The Need for Moral Courage

I don’t need to tell you that we are living in a Postmodern and Post Christian era in Western culture. Consequently, we are living in a moral wasteland that is virtually devoid of biblical truth. What was once considered to be upright and decent – even by cultural standards – is now mocked and ridiculed. And what was considered to be immoral and indecent – even by cultural standards – is now applauded. Unfortunately, the way of the world seems to eventually become the way of the church. Rather than confronting immoral behavior we end up compromising with it. Thus we now have a new norm that is reprehensible! Ultimately this will undermine the Gospel, and we will lose our reason for existing.
Well, what is needed now more than ever are men and women of moral courage – especially among the younger generation that will eventually lead this world. I have chosen a biblical text that deals with this very issue. In this text we will be considering the lives of three men – Peter, Barnabas, and Paul – in the face of a moral challenge. We will see them in their strengths and weaknesses, and we will discover that two give us bad examples not to be followed, while one gives us a good example to follow.