Jesus Wept

I was convicted this morning to come back to my blog after a time away. I don't know what its going to look like or be but I will be in scripture and probably tossing out some thoughts on the world around us as well. Its Sunday though and I am off to church so for now....Gungor.

I know it has been a while so I wanted to send something your way. So conveniently Pastor Mark Driscoll has offered a brief vignette on how he teaches regarding fear at Mars Hill. This will be an encouraging sermon to conque the fear in your life that is holding you back. Enjoy!

It has been a while but I am back on the horse. It's not that I got bucked perse just decided to stop writing for a while. We are going to continue the study on fear for the rest of April and then May will be a month where we look at different Church Governments from within scripture and in todays church and come to an understand of where the differences stem from.

Today we are looking at the sole instance of fear in 1 Corinthians( 1Cor 2<--Read it first!).This passage is a great one where Paul opens his letter in a state of humility. The passage reads as an introduction. Paul is reminiscing about his visit to the church of Corinth and reminding them of some seemingly forgotten matters about his visit.

He reminds them that he came them "in weakness, in fear and in much trembling". Paul did not ride into town on massive beast of a war horse waging war on the non believers of Corinth. He came in and approached them and spoke to them in a timid and small voice. We know that Paul has military background and in many occasions speaks boldly of the Gospel given to him so there must be a reason for him to speak in the manner he is currently suggesting. I think the next passage outlines the neccessity for the weakness and fear and trembling.

In the previous passages we have studied we see how fear when used correctly can put God in the centre and remove us from centre stage. In this passage Paul is saying just that. He is letting them know that he was not a bastion of strength or a pillar of bravado delivering the teaching with eloquence and wisdom. Rather Paul reminds them of how utterly incapable he was and that the only way they received a message was through him by the Holy Spirit rather than from him. The purpose in reminding them that he had nothing to do with the message they received was to place God back in the centre where he belongs.

Paul uses an emotion that the church can relate to, fear, in order to demonstrate that he is and was incapable of delivering any wisdom of meaning were it not for the Grace and place of God. How many of us when we share the Gospel do so from a position of fear or weakness? Is that a problem...no way. Your fear of doing say makes it that much more obvious that you are not the one speaking, God is.  People can relate to the emotion of fear and can appreciate what it looks like to do something you might be fearful of. Rest assured your fear is sign later that it wasn't you sharing the Gospel but the Spirit working through you. Blessings!

I am sorry guys about the lack of posting. Work has kept me pretty bogged down. However, to tide you over I thought it a great Easter time message to see how worship can bring us alive!

Elderly Man Comes Alive after Listening to Christian Music from sand2rock95 on GodTube.

No blogs until Monday! Get your Easter on and celebrate the death and rebirth of our Lord and savior. Why Good Friday? I will let Whoopi explain!

There has been alot of feedback coming in regarding the study on fear. Some people have had their eyes open while others are struggling with the concept of fear being a part of a Christian walk. As is often the case with starting in the New Testament people might suspect that in Christ fear is gone away. Today we are going to check out Luke 12 and understand where Christ says fear belongs in the Chrisitan walk.

As Christ begins to teach the thousands who are gathered his first priority is to set the record straight and make it clear that what the pharisee are selling isn't the Gospel. He calls people to live a life aware that they are living under an all knowing God, a God that sees all that is done in the open and in secret. Finally, he comes to the part about worldly preservation. He lays it out as bluntly as possible to allow for no misunderstanding.

4 "I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 "But I will warn you whom to fear : fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell ; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

Seems pretty clear huh? But what is even more amazing is that immediately after he tells us what fearing the Lord enables us to do. The very next passage is an assurance that the Lord will be with you and provide your needs. If that wasn't enough the fear of the Lord is also key for sharing the Gospel. It allows you to share it openly without fear of reprocussion or persecution. That's not to say that those things won't come but it is to say that those things will come and Christ will be with you to face them.

We have seen this before in the Old Testament but in a short single passage Christ lays out the power and authority of God and the value to having fear in the right place. I suppose all that is left to consider is...whom then shall I fear? Blessings

Continuing in the New Testament with our study on fear we are going to spend today in Mark 4. Thankfully for most this is a commonly known story but often it is told as a reminder of the power of Christ. I want to look at the other folks in the story. Today is about the rebuking of the Apostles.

We start with a calm little scene. Jesus and his Apostles crossing a sea. We know things are calm because Jesus can be found with his head on a cushion taking a well earned nap. Of course as is often the case, things don't stay so serene. All of a sudden gale forces winds and a massive storm strikes our travellers. This is the fun part! As fisherman they start to panic! They know this kind of storm could mean death for people on the sea. They panic and wake up Christ only to be rebuked.

Now when faced with death one could logically argue there should be some element of fear in the mind of a sane person. However, as Christ rises and rebukes the Apostles for their lack of faith we are left with a question...why? Why is he being so hard on them? Because, once again we see how foolish men look when we allow our fear to cause us to forget who God is.

Christ is more surprised here with the lack of faith in his chosen Apostles then with the looming storm. Just as easily as Christ rebukes his Apostles he turns his rebuking on the storm and all is well. The reason why I say this isn't a study on the power of Christ is this...his power is already known. It never falls short and is always in control.

Time and again when we see calamities overcome people in scripture and in our own lives it is because of two things. They face the problem with their own reasoning and they forget about the authority of the one who is with them. Why do we insist on being in control? Especially when their is an all knowing creator who is willing to guide, lead, and protect us. Are there storms you are fearing? Stop playing the fool and know, Christ is with you!

With this week being Easter week I thought it only appropriate to take our study on fear into the New Testament. Today we are going to dive in with a parable from Matthew 25. The parable of the talents is one that many will recognize. Fear is of especial importance in this one as the meaning of the parable is directly tied to what happens when we allow our fear to be misplaced and prohibit us from doing the things that God would have for us.

We see three servants given the same opportunity from their master. One does as much as he can to grow and improve on what the master has given him. We see another who while not as successful as the first still strives to grow what the master has given. Finally, the third servant who allows his fear of failure to cripple his effort. When the master returns to take accounts those who had made an effort to grow the masters property were blessed with more responsibility and higher standing. The servant who allowed his fear to overcome him not only dissapointed the master but had all he was given stripped from him and given to those who were faithful servants.

Our fear put in the wrong place drives us to exactly the wrong action. The servant allowed his fear of what would happen to overcome the fear of what would happen if he had dissapointed his master. We have been given the most precious gift ever given to man, Christ. The Gospel is not something that is to be buried for fear of what might happen if we share it. We are called to go out and build on what the master has given us. This Easter season consider what you have done with the Gospel. Are you the servant who has multiplied? Perhaps the servant who has grown what he has given modestly? Or are you the servant who when given the Gospel has buried it in order to stay safe?

I am not sure what the next passage will be in regards to fear from the NT but we will continue on fear for the month of April after which the Spirit will lead. I do appreciate the amount of comments thus far on the study and it is good to hear that people are returning to scripture to wrestle with the concept of fear. Blessings and talk to you tomorrow.

It has been a couple of days since I have written and for the delay my most sincere apologies. We are back now and with one of the most amazing stories of fear in the OT. For all of you wrestling fans out there this is a special treat as you can bring your love of the WWE (or WWF depending on how long you have been a fan) and your love of scripture together!

This is a handicap match for the ages! A two vs one bout if you will. In one corner Jacob in the other God and the fear of Esau. The battle starts in Genesis 32. We have seen several examples now of how Jacob has dealt with fear in completely the right way. At this point we can only assume that this great man of God is completely impervious to fear of any sort..... Apperently we assume too much. Here as Jacob is approaching his homeland his scouts return to inform him that Esau is on the way to greet him with 400 men alongside.

Jacob takes a quick hit here as he acknowledges that he is afraid of the fact that his militant brother and 400 soldiers are heading his way. What is amazing here I think in response to fear is that Jacob doesn't turn and run. He acknowledges the fear and bows down humbly in prayer. He then makes a plan divides his kingdom and advances in trusting the Lord.

Perhaps what I find most amazing here isn't the fact that God gives Jacob what he wants (safe passage) but rather gives him what he needs, a backbone. No sooner does Jacob send his wives and wealth ahead of him to meet Esau than the Lord shows up ready for a wrestling match. Once again Jacob doesn't dissapoint. Rather than running from the angel of the Lord he stands his ground and wrestles the Lord until a blessing comes to him. Jacob doesn't leave the battle unscathed but he does leave the battle a better man. Following his wrestling with God he is given the name Israel (literally wrestles with God) and with his busted up hip walks out to meet Esau completely unafraid of what might happen!

Not so surprising that Jacob comes out of his reunion with Esau unharmed with wealth and familiy intact.

A couple of blogs ago I had mentioned the saying " A man who can kneel before God can stand before anything." What we see here is something even more directly related to our theme. "A man who can wrestle with God can face the world without fear." Some would say that wrestling with God might seem an impossible task, good. It is not that you are trying to win just to pull out a blessing.

So how do we do it? How do we wrestle with God? Simple. Crack open that Bible and bring all your thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams to the table. Allow the Word to attack and tear down everything that doesn't belong. Allow the Word to challenge you and convict you and most of all refuse to leave the Word of

It seems fitting to be writing this on a morning where I had a bit of slow start. This is a feeling not uncommon in today's world. A lack of motivation, will or drive to push onto the task that is set before us. Today we see how fear can be an emotion that can be used to drive us forward towards our goal.

In Genesis 31:31 Laban has just caught up with Jacob as he is fleeing from his father in law. At first this seems so cowardly and unlike the man whom we saw stand in fear and awe at the sight of God. Take a moment and read the whole chapter. What we see here is an amazing and intriguing response to fear.

Again Jacob hears the voice of God and it tells him it is time for him to leave the land of Laban and return to the land of his father Isaac. It is difficult to say whether or not the edict from God would have been enough to drive Jacob home. What we do see is as the Lord asks Jacob becomes aware of the moans and anger of those around him. He realizes a reason to fear, and makes a run for it.

What is surprising about this passage that is so different from when Isaac had chosen to fear the people of Gerar is that JAcob had labored for 16 years and not realized the animosity Laban's family had towards him. It is only when the Lord says enough is enough does Jacob have his eyes opened to the people around him and his fear drives him to do the thing God requires of him.

It is interesting to see this fear both come and go in the same passage. Laban chases Jacob down and makes accusations against him. One would think a man who fears Laban would cower and buckle, but not Jacob. Jacob allows Laban to prove his claim and when he can't Jacob calls out Laban in front of everyone. He shows Laban how God was the one who had protected and provided for Jacob in all of his years of service. In a moment when a normal man would be overcome with fear Jacob stands firm in the Lord and shows no fear.

Not only does this lead to a showdown but Jacob's courage and unresounding fear of the Lord leads to an agreement where Jacob claims one direction for his family and the other for Laban, creating a border and creating safety for his people. The point here is to show that one positive response to fear was that it gave you greater understanding of the character of God. In this chapter we see that fear is also a good thing when it drives us to fulfill the will and purpose of the Lord.

Tomorrow we are going to keep on trucking through Genesis as we come to Genesis 32 and the facing of Esau. A powerful chapter where we see yet another way Jacob handles fear. I have been convicted to continue writing this series on fear as there has already been amazing stories of how God has worked through this examinations of fear to set people free from the enemy. If you are struggling with fear or have been led to overcome fear in your life don't hesitate to reach out. If you have been driven to overcome fear in your life and have succeeded please message me or email me your story (danieladamwillis@yahoo.ca) as I would love to be able to share that witness with the readers.

Blessings