences.

He made the most of them.

He found cause to boast in them.

He discovered that God was host in them.

Discipleship is an adventure, not because it is easy, but because Christ meets us in places we would never choose on our own.

N = Necessity

1 Corinthians 9:16–18; Romans 1:14ff

Paul speaks of obligation and eagerness. He is not merely volunteering for a pleasant religious hobby. He is under necessity.

Four words come to mind:

Compulsion

Conscription

Commission

Conviction

There are things a disciple does because he must. The gospel lays hold of us and will not let us remain neutral.

G = Generosity

1 Timothy 6:17–18

Dangerous disciples are not merely bold; they are open-handed.

Paul describes:

The attitude prescribed

The abundance provided

The assignment passed on

Kingdom people are rich in good works. They are ready to distribute, willing to share, and eager to invest their resources where God’s purposes are being advanced.

E = Energy

There is also the recurring biblical theme of peace and love. These do not weaken us. They energize us.

From Philippians 4, I think of this pattern:

E = Each and every circumstance
N = Noble thinking and action
E = Engage life, whatever the circumstances
R = Rejoice in the Lord
G = Gentleness
Y = You can do all things through Christ

Christian energy is not frantic striving. It is Christ-centered strength.

R = Resources

Philippians 4:14–20

God’s people do not move into dangerous times empty-handed. He provides what is needed.

Paul highlights how believers:

Encourage sharing

Extend worship

Expect God to come through

The resources of the kingdom are often hidden in generosity, fellowship, sacrifice, and trust.

O = Opportunity

1 Timothy 5:14; Romans 7:11; Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:3

Opportunity must be seized.

S = Supplication
E = Eloquence
I = Insight
Z = Zeal
E = Expression

Dangerous disciples do not merely wait for better times. They redeem the time they have.

U = Unhindered Understanding

Ephesians 5:17

“Be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

There is a contrasting attitude: foolishness.

And there is a compelling aptitude: to know and pursue the will of God.

A dangerous disciple is not guided by panic, trends, or outrage, but by discernment.

S = Salvation

Galatians 2:20

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me…”

This is where all true discipleship begins and ends.

I am dead.

I am alive.

I live by faith.

Fire, Division, and Trouble

Jesus did not hide the cost of discipleship.

“I am come to send fire on the earth…”
— Luke 12:49

Our minds often go immediately to hell when we read the word fire. But in this passage, that is not the point. Jesus is speaking of trouble, upheaval, consuming conflict, and division.

He is predicting the persecution and disruption that will come to those who follow Him.

Consider the mood of the moment. Jesus is moving steadily toward the cross. He is proceeding with full intention toward His date with destiny. His disciples will soon be terrified. Darkness will cover the earth. People will choose sides.

In the years to come, saints will be martyred. Households will be disrupted. Relationships will be tested.

Jesus says:

“But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division…”
— Luke 12:50–51

Not everyone will support you in your discipleship.

Some will support you.

Some will be indifferent.

Some will be amused.

Some will be passively tolerant.

Some will be openly hostile.

You cannot depend on the approval of everyone in your life. You must choose what matters, no matter how hot the fire of opposition becomes.

Jesus never sugarcoated the call to follow Him. He never watered it down. He heated it up and disclosed the cost.

His call was compelling, but it was also brutally honest.

Shelter in the Storm

To keep all things in balance, I also remember these words:

“Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.”
— Psalm 68:9

Rain is a blessing, especially when you are sheltered beneath a good roof. But rains can also become overwhelming and destructive. They become metaphors for life’s troubles and challenges.

The church is meant to be a shelter from the storms of life. Among God’s people, we find comfort, strength, and perspective.

Church buildings provide shelter too. But what happens when the shelter does not keep the rain out?

I remember when the roof of our church sprang a leak.

Actually, it did not start as a leak.

It started as a hole.

It was a legitimate hole. We were repairing the structure beneath the roof, and access was necessary. The roof was opened during what we thought would be a dry spell.

A hole never bothers anyone when left alone and undisturbed—unless it creates vulnerability, as holes often do, and unless the storms come.

And storms do come.

They come to people.

They come to communities.

They come even to churches.

Structures fail. Holes need to be patched. Buildings, institutions, and people all show signs of weakness.

Leaks happen.

The church, in one sense, is imperfect because it is made up of human beings. Christ is perfect; we are being perfected.

What we do know, even in leaky and stormy times, is that the church has persevered and will persevere. That is God’s plan, and He will bring it to pass.

Until then, the church continues to be a shelter—however imperfect—for the storm-tossed people of this planet who see Christ in her midst.

May she ever be so, leaks and all.

But may we always place our trust not in the structure, but in her cornerstone and head, Jesus Christ.

On Christ the Solid Rock

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
— Edward Mote