Fear Not!

I have been doing chapel for a local Christian school for this school year. After the last school shooting (just writing those words is painful), I asked the students how they felt coming to school. The overwhelming answer was scared.

Now I had a lot of feelings toward going to school when I was their age, but “scared” was not one of them.

All school shootings cause me grief, but this one impacted me more. One of the students killed was from Pakistan. She was Moslem. She had come to this country to get a better education. She had an opportunity to hear about Jesus and to see His love though believers, but instead she was killed by a fellow student who considered himself a Christian. Her family now remembers this nation as the place where their daughter was killed.

Our nation is characterized by two great attitudes right now.

One is anger and the other is fear. We are an angry and fearful nation.

One leads to the other. Fear leads to anger.

As I listen to the many political commercials and read the ads that come in the mail, the words are anger words. In almost all of the ads we are told that a particular candidate will “fight” for what they are espousing. Fight is an anger word and comes because we fear that we have lost something or are in danger of losing something.

I expect the world to be angry. A person who does not have a relationship with Jesus has good reason to be angry because they have no hope.

But I am hearing as much anger from the church as from the world.

Over seventy-five times in Scripture, God communicates directly to a person or group not to be fearful.

He says it to Abraham.

He says it Hagar.

He says it to Isaac.

He says it to Jacob.

He says it to Moses.

He says it to Joshua.

He says it to the nation of Israel.

He says it to Elijah.

He says it to Jeremiah.

He says it to King Hezekiah.

He says it to King Jehoshaphat.

He says it to Daniel.

He says it to the shepherds.

He says it to Zechariah.

He says it to Mary.

He says it to The Twelve.

He says it to Peter.

He says it to the women at the tomb.

He says it to Paul.

He says it to the believers.

Why did God say that so many times and to some many different people and groups?

Because without the presence of Jesus in our lives through the Holy Spirit, we are fearful people.

I don’t want to address the world because I think that most of you who read this devotion are believers. I want to address believers, the church.

In John 16:33 Jesus tells us that in this world we will have trouble, but take heart or take courage because He has overcome the world.

1 John 4:18 says that there is no fear in perfect love, that perfect love cast out fear. That if we are living in fear it is because we have not let the perfect love of Jesus kick fear out of our lives.

I know fear!

While I was pastoring another church we ran into some major conflict. The conflict was major enough that I felt that I would be asked to resign or right out fired. I was controlled by fear. I have always struggled with fear, but this was different. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t focus. My mind was filled with fear day and night. The only way I could get to sleep was to sleep in our living room with the television on and then it was not restful sleep. This went on for four months. The end came when I heard Jesus say to me, “Don’t fear, I got this.”

The church is fearful for two reasons.

One: we don’t believe God. We believe in God, but we don’t believe Him and what He says in His Word.

One of the comments I get all the time as new people come to visit our church is that I teach God’s Word. I am blown away by this. Folks, I am not the greatest teacher of God’s Word, so it is not because I am so good. I do a simple thing: I take the eternal truth of what God says and teach that. I am confused as to why that is so unusual.

Church, teach and live the truth of what God says!

Second: we have the wrong priority.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says to seek above everything else His kingdom and His righteousness. In Matthew 28 we are commanded by Jesus to go make disciples. The priority for followers of Jesus is to know Jesus, seek His kingdom, and build that kingdom by making disciples that are disciples of Jesus.

Church, our priority is Jesus and His kingdom!

Now, how do we minister to our angry, fearful nation?

I prayed about this two nights ago and, based on what I see Jesus doing, I believe there are five things I am going to do and lead my faith family to do.

Pray – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says pray without ceasing. Prayer is not magical. Jesus works through our prayers.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is praying about everything without giving up.

Be Honest – Romans 12:9 tells us that our love is to be genuine. The world has to see the church being honest. We have to admit we have blown it at times. We have to admit that we have not loved people the way Jesus did and does. We have to stop giving pat answers and honestly say, “I don’t know, but I trust Jesus.” When we are honest, people will listen and talk with us.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being transparent.

Be Real – Galatians 3:7 says that the real children of Abraham are those who put their faith in God. In Colossians 3:3 that our real life is hidden in God. We are real when we stop performing, stop following a list of rules, stop telling people what they want to hear, and start relating to others as Jesus did.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being authentic.

Put Yourself Out There – In Acts 5 Peter and John are arrested and put in prison. The Spirit releases them and tells them to go right back out to the temple courts and begin teaching again. In Acts 10 Peter is told to go to Cornelius, a Roman, and share the gospel. In Acts 14 after Paul is stoned nearly to death in Lystra, he gets up and goes back into the city. We have to engage our culture. We don’t do that by arguing, condemning or judging. We do it by going where the people are and showing them Jesus in our lives and action.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is trusting and living risky.

Connect With – In Mark 5 Jesus is asked to come and heal Jairus’ daughter. Jesus is walking through the crowd. One of the things we observe about Jesus is that He was out among the people. We as Jesus’ followers are to go. Where are we to go? Out where the people are.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is being with people.

Church of Jesus, don’t be angry; live out the love of Jesus!

Church of Jesus, don’t be fearful; believe Jesus!

There is an awesome song by Bethel Music called No Longer Slaves. The one line in the chorus that is repeated says, “I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God.”

Because I am a child of God, I will not live in fear and anger!

Without Fear or Anger, Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                  Joe