FEAR

I never know what is going to be the catalyst for another article. Sometimes everyday events serve to direct my thoughts in a certain direction and this is one of those times.
I was having lunch at the Senior Center about 10 days ago and was sharing a table with several others. One of those present who was setting right next to me was well known by me for more than 30 years and is probably one of the dearest Christians that I know. Good works galore and full of scriptural knowledge. In our conversation this person was telling me some of their activities and mentioned taking someone to a home for Alzheimer's patients. I commented that was sad and that it seems that Alzheimer's was increasing in frequency and this persons response was "Yes and it is my greatest fear". I was surprised at that response and said so because this should not be the case for a true Christian. I quoted this verse;

2 Timothy 1:7



New King James Version (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind


Then I said do you really think the loving God that you have served faithfully for so many years will reward that service with such an end? I said a few other things that I will not repeat but the person said "I never thought of that and now I feel better".
 
I thought that was the end of it but ever since then I have been bombarded with thoughts concerning fear and what may imply for the Christian. Some articles are born fully developed and others grow slowly and it take a while before I see it is something I should write.
 
First of all I believe fear is a symptom of something worse going on in the life just as pain is a symptom rather than the actual problem. We can take a pain killer for the pain but we haven't done anything to solve the underlying problem and so it is with fear. We can ignore it or we can even try to do something to ward off the thing we are afraid of but we still haven't done anything to remedy the cause of the fear.
 
A Christian should fear only one thing and that is God and that should be a fear that is mingled with deep reverence. The kind of fear that I'm talking about is that which a child has for a good father. A father that the child loves very much because the father is very loving and kind and does lots of fun things with the child but when the child steps out of line and needs correction the father does not hesitate to lower the hammer and the punishment fits the crime.  When I was a kid I definitely did not want to incur my fathers wrath and though I did sometimes, it was something I did not want to repeat. There is no one so kind and loving as our heavenly Father but we can never ignore His judgement that is rendered out of love and desire for us to reach our ultimate potential and of course that is the very likeness of His Son Jesus Christ. As long as our progress is in that direction there is no need for fear but should it stop or begin to drift in the other direction then there is plenty of cause for fear.
 
I believe fear for a Christian has it's root in complacency. This person I was having a conversation with was the most fervent on fire Christian that I had ever known but in the course of our conversation I learned that it was no longer the case. Much of the fire seemed to have gone out and there was a coolness set in that was very easy to detect. Though I don't see this person very often because they live in another community, our conversation had always been very animated and heartwarming because of the similarity of our passion for the things of God. I commented that it is quite puzzling that in the day that we see that the end of all things is at hand that few if any are heeding the admonition of Hebrews 10:25
 
King James Version (KJV)
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Instead of getting together more often most churches are now down to one hour on Sunday morning only with no midweek or Sunday evening service. This person said "oh our church has a midweek service but we don't hardly ever go.

Friends this is complacency and complacency is another term for lukewarmness and lukewarmness is one of the most dangerous places to be. If we have ever been in a state of fervent love and devotion for the Lord that condition should only be increasing, not decreasing. There is no end or point of arrival where we can say I have now arrived and can just kick back and take my ease. Here's the warning from scripture;

Revelation 2:4

New King James Version (NKJV)
4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

Revelation 3:14-16

New King James Version (NKJV)
14 “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans[a] write,
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,[b] I will vomit you out of My mouth.

If you have never been hot for the Lord there's still time but if you have been and are not now you probably are experiencing some fear about something and you need to realize that God is calling you back before it is too late. A lifetime of devotion will not prevent being spewed out of His mouth if you have become lukewarm and do nothing about it. One does not need to fall into gross sin to be rejected by God.

There is much more that I could write on this subject but I will stop here and hope and pray that this is sufficient to get the attention of those who need to consider their present state with Him.

Many blessings
john

email; justjohn@eoni.com