A Frightened World needs a Fearless Church

Outline

1. Stories from the past of a Fearless Church
2. Three Important Scriptures
3. Ask for the gift of faith—the antidote to fear

“A frightened world needs a fearless church”
—A.W. Tozer (Toronto)

Roman Plague, 250–270 A.D

• A plague devastated the Roman Empire
• 5,000 people died every day in Rome alone
• Coincided with 1st empire-wide persecution of Christians
• Christians died from the plague like everybody else
• But unlike others, they cared for the victims of the plague, including their pagan neighbours

Antonine Plague
(a century earlier)

• Christians had done the same thing then.
• Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity:
  “Christians stayed in the afflicted cities when pagan leaders, including physicians, fled”

Christianity Spread

“An epidemic that seemed like the end of the world actually promoted the spread of Christianity.”
Candida Moss, a professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Notre Dame

“By their actions in the face of possible death, Christians showed their neighbours that “Christianity is worth dying for.”
Matt Hosier

Cholera plague, London, 1854

“All day, and sometimes all night long, I went about from house to house, and saw men and women dying, and, oh, how glad they were to see my face.
When many were afraid to enter their houses lest they should catch the deadly disease, we who had no fear about such things found ourselves most gladly listened to when we spoke of Christ and of things Divine.
Charles Spurgeon

Christians in Wuhan, 2020

• Fearlessly distributing N-95 masks
• Individual Christians in Wuhan assisted the sick when there were no hospital beds available

Hebrews 2:14–15

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood,
he himself likewise partook of the same things,
that through death he might destroy the one
who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
and deliver all those who through fear of death
were subject to life-long slavery.”

Isaiah 42:13

“The Lord goes out like a mighty man,
like a man of war he stirs up his zeal;
he cries out, he shouts aloud,
he shows himself mighty against his foes”

Fear

• The enemy is the devil, his most powerful weapon is fear
• Don’t be ashamed to admit we are afraid
• The most basic fear: the fear of death
• Isaiah 54:17: “No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed… This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord.”

Romans 8:37–39

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am sure that neither death nor life,
nor angels nor rulers,
nor things present nor things to come,
nor height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Revelation 22:4–5

“Every tear has been wiped from their eyes,
and there is no more mourning, crying or pain,
for the former things have passed away
and God has made all things new”

Winning this battle

• Ask God to send his Holy Spirit into our hearts to help us focus on two things.

1. That the ultimate battle is truly won.
2. That he is there with us every day to help us face every fear we have.

• The difference between good and bad fears

Fear and Faith

• To be free from anxiety about tomorrow means we need the Holy Spirit to give us faith today.
• Faith is the confidence that God will act on your behalf.
• You can’t think yourself into faith. But you can ask for it, and it will be given to you.

Looking at the Radar

• The radar tells us that Jesus is Lord. Over everything.
• The good thing is if we know tribulation is coming, we also know it’s ending.
• Be assured that you will come through the other end of it. God guarantees it.
• Read the end of the Book!