“Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, He’s the one to fear” (Luke 12:4-5).
Jesus tells us in Matthew to let our lights shine that men might see our good works and glorify our heavenly Father. Do you share your faith with others who might not know Jesus? Are you intimidated by man or the fear of man, so that you don’t step out in faith and share the Lord’s goodness with them?
Jesus is so gracious to us when it comes to addressing our fears and weaknesses. He told His disciples, (us) “My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body.” The term “friends” is a covenant term. He’s reminding us that we are in covenant with the Creator and Lord. He gives us this story in Luke to encourage us and to forewarn us to trust in the power of God and not the power of man.
Luke 12:4-5 could possibly be one of the most challenging passages of Scripture for a child of God in the New Testament. We’re commanded to fear God who is able to destroy both the body and the soul in hell. Why is Jesus being so stern with us? It’s because fear paralyzes people and prevents them from obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit, and He wants us free from that; fear also causes us to trust in self and become self-protective which is more dangerous and detrimental than what man can do to us.
When you boil it all down, fear will cause us to sin against the commands of the Lord, and sin will separate us from life. This is why Jesus began this story warning us about the leaven (sin) of the Pharisees. They were guilty of being pretentious. If you read the remainder of this story in Luke 12, Jesus goes on to talk about the sparrows . . . how much they’re worth, and that none of them are forgotten before God. Even the very hairs on our head are numbered so that He knows which one fell out when you last washed your hair. If He is so meticulous that He cares about the very number of hairs on our head, then He knows how to keep us when we share our faith with others.
As a pastor, the Lord has given me some very stern words to share with the congregation, and sometimes with others; I obeyed Him in spite of fear of retribution, and He has kept me and my family through it all. We all take risks every day. When we get into a car or go to a public place, there are risks involved. The Lord wants all of us to take “protected risks” and share our faith with others.
Finally, Jesus tells us that if we deny Him before men, then He will deny us before the Father. Take a step of faith today, and ask the Lord to place someone in your path that you might be able to share the love of God with them. I have found that people are very hungry for the love of God. Once they find out that I am a minister of the gospel, they open up to me and request prayer for them and for their family. Someone out there needs the Christ that is concealed in you.
—submitted by Asa Dockery, US
