Gospel Life Today
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
If you DECLARE the gospel and don’t LIVE IT – you will confuse people.
If you LIVE the gospel and don’t DECLARE IT – you will condemn people.

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Last week our session on Biblical Soul Care was #9...entitled Facing Fear with Faith and Love.

If you were to trace all the emotions in Scripture you would find that fear is the one that is mentioned the most. What causes us to fear? The world would say things like...chemical imbalance, environmental stressors, and irrational beliefs...then it would be treated by medication, desensitization, or positive self statements.

The biblical view however says that it is caused by taking our eyes off of Christ...by living in fear of someone or something other than God. It is a heart issue...God is way too small. The DNA of fear (taken from the class notes):

God talk: "I can't rely on God. He is too distant"

God substitute: Control my environment.

Others: "Do others like me? Will they hurt me?"

Coping strategy: self protection, appeasing others.

Self talk: "I am a victim. I will never be good enough"

Self deception: I can find security in someone or something other than God.

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There is a universal fear...it's called the fear of man.The following is a quote from Ed Welch in his book When People Are Big and God Is Small...

"Don't think that this is simply a problem for the shy, mousy types. Isn't the angry person or the person who tries to intimidate also controlled by others? Any form of one-upmanship qualifies. What about the business executive who is working to be more productive than an associate in order to get ahead? The endless jockeying of egos in the corporate board room is an aggressive version of fear of man. And do you think that the super-confident, superstar athlete is somehow above seeking the good opinions of fans and sports writers? Aggressively asserting that you don't need anyone is just as much an evidence of the fear of man as the more timid examples we have seen. Fear of man comes in these packages and many others. Does it include you yet? If not, consider just one word: evangelism. Have you ever been too timid to share your faith in Christ because others might think you are an irrational fool? Gotcha...Gear of man is such a part of our human fabric that we should check for a pulse if someone denies it."

At those times when we fear man it really comes down to a form of unbelief. That is to say...I don't really believe that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Prov 9:10) Instead...I fear man...Why?...Because I need you (your approval, your acceptance, etc.) to make me feel good about myself. My life is no longer "hidden with Christ in God" (Col 3:3) but in bondage to the fear of man. And remember...What or who I need will control me. My heart becomes dislocated from God and people become my idol...and as in all idolatry what I worship will soon own me. Jesus said it this way..."for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matt 6:21).

My world view is distorted because now my sense of identity is formed by how I stand with others...My conscience and how I organize reality is structured by other people...I am now taking my cues from what others value. Closely related to this is what the world calls low self esteem...and the remedy? Look more inward...think better about yourself...learn to love yourself. But therein lies the deception because the remedy equals the problem. Meaning...The Bible nowhere calls us to this type of "inwardness"...in fact it leads to the very thing God hates...PRIDE...“God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6). Rather...we should be regarding one another as more important than ourselves (Phil 2:3). The question shouldn't be..."How can I feel better about myself and not be controlled by what other people think?" The better question is..."Why am I concerned about self-esteem? Or "why do I need someone to think that I am great?" Pride and fear of man are flip sides of one another...fear of man has me looking up at people...pride has me looking down at people. So what is the remedy.

Again, Ed Welch..."The most radical treatment for the fear of man is the fear of the Lord. God must be bigger to you than people are. This antidote takes years to grasp; in fact, it will take all of our lives."

However the more we grow in Christ and stay grounded in His word...the more this process can be "accelerated and nurtured."