Shimbo Pastory
This article was published in The Leader Catholic Newspaper, a publication of the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria, on 25th October, and 1st November 2015.
Fear of harm and what is to come in the future which is seldom predictable is one of the many things that hinder most of Christ’s followers from following faithfully the direction, precepts, and exemplary life of the master – Jesus Christ. Significant numbers of Christians no longer live as expected of them due to fear of being assaulted, insulted or even killed by the fanatics of Christianity; heretics and the violent members of other religious sects.
Oftentimes we (Christians) are so intimidated that we can’t speak for Christ our leader, guide and epitome of our faith. (Jn. 7:13, 12:42-43). As a result of falling into this social and religious intimidation, our goal of evangelization of Christ’s message of salvation is hindered and left unaccomplished.
Jesus said, “… do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot afterwards do anything worse … fear God, who, after killing, has the authority to throw you into hell. Believe me, he is the one you must fear!” (Lk. 12:4-5). When we believe and trust in the Lord, fear evaporates from us (cf. 1Sam 14:6).
A Christian with unshakeable faith in God and his promises is not afraid of trials and troubles (Acts 5:17-18); because the spirit of God who inspires us to have faith in Him, and who guides our hearts and minds into serving him faithfully fills us with power and does not make us timid (2Tim. 1:7).
It is obvious that Jesus conceived that to “follow him truly” is not an easy task; it is not a place of comfort. Christianity is not a bed of roses. It is a one-way adventure that does not look back nor take time to look and gather pleasures and pleasurable seen by the sides of the highway. A Christian does not look back; he is not bothered by obstacles on the way. The mandate is ‘thou must keep moving’.
If our fathers in faith were drawn back by fear of sword, torture, detainment and death, the church would have not been where it is now. “The church is built on the blood of the martyrs and Apostles”. Christians need to be courageous; without fear even of death for Christ’s sake (Luke 9:24-25). Fear should not excuse us from God’s work (cf. Jgs. 7:10 -11) because God’s love for us is assured (cf. Gen 46:3-46). Fear stays away from us as long as we remain faithful (cf. Joshua 1:5).
We are called to follow Christ without fear because it is only in Him that the mission of our earthly life is accomplished and finds meaning. We follow him without fear because we fear him more than all other fear-inflicting agents on earth. This is why we don’t seem to take note of the pains we face in the course of following him. Just like any other ‘don’t’ God has ever pronounced; ‘don’t fear’ is a command; a call to obedience, and certainly a prerequisite for serving him faithfully in all our endeavours.
When we are obedient to him and at all times faithful irrespective of circumstances, our friendly relationship with Him is affirmed and strengthened.
The Sacred Scripture says, “To fear the Lord is the first stage of wisdom” (Job 28:23). “Those who have fear and reverence for the Lord will learn from him the path they should follow” (Ps. 25:12). When we turn from evil, we are enabled to understand God’s ways in our lives (Job 28:28).
Prophet Isaiah who was chosen and sent, filled with the spirit of God (Is. 61:1) received the mandate to follow and fear God in holiness, because he, (God), is holy: “With his great power, the Lord warned me not to follow the path which the people were following.
He said: Do not join in the schemes of the people and do not be afraid of the things that they fear. Remember that I, the Lord Almighty am Holy, I am the one you must fear…” (Is. 8:11-15).
The emphasis “I am Holy” paints it clearly that only the Holy one should be feared. Since we are the people of the Lord (Ps. 100:3), we must obey him with fear (Ex. 19:5; Dt 4:26; 30:2, 8, 10, 16; 1Jn. 5:2) and serve him in holiness all our days (Lk. 1:75).
As the Psalmists say: “The Lord looks on those who revere him, on those who hope for his love, to rescue their souls from death; to keep them alive in famine” (Ps. 33:18-19). When we fear the Lord and serve him faithfully and fearlessly, he will grant us protection (Ps. 91:14-16) and deliver us from the hands of our enemies and those who hate us (Ps. 44:5-7; 64:7-10).
In following Christ without fear, there is a dire need to always be ready and willing from within to deny ourselves some comforts for the sake of Christ. We should be ready to sacrifice our feelings and desires for the conversion of souls and for the good of the church and those around us.
Our life needs to be a good and exemplary one (Titus 2:7) such that in all things we please our brothers and sisters for their own good in order to build them up in the faith (Rom. 15:2).
We must persevere in humility in the service of one another (1Pet. 5:5b-7) and never held back in doing good because of other people’s view of us (cf. Prov. 29:25) so as not to be rejected by God and men of goodwill.
We should not at all take offence nor get discouraged when we are insulted for the cause of following Christ because this means that the glorious spirit of God is resting on us (1Pet. 4:14); and as Jesus promised, a great reward awaits us in heaven (Mt. 5:12).
St. Paul reveals the truth about the lives of true Christians who are built on a firm foundation of faith, “Throughout our lives, we are always in danger of death for Jesus’ sake in order that his life may be seen in this mortal body of ours” (2Cor. 4:11).
The focus of a faithful, diligent and fearful disciple is seen in the way the disciple follows the footsteps of his Master. Good deeds – especially in this context – obedience, come from good inner intention. A follower is not expected to put his hand where his master did not or did tell him not to.
To expel fear from us especially while attempting to focus on and face the future we need to be fortified by the strength and grace of the spirit of God. The Mission is tough, but God’s will must be done; because after all; whether we live or die we are the Lord’s (Rom 14:8).
The Devil’s devices are very clear, appealing and deceitful; they look like what we want; but they are merely what the flesh wants. We can do without them. But the flesh cannot do without that which the spirit of God offers. Thence, we need not fear temptation, but courageously, wisely; logically; sensibly and objectively face them and deny the devil access into our hearts.
The pride of faithful followers of Christ is in shaming the devil. Even when we falter, the fear of God in us should compel us to come back to God and be reconciled with him since it is unrealistic to deny our human frailty (Ps. 51:5).
St. Paul prophesied that: “The time will come when people will not listen to sound doctrine but will follow their own desires and will collect for themselves more teachers who will tell them what they need to hear. They will turn away from listening to the truth and give their attention to legends” (2 Tim. 4:3).
This is one of the modern challenges of the evangelical mission of the Apostolic Church. People feel free to interpret the truths of faith in their own ways as it pleases them, and they are not even afraid to teach the self-made gospels to others. Consequently, the flock of Christ is scattered as people are blown left and right by winds of theologies, miracles, signs, and wonders. It is nothing to fear.
To be realistic, Jesus did not tell the disciples to go and build temples and invite people to come and receive miracles and fortune-oriented prophecies. The church is on mission; it is a tough mission of the proclamation of the gospel of repentance and salvation through Christ.
It is not an assurance of success or well-being; as many churches preach today: “A child of God will not suffer”; “Suffering is not your portion” etc. The evangelization of the true Gospel is really hindered by all these.
People have tagged fundraising ventures with different biblical names to attract “customers”. This is nothing to fear, because, it is not competition, as Jesus said, If no one praises God, the stones will stand and praise Him (Lk. 19:40).
The influence of worldly forces and snares should not divert our dedication and attention into preaching the gospel of Christ. (2Cor. 4:7). We ought to live like the early Christians – a good example of dedicated and fearful followers of Christ. “They only engaged themselves in preaching and teaching the message of salvation” (Acts 6:2).
Preaching is a mission and not reputation or business. That is why in commissioning the twelve, Jesus said: “Go… make this proclamation; the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mt. 10:5-8) and He admonished them: “You have received without paying, so give without being paid” (Mt. 10:8).
St. Francis of Assisi said: “Preach always; sometimes use words.” I talked about preaching in this article so as to refute the one-sided notion that is recorded in us. Preaching entails living a good life worth of Christ’s followers. It is not only proclaiming the gospel of Christ by word of mouth.
In its real sense, as I just unveiled, it is the perfection of following Christ without fear, the climax of the gospel in the life of mankind to the greater glory of God. The mission must be accomplished to God’s glory because we have been called and chosen (2 Pet. 1:10-11) not to suffer but to give glory to God in all things, even if it means suffering and death.
To walk carefully is to see that every step bears us heavenward, to have our face always set towards God and our heart towards his will; to have our eternal home in view; and by its vision be inspired and guided to be journeying in its right path even though it is tiny; thorny and fear-inflicting.
At all times we ought to fearfully and industriously live for God and heaven (cf. 1Jn. 2:15-17). This was how Jesus lived throughout his life on earth; that is why he did not sin (1Pet. 2:22); He was ever obedient to the Father even at the point of that shameful and painful death on the cross (Mt. 26:39).
Persecution is indispensable in following Christ (Mt. 10:16-23; 2Tim 3:12). But it is a joy to die for Christ (Mt. 5:10) because it not only strengthens our brothers in faith and makes them firm and fearless but also helps in the spread of the true faith. Even if we die, darkness cannot overcome the light (Jn. 1:5). It is glory to be a martyr of the Christian faith; the church is built by the blood of the Martyrs and Apostles.
As you walk, the devil will always attempt to impact fear in you, to draw you back or distract you that your steps no longer match with those of the master – Jesus you follow. Fear not! And never give him a chance. Rather pray and always renew your faith resolutions with the Lord, to follow him without fear at all times till the end of your life here on earth. By God’s grace, we can; and nothing will hinder us.
St John Paul II admonishes: “Do not be afraid! Open the doors to Christ. God works in the concrete and personal affairs of each one of us. Don’t let the time that the Lord gives you run on as if everything were due to chance.”
Shimbo Pastory filed this article from Toronto, Owerri North, Imo State – Nigeria.
