As I sat down to write this, I began to think back on the past and research the “why” of this question. Under the banner of Christianity, all sorts of disgraceful actions and sins have been carried out. It is truly embarrassing to realize how much has been done to sully the name of Christ by those who do not fully understand the basic foundation of the faith. There are those who developed some rather far-fetched regulations and put into place punishments that would scare many into falling into place through fear. Judgement by those in position of power could and did overstep the bounds of mortal authority and, in the past, could relegate those who faltered as outcasts from the faith family. This was, at one time, terrifying because the church was the center of the community and to be an outcast from the faith community was to be excluded from many things in the community. We can also consider the damage done through colonialism, crusades and inquisitions just to name a few as these were all fodder for society to question the motives or mandate of the Christian church. The atrocities of man carried out under the banner of God without the true authority of God. I know this is a bold statement and many will question my comments but if the Truth is to be told, it must be told with transparency and with boldness for His Truth as suffered by His children’s actions.
7 Dear
friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone
who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But
anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God
showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so
that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This
is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a
sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear
friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each
other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love
each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And
God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore,
we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to
be the Savior of the world. 15 All who declare that
Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We
know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live
in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And
as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the
day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus
here in this world.
18 Such
love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is
for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his
perfect love. 19 We love each other because he
loved us first.
20 If
someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a
liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we
cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command:
Those who love God must also love their fellow believers. 1 John 4:7-21
I know this is a rather lengthy passage for this article but
it does talk to the issue of fearfulness of Christ. I would suggest there are
many, past and present, who have forgotten this teaching. The old expression of
“What Would Jesus Do” has rather fallen to the wayside and, with it, the
ultimate message from God; Love the Lord with absolutely every ounce of your
being and love those around you just as deeply. If we truly love the Lord and
those around us, we would certainly not put up barricades to keep people out
and we would not cause others to suffer by our judgement on them. Jesus came to
save all from their past, from their sins. He did not come to condemn but
rather to save. Why should the world fear this message? Is it because this is
not the message they have come to understand as the Truth of our faith?
This week, and for the weeks to follow, we are going to talk
about Christianity, dispel some rumours and look at how we can break the trend
of fear within our community and our nation. All change starts with the first
step and so we start this journey by addressing where we need to go.
We invite you to join us either in person or watch us online
at 10:30 AM
Facebook Live - https://www.facebook.com/main.ave.31
YouTube Live – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs9LIkN_QTdVM6eVXEgy9QA
We look forward to seeing you this Sunday.
Blessings,
Pastor Todd
www.mainavefellowship.blogspot.com
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