FEAR:
A
state induced by perceived danger or threat which causes
a change in behavior,
such as fleeing, hiding or freezing from perceived traumatic events.
What are YOU afraid of?
What do you perceive as a threat that would cause you to
change behavior?
What about church . . . for those of you who won’t go to
church?
Now don’t give me that “the roof will fall in if I was to go
in the building” nonsense. Trust me, if it hasn’t caved in on the hypocrites
and other liars who are there, you are in safe company.
What about you who GO TO CHURCH regularly? What are you
afraid of?
I’ve been a church attender most of my life, by choice not
compulsion. I have to admit, I’ve witnessed and experienced a lot more fear
than freedom in the sanctuary.
I’m not talking about fear that God would punish me or treat
me like a disobedient child. At some level I’ve always experienced the
acceptance and forgiveness His written Word promises.
However, I can say that my theology, my beliefs about God,
has been formed more by my disappointment when God didn’t live up to my
expectations.
So, I would weekly join others who:
- Were afraid God wouldn’t answer their prayers.
- Were afraid God would reveal a secret part of their life.
- Were afraid God wouldn’t show up.
- Were afraid God WOULD show up and interrupt the routine.
- Were afraid God would ask them to do something out of their comfort zone.
- Were afraid God would call them as a missionary to a people they didn’t like, to do a job they weren’t skilled at.
As I See It, we want to look open on the outside, yet inside we're suited up with the armor of our Pride and Prejudices when take a
seat in the pew. We may be cordial to
others, but we’re ready for intellectual and emotional battle with anyone who
dares to joust with our head and heart.
You can practically hear the words bounce off….
“God wants to give you a new start” . . . But what if He…..
“God has an incredible plan in store for you” . . . But what
if He asks me to …
“God wants to allow His Spirit to flow through you” . . .
But what if I do something – crazy?
Then, there's the fear-bound believer who wants to remind me
that “We are supposed to fear God?” They reel off the Old Testament God-qualities
of judgement and wrath they’ve been taught to parrot.
Yes, we are to fear
the Lord, . . . but which word for fear
are you choosing to use from the Scripture? Depending on the verse, there is one
Hebrew word with the heaviness of awe-filled
terror. This is usually in reference to disobedient men, resistant to
God’s wisdom.
The other Hebrew word translates “a sense of reverence and respect.”
Several years ago, I was introduced to Richard Kiel, a
broad-shouldered actor towering at 7’ 2”. He made a career of playing giants,
bayou swamp monsters, and intimidating henchmen in the movies. Mr. Kiel had to duck in order
to clear most door frames as he entered the room.
His steel teeth were gone from the villain character Jaws he played in the James Bond
thriller Moonraker, but he was still
an awe inspiring man in person.
When he reached to shake my hand, mine appeared that of a
small child in grip of his massive fist. He spoke with a deep, but gentle
voice. It was indeed a reflection of who this humble, gentle giant, who drew respect
from me.
Sometime later, I would unexpectedly meet the honorable
“Stormin’ Norman” Schwarzkopf. As the former commander of U.S and the
international coalition in the first Persian Gulf War, he was a man I already
held a high respect for.
Now, I was standing before another giant of a man, in full
army uniform, topping out at almost seven feet tall. He was gracious as he
greeted me, his massive hand engulfing my own firm grip. A man who commanded
great power, but treated others with confident humility.
For me, that was a taste of the fear (reverence and respect)
referred to in Proverbs 1:7 – “The fear
of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and
instruction.” Then in verse 29 the
writer continues “For that they hated
knowledge and did not choose the Lord.”
Later in Proverbs 9:10, the author would use the same term, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”
What have I learned in my new FEAR of the Lord?
As modeled by His Son, Jesus Christ, God is a god of freedom. Everywhere Jesus went, He
challenged the religious chains which bound people to unhealthy fear of God.
This infuriated the rulers who drew power and money at people’s expense.
Whoever Jesus touched, their lives were changed and they received freedom.
Freedom from sin.
Freedom from disease.
Freedom from spiritual oppression.
Freedom from religion.
Freedom to live a life of who they were created to be.
FREEDOM!
So . . . back in sanctuaries across America . . . what
stands between us and the freedom God wants for us?
Prejudice: We are
prejudiced about the kind and ritual
of our church services. We’re prejudiced
about just how far we think God is allowed to show His power in our worship. We
are prejudiced about the people we
want to associate and worship with. We’re prejudiced
about just how far we think the forgiveness of God extends to some lifestyles
and visible sinners.
Pride: Ah, the
stronghold in every man and woman. We can be talked into most any temporary
Christian obligation and giving as long as our pride is allowed to stay intact.
Without our pride, we feel the last vestiges of our personhood is slipping from our grasp. If we surrender our pride, just how can we trust a God we think wants
to turn us into a doormat for the world to step on.
The freedom God wants to trade for your pride and prejudice
is a release to the life and new name
He has intended for you before you believed the lies and took the arrows which
birthed your fear of a good Father God. It’s a freedom from religious
expectation. It’s a freedom from guilt. It’s a freedom to live free, accepted,
approved, and loved.
It is a freedom to
start an adventure which will amaze as you watch Him flow through you.
As I’ve observed recently, church is more than people
gathering inside a building. It’s people letting God impact the lives of people
in crisis in our community.
There is a sense of excitement when we come
together at church. The old habits of fear don’t have a chance.
1 comment:
For me, it's not a fear as much as it is a complete lack of need. I see the religious system as a compartmentalization of faith that is unnecessary for New Testament believers. I am a Jesus package and so is every other believer. Whenever two or more of us gather, there he is. So why do I need the religious system again? I don't. So I choose not to participate, mainly because I don't believe the clergy system is biblical - it basically is an attempt to recreate Israel, the Israel that Jesus came to replace. The Israel that God utterly destroyed in 70 AD. We don't have a separate religious class anymore. We don't have a "God's House" that was built by human hands (temple). We don't have a physical altar. Everything is within now and worship is making of myself a living sacrifice. In the religious system we enthrone the bible, wrong, we enthrone the clergy, wrong, we enthrone the bread and wine, wrong. We enforce old testament rules from a system that no longer exists - It's just wrong. i don't have a problem with people who want to participate, I don't think it is a sin to do so with a pure heart, but it's just not a requirement or something that I see as necessary or beneficial.
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