Whom shall I Fear?

Most of the articles that I have posted in my blog were used in my newspaper articles.  Shortly after moving to a small town in ’04 with the usual array of churches I asked the newspaper editor if he would allow me to write an article for the paper.  I told him that Ruth and I had traveled some and had some interesting experiences which fine tuned our perspective on what we see happening to the church at large.

I must confess that I wasn’t sure that some of them would be published since they were somewhat indicting for most churches.  Apparently no one threatened to cancel their subscription because of me so they were all printed.

Needless to say I didn’t make too many friends among the clergy.  I got many comments from friends asking me if the newspaper was still printing my articles.  One pastor, the only encouraging one, likened me to Jeremiah the prophet in that he thought some people would like to stone me.

There is a comforting verse, comforting to some but not to others, in Matthew 10:28 that I look to.  Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.”

So it comes down to what Elijah once said on Mount Carmel, “Why do you wavier between two opinions? Who do you fear, God or man?”

The one you fear is the one you serve.

Here is the sad reality of the matter.  According to Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the Mount regarding the wide and narrow gates, many pastors fear man more than they fear God, they have a form of godliness, but have no power to live a Godly life.

Sounds like a prescription for the end times to which Jesus was referring when He said, “When I return will I find faith on the Earth?”

I think that He will, but not where most people would look for it.