The Company of the Uncompromised

In summing up our Uganda experience, I feel that we were in the presence of giants. I use this term not in the negative sense of forces set again us, but we were in the presence of great Christians. In many of the pastors and church members, we were encountering believers who are pressing through obstacles, who have suffering through ordeals too terrible to recount in this space, and who have made tremendous sacrifices for the sake of the gospel. It is as if we were walking among Paul, Barnabas, and Timothy in the nature of their ministries.

So many of their pastors have made substantial compromises in their personal lives. Yet they are, I believe, uncompromised at their core—and in the faith. I fear the reverse may be true for us. We try to have it all, and we refuse to compromise when it comes to our comfort, our security, and our family. In the process we may become compromised in our obedience and dedication in following Christ and pursuing God’s mission. More than once through this experience, I wondered if in heaven we would be peering over the shoulders of these uncompromised giants in the faith as we look at Christ. May we strive to join the company of the uncompromised!