Cover Story

CCR Take Courage!

A message from ICCRS

As we celebrate 40 years of the CCR, ICCRS had chosen the above theme. Below is a very encouraging response as to why such a theme was chosen

The theme is taken from the account of Jesus walking on water that we find in the gospel of Matthew. Let us imagine the scene: It had been an amazing day for the disciples; they had spent the day with Jesus and had been present when he performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. Then Jesus dismissed the crowd and told the disciples to sail back across the lake while he stayed behind to pray. The conversation between the disciples was surely dominated by the miracle that they had witnessed and the extraordinary power of Jesus. As night fell, the conversation would have shifted to the changing weather, until, late at night, the disciples found themselves rowing against stubborn winds and threatening waves. Even these seasoned sailors must have some misgivings about their situation.

But even the raging storm paled to insignificance against what the disciples saw next: Jesus walking towards them. They were terrified and cried out in fear, thinking that they were seeing a ghost. “At once Jesus spoke to them ‘Take courage it is I; do not be afraid.” (Mt 14:27) Then Jesus got into the boat with the disciples and the storm ceased. “Those who were with him in the boat did him homage, saying ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.'” (Mt 14:33).

Like those first disciples, we in the Charismatic Renewal have also traveled with Jesus, and over the years we have seen the power of the Son of God; many of us have been present when people have been healed, when hearts have been changed, or when someone has been set free from the grip of evil. We have seen our few loaves and fishes being miraculously transformed into something that has fed so many people over the years.

But we have also known many storms, and fought through many dark nights when it seemed as if Jesus had sent us off to struggle alone. We have grown weary fighting against the waves that threaten our fragile boat. It is precisely at this moment that Jesus comes to us and says “Take courage it is I; do not be afraid.”

What is this courage that Jesus speaks about? The word courage comes from the old French word corage which means “heart”. Courage is defined as “the quality of mind or spirit which enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc, with firmness and without fear.” This courage will serve us well as we face the storms of life.

People who have served in the Charismatic Renewal for a long time will admit that they are sometimes discouraged by the struggles that they experience within the Renewal. To become discouraged means to loose heart. If the Renewal becomes discouraged, if it becomes a movement “without a heart, “ then it will no longer have anything to offer the Church or the world.

Jesus knows our struggles. He sees the wind an the waves that we struggle against, and so he comes to us and says “Have a heart! Don't yield to the storm! Look, I am here with you. Keep believing! Remember what I have done in the past. I am the God who can do what seems impossible to you. I am here with you right now!”

It is clear that the Renewal is sailing through some storms. However, these storms are not the first and they certainly will not be the last. So how do we take courage in the face of this reality as Jesus asks us to do?

Remember the deeds of the Lord. Let us recall the things that we have seen God do. When we are feeling weary, let us remind each other about the miracles that we have witnessed in the past. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, forever.” (Heb 13:8).

Stop complaining and start praising! Nobody likes to go through a storm, but worrying and complaining does not help. Instead let us choose to worship and praise God, not only for what he does but mainly for who he is! When we start praising God the waves get smaller and the wind calms down.

Don't stop rowing! Sir Winston Churchill once wisely remarked “If you're going through hell…..don't stop there! By all means, keep going!” When we try our hardest and seem to be making no progress against the waves, the temptation is to give up, to stop rowing, and to let the storm take us where it will. People can reach a point where they stop evangelising , stop organising prayer meetings, stop hosting Life in the Spirit Seminars. It is important to be patient in the storm: patient with your own limitations; patient with the little fruit that you see. Keep rowing for just a bit longer. Jesus will be at your side.

If we practice this courage that Jesus calls us to, if we keep our hope in the Lord, then we will be able to endure the storms and struggles that assail us, and we too will one day bow before Jesus, in awe of what he has done and, together with the early disciples, we will proclaim “Truly you are the Son of God.”