The truth about fear
March 20, 2020
“May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Pe 1:2).
In northern Israel at the foot of Mt Hermon, there is an archaeological site named Banias. Its cliffs are full of niches for idols; and the natural rock terrace below once held temples, including the Temple of Pan, a Greek god who was half goat, half man. A spring that now seeps through the rocks once gushed from a subterranean source thought to be the Gate of the Underworld.
Jesus brought His disciples to this site when they passed through adjacent Caesarea Philippi. The pagan site and its attendant worship must have horrified these observant Jews. It was here Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” and Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:15-19)
Jesus took His disciples literally to the gates of Hell to reveal His Sonship and declare that those gates would not prevail against the Church that knew Him as Son of the Living God. Gates are stationary. The Church is supposed to assail those gates, and it isn’t going to be easy. “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (v 21).
Pan was reputed to cause humans to flee in unreasoning fear, i.e. panic, by uttering demonic sounds. (That’s where our word, panic, comes from.) Have you felt any panic reactions related to the spread of coronavirus? Has fear ever intimidated you from talking about Jesus with a Muslim? These fears come from the same source and have the same purpose – to prevent people coming together around the person of Jesus the Savior. In fact, they might distract people from reaching out to Muslims in these days. But could it be that the two fears might work against each other now – that Muslims beset with fears from the uncertainty stemming from the pandemic may be far more open to knowing the Prince of Peace?
Worldly fear has no place in us who believe. When we do experience fear, we demolish it as a “pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and…take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ” (2 Co 10:5). Jesus proved God’s love (Jn 3:16-17) and demonstrated the necessity of suffering to overcome. “Perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love” (1 Jn 4:18 NLT). If you are fearful of how the pandemic might impact you, take time to establish yourself in Him, and then assail the gates of hell with love and truth because “in this world we are like Him” (Isa 8:12-13, 1 Jn 4:17b).
Worship the Lord. Ask for deeper revelation about favorite passages such as Lamentations 3:22-26, Psalms 23 & 46 and John 16:33. Turn from fear; trust in Him! Ask to know and then reveal His heart.
Pray for Muslim international students and recent immigrants who are at risk financially, for moms with many children at home, for those seeking peace, for all who can’t face their fears – then ask the Lord to give you specific ones to encourage, pray for, support and introduce to the Son of the Living God.