Tag Archives: fear

It’s about me, not them

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We don’t do the right things because of how that will affect others. We do the right things because of how they shape us.

What I mean is, loving your enemy won’t always make your enemy love you back. Turning the other cheek just might get you slapped a second time. Giving to those in need means that you will sometimes be taken advantage of. A soft answer doesn’t always turn away wrath; at times it just gets you shouted down.

I hear Christians who are afraid to do good things because others might take advantage of them. Let’s get this out of the way up front: you will be taken advantage of. If you trust others, you will get burned now and again. If you reach out a hand, you’ll get bitten sometimes.

But if you don’t reach out, if you don’t love, if you don’t forgive, if you don’t trust, you’ll never become like Jesus.

And that loss is much greater than what any person can do to you.

Do Not Be Afraid

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A Facebook group that I’m part of, called Compadres, is having a blog tour. The general theme is The Glory of The Son and each of us will pick a story, event or teaching of Jesus that reflects His glory. Here are the posts so far:
June 3: Jeremy Schopper: Leaving the Noise Behind
June 5: Danny Holman: Jesus Challenge
June 10: Carl Jenkins: Give A Man A Fish
June 17: Jonathan Dobbs: Why Me, God?
June 19: Scott Elliott:The Beauty of the Gospel
June 24: Chris Hodges: The Glory of the Son
June 26: David Smith: then they can see my glory, which you gave me
July 1: Jeremy Hoover: Matthew and Mission
July 3: Allen Carr: The Glory in the Welcome
July 10: Daniel Burns: Not So With You
July 15: Rex Butts: A Place For Lepers
July 22: Jennifer Rundlett: A Vision of Harmony
July 24: Don Middleton: Come To The Table
July 29: Tim Archer: Do Not Be Afraid

Did you notice that last name and date on the list? (last for now… more to come) Yep, I forgot to make my contribution to the blog tour! So here it is, a couple of days late:

Do Not Be Afraid

“On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:10–18)

John knew Jesus well. John formed part of the inner circle of disciples, along with Peter and James; these three participated in Jesus’ ministry in a way that no one else did. Yet now, when John sees Jesus again, he faints.

This was the glorified Christ, the Risen One in all of his glory. The description is bathed in Old Testament imagery, filled with symbolism of prophetic authority and messianic identity. But what really catches my attention are Jesus’ words:

  • Do not be afraid. As we read through the Bible, we see heavenly messengers giving these reassuring words. It’s a scary thing for an earthly being to find himself in the presence of a celestial visitor! But in Revelation, these words have a special meaning.
    Christians were being killed for their faith. John was in prison for his. One of the key phrases in this book is “do not be afraid.” More suffering was to come. More prison. More death. But Christians were to face these things with courage.
  • I am the First and the Last. Jesus wasn’t just another prophet. He was God made flesh, using terms that described God and applying them to himself.
  • I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! Christians needed to remember that Jesus had the perfect résumé to be able to talk to others about not fearing death. His was not mere theoretical knowledge. He had been there and back.
  • And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Jesus didn’t just die; he stripped death of its power. Christians could face death with confidence; Jesus had entered the realm of the dead and emerged with the keys. He had promised that the gates of Hades would not overcome his church. How could they when he held the keys to those very gates?

The resurrection of Jesus changed history. Not just as something in the past nor something to wait for. The resurrections transforms our living today. We don’t have to fear earthly powers. We needn’t be concerned about those who can only threaten our lives. We face death with our heads held high, knowing that our Lord has forever conquered.

Do not be afraid.

Waiting on the Lord

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Soldiers were coming to kill their babies. On a regular basis. The Israelites had suffered as slaves at the hands of the Egyptians for hundreds of years. None of them knew what freedom felt like. But this was much worse. Genocide.

Exodus chapters 1 and 2. Egyptians were killing Israelite babies. God’s people cried out to him and he heard their voice. He sent them a deliverer.

Eighty years later.

Eighty years. It was a crisis, an emergency situation. All human reasoning says that something had to be done at that moment. Divine reasoning agreed… and allowed the baby to be born that would bring about justice. Eighty years later.

But that’s the Old Testament, you say. Right you are. Let’s look at the book of Revelation. Christians were being persecuted. One had been killed. More were about to be killed. The people wanted to know what they should do: fight or flee.

God had a different plan: stay and suffer. And he would take care of the Romans. A couple of centuries later.

A couple of centuries later.

Human reasoning says, “Take care of it now. Bring about justice by your own hand. Something must be done immediately.”

Divine reasoning says, “I’ll take care of it. In my time.”

Do we have enough faith to wait on the Lord?

Drawing by Distant Shores Media/Sweet Publishing

The letter to Philadelphia: Trouble with tremors

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lettersThe part of Turkey that was once known as Asia Minor is an area that has historically been earthquake prone. Philadelphia was especially hard hit, as I note in Letters From The Lamb:

The area around Philadelphia was very active seismically, especially in the first decades after the birth of Christ. The city was hit by a violent earthquake in 17 A.D. and strong tremors continued to be felt in the city for years. The historian Strabo commented that the buildings in the city were structurally unsound; he was amazed at the persistence of the people of Philadelphia, who sought ways to counteract through construction the frequent movement of the ground. Strabo questioned the sanity of those who chose to return to the city, noting that many opted to live in the open countryside in order to avoid the dangers of falling masonry. The terror of the earthquake and the ensuing aftershocks had a lasting effect on the people of Philadelphia and undoubtedly hurt the growth of the city and its economy.

(Letters From The Lamb, pp. 120-21)

Later, Jesus is going to promise the faithful that they will be pillars in God’s temple and “Never again will he leave it.” Those words would have had special meaning to a people used to having to flee from their lives when the earth began to shake.

When fear leads us away from God, Pt. II

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scaredThe book of 1 Samuel offers us another lesson about the effects of fear. In chapter 13, Saul has his armies gathered to fight the Philistines. They are waiting for Samuel, the priest, to come and offer a sacrifice, beseeching God’s favor. They waited and waited, but Samuel didn’t come. The Israelites grew scared and began to scatter. Saul, seeing that he was losing his army, decided to wait no longer. He offered the sacrifice, even though he knew that wasn’t his job. Samuel arrived soon after and rebuked him for what he’d done.

Why did Saul offer the sacrifice? The immediate catalyst was fear. He was losing his army and didn’t think he could win without that military power.

Now look at chapter 14. Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a different perspective on things. He was willing to attack the Philistines, going into battle with only his armor bearer by his side. How could he attack like that when his father was afraid to do it without the help of an entire army? He remembered what his father didn’t. “Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.” (1 Samuel 14:6)

That’s the thought that can drive out fear. When we depend on men, fear will be a natural part of our lives. And it will lead us to ungodly actions. But if we can remember that all that matters is whether or not the Lord is on our side, fear will no longer be a part of our lives. Saul feared because he focused on his army. That fear led him to sin against God. Jonathan was brave, not because of his own skill, but because of his trust in God. And he did great things by God’s power.