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STAND & COMFORT Newsletter November 25, 2001 #1 HOW DOES THE LOVE OF GOD RELATE TO THE FEAR OF THE LORD? Fear of the Lord has as much a place in the New Testament as it did in the Old Testament. But there are a few verses that need to be clarified regarding fear: (2 Tim 1:7 KJV) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. The fear here has to do with performing one's ministry and sharing of the gospel, for Paul says in the next verse: 2 Tim 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; In 2 Timothy 1:7, FEAR (deilia in the Greek) is not used in reference to fear of the Lord. It means timidity and dread, but it is a fear of man, not a fear of God. If one thinks about it, this fear actually results from a lack of fear of the Lord. It is a fear brought on by the possibility of persecution for sharing the good news, and therefore not sharing it. 1 John 4:17 is another verse that might make us question whether fear of the Lord has passed by the wayside in the New Testament: The fear that is cast out here is not the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord should always be a part of the life of a Christian. The fear that is "cast out" when we received Christ is the fear of punishment because we have sinned and are deserving of God's righteous anger and wrath to come and the damnation of the lake of fire. What does away with the fear of being lost eternally is Christ and His finished work: His crucifixion, His shed blood, His death, His resurrection, His glorification and the sending of the Holy Spirit to indwell all who have believed. Believing on Him, the love of God is then poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. But Paul's statement in Philippians 2:12 shows that the fear and trembling continues in our Christian life because it is God who works in us to mature us in our walk by conforming us to the image of Christ (the fruit of the Spirit resulting in a holy walk). The Holy Spirit prompts us with conviction when we would go against His word. When we don't respond and correct ourselves, He disciplines us. A failure to respond to discipline places one in danger of falling deeper into sin or into deception which only weakens our fear of God and could ultimately lead to apostasy. The fear of the Lord in the New Testament is made vivid in the crucifixion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we look back to Calvary where He bore our sins and died as the only acceptable sacrifice for them, we can see the utter hatred God has for sin. What more could God do to show that He is holy while we are utterly lost in sin and deserving of death? We are to know the depth of God's love for us when we see the truth of Christ crucified. The resurrection makes fear of the Lord even more clear, for Christ risen will return to judge all men regarding their acceptance or rejection of the gospel. Upon our believing on Christ, He then sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts, which causes us to rest in hope: Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. The fear of the Lord and the love of God are not opposed to one another. We are to see both in Christ crucified. We are to know God's love and forebearance towards us that we should believe and be saved. What should also become real to us is the consequence of rejecting Christ and the impending judgment of His wrath against all ungodliness: Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; With the fear of eternal punishment gone, the early Church continued to walk in both the love of God and the fear of the Lord while they shared the good news with others: Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. They experienced these things because they stayed in the context of Scripture: Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. They checked everything out by the Scriptures so God's word was not changed. Jesus said, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me" (John 14:21). What about those who did not have His commandments and did not keep them? Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. Paul describes the day of that judgment on the unrepentant in 2 Thessalonians: 2 Th 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, God held back His wrath when we crucified His Son 2,000 years ago. His forebearance and love and mercy is shown to us through the finished work of His Son, that all men who would come to Him can come. This invitation by God is being carried out with an eye toward the future when men who have rejected that love will fear and tremble at His visible coming in judgment. In this message we see both the love of God and the fear of God. Because the Church knows these things, Paul said, Phil 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. What does it mean to work out our salvation with fear and trembling? I believe it means that the Church is to be holy and to cooperate with the Holy Spirit's work in each member to bring forth a life of holiness. Why? First, because the Lamb of God is holy and God predestined us to be conformed to His image and likeness (Romans 8:28): Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Second, because He predestined that we should be found "holy and without blame before Him in love" (Eph 1:4-5): Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Third, because without holiness, one will not see the Lord (Heb 12:14). Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Fourth, because that is the calling of a Christian 2 Tim 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, Peter preached this call to holiness with an eye towards the judgment of God when Christ returns: 2 Pet 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, THE POINT: In other words, when He comes, we are to be holy by having already cooperated with the work of the Holy Spirit in us during our time on earth: 2 Cor 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, We are to perfect holiness in the fear of God. The goal of perfecting holiness is to perfect our love: 1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. How is a Christian to perfect holiness? Cooperate in fear and trembling with the personal work of the Holy Spirit to get rid of the things in his life that are not holy. If he has such things and doesn't work with Him to get rid of them, his boldness before God has to suffer as a consequence. If he has such things, it means he's gone against God's word, and if he's gone against His word, then his love is not perfect because Jesus said those who keep His word are the ones who love Him. Fear of the Lord swirls all through this life of the Christian. "Perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor 7:1) brings to us a boldness and confidence in the day of judgment, which is love perfected. Does perfecting holiness and having perfect love mean we can reach sinless perfection? No. We will have our sinful flesh with us until we die or are changed at His coming. The blood of Jesus avails for us through the confession of sin to the Father when we do sin (1 John 1:9). We will sin every day until He comes, but a Christian will not live in any one sin continuously. It will not be a way of life. Our desire will be to walk in holiness in the fear and love of God because of what Calvary and the resulting indwelling of the Holy Spirit means to us. #2 WHAT ABOUT ISLAM? CONFUSED? If you've been following the debate as to whether or not Islam is a violent religion, your head either was spinning at first, or still is - or you've settled for what you believe is the right perspective. I've received emails from various perspectives but haven't sent them out because the views on this issue really test the self-control of one's thinking. I am not saying we should not look at these issues. God doesn't want us to be stupid, and being informed is wise. The government has painted Islam as a non-violent religion, saying that it is only the extremists of Islam who are using that religion for their own violent ends. But there are reports of moderate Islamic believers saying they would kill Christians if a Jihad were declared in their country of residence. When asked the same question, others said they would not. Other reports insist that the non-violent believers would never turn violent. More confusion enters the picture because the September 11th terrorists lived in this country as seemingly non-violent Islamic people who went about their daily business in quiet fashion. We read of Christians damaging mosques and Islamic believers damaging churches. We hear how Muslims are specially treated in airport security lines, and about the suspicions that have bred all sorts of problems. Then there is the issue of balancing racial profiling with the idea that "We have to be careful." These are only a few examples of the head-spinning that is going on in grappling with some very important issues. The question is, How does one deal with it? How does a Christian come to a place where his renewed mind does not suffer confusion and damage regarding these issues? A Christian is one who has responded to the saving grace of Christ and His finished work. His primary duty internally is to walk in a holy life by being conformed to the image of Christ. That is his call from God, the thing for which he was predestined, for his own sake and for God's glory and good pleasure. By living this call to holiness through such a transformed life, Christ is exalted. Through this life that is brought about and lived because of the power of Christ, the Christian is to reach out to others and share the message that saved him and offered him a sure hope for eternity. There are no restrictions on the recipients of this message of God's love and mercy; Jesus said it is to be shared with the people of all nations. Any person you share the gospel with may be holding "a sword" or he may be holding "an olive branch" (olive branch as the world uses the term). He may even seem to be holding an olive branch when it is really a sword. When the gospel is shared, a person may lay his sword down or he may beat you to a pulp with the branch he holds. In other words, when the gospel is shared with anyone, you cannot tell what the reaction might be. In light of the current confusion about what kind of religion Islam really is, I think these figurative descriptions might describe the uncertainty felt by those who share the gospel with Muslims. No matter what the situation, God says, Phil 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 1 Th 3:12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, AND TOWARD ALL MEN, even as we do toward you: What does a Christian living in these times know? He knows there's going to be a one world religion. He knows that fallen men, both consciously and unconsciously, knowingly and unknowingly, will bring about a one world government, a one world religion and a one world economic system. Yes, there will be a world religion, and in order to bring that about, Christianity will be diminished in any way possible and the other religions of the world will be exalted and fashioned into an acceptable form for the sake of global unity. It doesn't matter to the world how Christianity is minimized; the spirit of the age believes that the end justifies the means. The underlying trend is to control the Christian through law or the sword (mostly through law at this time) and lessen his ability to proclaim the gospel. But sooner or later, the sword must fall on Christianity. I am not necessarily speaking of the sword of Islam here, but of all the nations of the world. There are many Scriptures that indicate this, one of which is in Matthew: Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated OF ALL NATIONS FOR MY NAME'S SAKE. Yes, there is going to be a global religious system that ostracizes any Christian who will not conform to worldly religious standards. Christians in the Middle East are even now being killed for their faith because of the way the situation has developed. Will that martyrdom come to this country through Islam, through the moderate Muslim living next door to you? Maybe, but probably not. Don't take my answer to the question as gospel. The testimonies of some indicate that it can or will happen, others believe it will not, and still others have weighed both sides of the issue and just can't come to a conclusion. There is an uncertainty that comes along with the question. So what is the answer? The answer is to modify the question. Scripture indicates we are to look at ALL men as fitting into one of two groups: man is either a believer in Jesus Christ or he is not. In any situation, we are to love all men and be prepared to share the gospel with them all, not knowing who they are or how they will react. Jesus clearly dealt with our fears of being martyred by the people of the world when He said we would be hated by all nations and that they will afflict, persecute and kill Christians who hinder the global religion. He also said not to fear that, but to fear the Lord (Matthew 10:28). A lot of the facts and surmisings and speculations in what I've read have that underlying question: Which Muslim can I trust? or, better yet, Which Muslim can I trust so I don't get killed? Scripture answers this question by its silence: nowhere in the Bible does it say to trust in men. Don't trust any man in any fashion: Muslim, Christian, atheist, agnostic, Hindu, Catholic, Protestant or any other of the hundreds of the world's religions. We are to trust in the Lord alone who rules over the hearts of all men, and to share the gospel with all we meet. Trusting in Him alone is the answer as we go about our daily business and have dealings with people in our immediate sphere: Jer 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. . . Only by first looking to and trusting in the Lord can we "trust" in man. There are currently thousands upon thousands in apostasy because they trusted in men. They knew the word of God says to love one another, but loving men does not mean throwing out the part of the verse that says to love God first by obeying His word. We are to love men as we trust in the Lord: 1 Tim 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. Paul went about his business of sharing the good news and at times suffered reproach, but his work also led to much rejoicing in those who came to Christ. He often stood toe to toe with those who opposed the gospel, but he wasn't stupid in handling the situations he found himself in either. There were times when he climbed down walls to escape those who wanted to kill him (Acts 9:20-31). He did this trusting in the Lord alone, not even trusting in himself: 2 Cor 1:8 For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: In this country, the truth is that we don't know when or how the sword will come, but we do know it will come. Scripture promises that persecution and martyrdom will come to the Church through all the nations as it shares the gospel in all nations: Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall BE HATED OF ALL NATIONS for my name's sake. Why? Because ALL NATIONS will follow after and wonder after the beast: Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. The people of the nations will be divided into two groups: those who accept the Christian gospel and those who don't. Those who don't will eventually persecute and kill those who do, no matter what nation a Christian lives in. As the world pushes tolerance toward all religions through this sometimes confusing situation with Islam, it will further the isolation of Christianity and the persecution of Christians. But in the face of it, the Christian has a message that God says to deliver, knowing: Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. The questions we are discussing regarding Islam have brought a lot of uncertainty into the world and the Church. Fox News reported that after September 11th, Bible sales were up 40% and the sale of prophecy books had skyrocketed by 80%. This increase was attributed to people seeking a "coping mechanism" and was expected to continue in these times of uncertainty. Psychologists and psychiatrists greatly increased their clientel, and the sale of tranquillizers greatly increased as well. Men hope that ridding themselves of or dulling their senses to that uncertainty by whatever means will bring peace, but the answer itself may still cause people to seek a "coping mechanism." For the Christian, though, such a situation is supposed to be a time of opportunity for sharing Christ, as those who are the Lord's rest in His salvation. The Christians's basic relationship with God strongly undergirds the time we are entering. How do we handle the unsureness and uncertainty? We do the same as Jesus did. Jesus said He could do nothing of Himself except what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). In turn, He told the disciples that they could do nothing without Him (John 15:5). Jesus also said He made known what He heard the Father say (John 15:5) and that the Spirit would tell them what to say (Matthew 10:19; John 16:13,14). In other words, do what He says to do and say what He says to say in each circumstance, and be ready to share the gospel at all times. Dealing with people in such times depends on one's basic, ongoing relationship with the Lord. The results may be acceptance of the message . . . or the sword, but there is nothing more satisfying than doing His will based on his word (doing what He is doing and saying what He is saying). It IS important to understand what other religions believe so they can be compared to the truths of Christianity. That's vital knowledge that will aid in the sharing of the gospel. Islam denies the Trinity and that Jesus is the Son of God become flesh. Along with all other religions, Islam is not, nor will ever be, compatible with Christianity. But only time itself will prove who came to the right conclusions regarding whether all, or only some, of Islam's believers will use the sword to spread their religion before the rest of the world picks up their own sword against Christians and their faith. There's no reward for being right about this question, but there is great reward in being faithful to the call of God regarding His one message to the world: Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ========== This newsletter will be sent out whenever I think there is something the body of Christ needs to consider, to build it up, to give it encouragement or comfort in hard times. To sign up for this newsletter, email Ed at edju@velocity.net |