Conquering Fear - What Do We Fear?

In order to really grasp fear, and look it in the eye, we need to realize what we fear, and the situations when fear arises. Though, for sake of time and space I have limited this to sharing your faith. I understand we have fear in many other areas in ministry…but in the end, when we boil everything down, you can use how to conquer fear in other areas of ministry, and the reasons for them.

REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON’T SHARE THEIR FAITH
I’ve compiled a list of reasons why people don’t share their faith, and fear being the cause of most of them. The other “cause” we will see later.


I Fear I Will Suffer

Well, in my opinion (I speak as a man)…tough. Let’s face it; you will suffer for the gospel. In my “calling” as an evangelist, I have been yelled at, stuff thrown at me, insulted, ridiculed, made fun of, spit on, laughed at, lost friends over, tracts ripped up and tossed in the river, among other things that I’d rather not mention. But I will say this…to date, I have never had so much as a finger touch me. Though people said they wish that they could kill me, I was never punched, kicked, tortured, stabbed, shot, set on fire, drowned, or mauled. I consider myself blessed in that area.

I wish that I could say that people don’t suffer for their faith in America. People do. There are many Christians who are suffering for the gospel because they are trying to live out their faith in a world that is hostile to Christian ideals and principles.

The Bible has many references to Christians suffering persecution. Here are a few:

2 Timothy 3:12 – And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (NASB)

Philippians 1:29-30 – For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.


I think of the fate of some of the apostles themselves.

Philip: Stoned to death, Phygia, A.D. 54
Peter: Crucified upside down, Rome, A.D. 69
Paul: Beheaded, Rome, A.D. 69
Andrew: Crucified, Achaia, A.D. 70
Matthew: Beheaded, Ethiopia, A.D. 70
Thomas: Speared to Death, Calmino, A.D. 70
James (the less): Clubbed to death, Jerusalem, A.D. 63
John: Abandoned, Isle of Patmos, A.D. 63

Think of this…if we are the body of Christ, and Christ is the head of that body, why would the world only crucify the head and not the body? It is a blessing that the body suffer persecution. In 1 Peter 4:14 it says that the Spirit of Glory and God rests upon you. Don’t you want the Spirit of God to rest upon you? I sure do. Suffer today for Him, with Him, and rejoice.


I Fear I Will Be Rejected By Others

Though we may not pay a price regarding our lives, but our livelihood. Fear of losing a job, friends, or even family may get in the way of the One Whom we should serve. But in reality, shouldn’t we be fearful of God Whom we have received as LORD and Savior? When we forsook our sins, and came to the blood stained cross and asked for forgiveness we were like dead men risen again. What did those who were risen from the dead when Jesus walked the earth in human form? They were grateful, for those whom were cured from their disease, risen from the dead, they wanted more of Him. Shouldn’t we be like that too? Shouldn’t we be more like them.

The bible talks about what we may lose if we turn to Christ.

Matthew 10:21-22 – “”And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

Matthew 10:34-35 –“Do not think that I came to bring peach on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”

We might have to give up everything for the cause of Christ. For those who do, will only come blessing from the Lord. The Lord will protect and guide us in our times of trouble.


I Fear That God Won’t Be There When I Need Him

I can’t remember a time where God ever let me down with anything I ever brought before Him. The only thing that I would ever even come close to that would be when my sister died when I begged the Lord to save her. But, ultimately, she let herself down. I, among others, shared Christ with her, numerous times, and numerous times she rejected every attempt. So in reality…who let who down? It wasn’t the Lord. He was faithful to send those who knew the gospel to minister to her. But she denied it every time. I cannot blame Him for that.

In the times that I needed His guidance, mercy, love, kindness and wisdom…the Lord provided abundantly what I needed when I needed it. It’s never what I thought “I” needed, but what God knows I need.

In Hebrews 13:5 it is written by God of Himself: I will never leave you nor forsake you. Do you believe that?

God not only teaches through His Word, but also through circumstances. Sometimes we as humans need to be “shown” something that we just can’t learn by reading.


I Fear That I Don’t Know Enough To Share The Gospel With People

Learn. You may be thinking that was a very insensitive answer. But seriously…in America, we have an overwhelming abundance of resources at our disposal…more than what missionaries in other countries have. We have libraries, books, seminars, classes, internet, DVD’s, CD’s, ministries dedicated to teaching evangelism, and other people who know more than we do. But we learn what we need to know with anything else.

Let’s say that your employer asked you to study for an exam, and whether or not you keep that job is based on the score of that test. What do you think you would do? You would study like crazy. Not only that, but you would be studying throughout the year so when it came time to take the exam…you would be more than prepared.

But with a more sensitive answer…you know more than the lost who don’t know really much if anything about the gospel. As a former Roman Catholic from New Jersey, I never knew what the Bible said about anything. In fact, until a couple months of being a believer, I never even heard of John 3:16…never. If someone would have even shared John 3:16 with me, I may have listened, or at least have the desire to read the Bible, and to know what to read. At least some sort of seed would have been planted in my heart. But it wasn’t until I came to Iowa when God really started to work on me.

But if you do get into a bind and don’t know what to say, a good backup plan is to share your testimony. So with that, know your testimony and how you got saved. No one will ever tell you, “Now that’s not what happened!” How could they? Were they there when it happened? And while you are sharing your testimony, in your mind think of something and pray the Holy Spirit gives you wisdom.

God will hold you more accountable because you live in a place where information is freely given. You will not be able to use this when you come before God on the last day.


I Fear That I May Say the Wrong Thing

Who says you will say the right thing either. I mean…who is the one who converts people anyway…you or the Holy Spirit. If you stick with the basics, and relay them to the other person…you really can’t say anything that will be out of line.

Think about this one. Who is Jesus? Ok, why did He come and die on a cross? What will happen to people who don’t receive Him as Lord and Savior? What is John 3:16 and what does that mean? Let’s face it…it’s not rocket science. How could you mess it up and say the wrong thing?


I Fear I Won't Make Any Sense

To the lost, the gospel doesn’t make sense, and that’s not your fault. But the bible says that because of the hardness of their hearts they cannot understand the things of God. But that shouldn’t keep us from sharing it with them either.

When I was a pagan and lost as lost can be, I remember the first time a person shared the gospel with me. I had just moved to Iowa from New Jersey and went to the Iowa State Fair for the first time. Walking around, I found myself at a booth displaying a model of Noah’s Ark. I thought it was the most fascinating thing, and the man who was in charge came over and talked with me for a while. He gave me a gospel tract and asked me some questions about Jesus Christ. I was Roman Catholic at the time, and I couldn’t understand him no matter how hard I tried…even though I was leaning in to the conversation and really hanging on ever word he said. After an hour I was getting impatient, I grabbed him by both shoulders, looked him straight in the eye and said, “I want to understand what you are telling me, but for some reason I can’t. You might as well be speaking Greek.” When I went home I must have read that tract 50 times front to back, and still it didn’t click. 19 Months later I walked into Heartland Christian Fellowship on March 2, 2003 where the Pastor shared the gospel with me, I understood it, and gave my heart and life to the Lord. Why…I don’t really know. Maybe I wasn’t ready until then to receive it. God only knows. But that shouldn’t stop us from at least sharing it with the Lost.



I Fear Because I Don't Know How To Get Started

Isn’t that with everything though? Really…how does anyone know anything? They learn it. It’s the same thing with sharing your faith. When I got saved I didn’t know either…in fact I used to make fun of people who did. But all I had to get me started was the burning desire in my heart to reach out to the lost, and to tell people of the God who lived within me. I hooked up with a man who has been sharing his faith for years, and learned from him. He discipled me in many areas, and from being under a godly man whom God raised up, I am a better Christian because of it.


I Fear I'll Be A Bad Witness

I can see that if you are a new believer, and really don’t know much, and come from a really rough background that fearing you would be a bad witness would be a thing to think about. You might drop an “F bomb” here and there, light up a cigarette and blow it into the person’s face, and may even start yelling at them when they don’t “get it”. No, I really don’t believe that one either. It’s the people who come from really rough backgrounds that turn to the Lord, and He changes them from the inside out, that really speak volumes about what God is doing in their lives. Take the apostle Paul. A man whom the bible said “ravaged the church of God” and Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, and transformed his life.


ARE THESE REALLY REASONS?

By looking at each reason why some of us don’t share our faith…what we find by going over each one is that they are not reasons…but excuses. Each one of these has been proven to be ineffective in keeping us in fear.

Today…cut the noose of the fear of man with the sword of the spirit. Take the first step in conquering your fear.