The Fear of the Lord

"Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours." (Ps. 128:1-2 NIV) Some blessings come by faith. Other blessings come our way because of God’s mercy. But the greatest blessings of all are reserved for those who walk in the fear of the Lord. "He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure." (Isa 33:6 NIV)

A revival of the fear of the Lord is returning to the church. In both the Old and New Testaments, the return of the fear of the Lord to God’s people preceded unprecedented outbreaks of God’s glory. Miracles follow the fear of the Lord.

When God reveals Himself, that disclosure is often more intense than casual Christians can handle. Our sin-prone flesh isn’t equipped to live in light that bright! A revelation of God’s holiness produces a realization of our sinfulness. We see our need of additional grace from God’s throne. Humility is generated in us. Then, God’s mercy transforms us and God’s love embraces us.

When God discloses Himself, we get more than we expect. He shows Himself as both Savior and Lord. "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God"

(Rom. 11:22). He is both the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He is both the merciful and faithful High Priest and the soon-coming King Who will shake the nations. God reveals Himself as He actually is, not as we want Him to be. He is a sovereign ruler, not a cosmic Santa Claus. He is the Judge of all the earth, not an absentee landlord who never inspects His property. Indeed, He owns planet earth and His tenants are going to give an account for their behavior. Even now, the judgements of God are being released upon the earth.

The fear of the Lord has often come to God’s people in times of crisis. Any Christian, church, or nation that lacks the fear of the Lord is deficient and will soon decline. We need God to give us the gift of holy fear so we can be fully formed as obedient children (See 1 Peter 1:13-17).

Apart from the fear of God, we will not pass the test of being true to His Word. Without reverence, we will not be able to take the land or withstand our enemies. The fear of the Lord is the final stage of maturity in Christ.

The fear of the Lord is an antidote to lawlessness and rebellion. King Saul is a biblical example of a man who did not fear God. His arrogance and presumptuousness disqualified him and he failed in his opportunity. David, on the other hand, so feared God that he wouldn’t lift up a hand against God’s anointed servant even when Saul was persecuting him. David passed the test of integrity of character and humility of heart because he knew the fear of the Lord.

The fear of God will preserve us from evil. The reverential awe of our holy God will cause us to make right decisions when pressure to sin or temptation to retreat comes against us. In the Bible, these times of testing were highlighted with renewed respect for God.

When God lets us see His glory, holy fear is the good result. An example in the Old Testament occurred when Joshua encountered the Lord after Israel crossed the Jordan River (Joshua 5). A New Testament example was when the early church was purified by the shocking, sudden deaths of two members (Acts 5). Fear of God, or the absence of it, can determine our destiny.

Prophets know the fear of God. They sense God’s glory more quickly than other people. They tremble at His Word. Isaiah had an encounter with God that affected his life forever. He saw a vision of God seated on His throne with angels crying out, "Holy, holy, holy!"

A few years ago, as I was waiting to preach before my Sunday service, I began to see in my spirit this throne-room scene which is described in Isaiah 6. I was provoked to worship more intensely and began to say aloud, "God, You’re so holy!" As I said this, I heard God clearly speak to me and say, "Yes, and I’m humble, too."

Instantly, repentance was given to me. Convicted by the light of His grace and glory, I began to cry out, "God, I’m not like You!" The contrast between my sinfulness and His holiness, my pride and His meekness, was more than I could bear. God had disclosed Himself to me. It changed my perception of Him.

God is holy. That means He is set apart. He is "other-than", not like this present world nor like our fallen human nature. God is not contaminated with sin or impurity. His thoughts and ways are high above ours. He dwells in a lofty place, but also with those who are meek and tremble at His Word. His holiness is accompanied by humility, therefore His power is never arbitrary or capricious. He is gentle in His love for His people, even while His holiness upholds His justice.

I wondered how God could be humble. This was such a new thought. Could it be true? Immediately I thought of Moses, the meekest man on earth. God said concerning Moses that He revealed Himself to ordinary prophets through dreams and visions. But not so with Moses. This humble man had face-to-face encounters with God. That’s how much God values humility. I remembered the New Testament Scripture that said God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Humility attracts grace. Pride is incompatible with God. I thought of Jesus, who said, "Take my yoke upon you, for I am meek and lowly of heart." Yes, God is holy and He is also humble. This revelation of God’s nature caused me to fear Him in a fresh way.

How will the fear of God affect our lives? The first thing it will do is to cause us to turn away from sin. "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil" (Prov. 8:13). I know God is perfectly just and that He will cause me to reap what I sow, therefore, I fear Him. The holy fear of God is not the same thing as being afraid. I am not scared of God, but I fear Him. I am sustained by His unchanging love, but I am not casual about encountering His holy presence. The fear of God is clean. It is healthy for us. It is not a condemning, controlling, paralyzing fear.

The primary way the fear of God is shown in our lives is not with emotions, like being scared, but with obedience to His Word. In this way, the fear of God sanctifies us. Therefore, two forces drive us to obey God. Both are appropriate. They are fear of God, and love for God.

Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). We treat God’s Word the same as we treat God. Either we respect it or we despise it. To ignore God’s Word is to have no fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord is not a feeling, but a decision that leads to submission to God. The Scripture says, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Eph. 5:21 NIV). The fear of God results in us respecting and receiving one another. This is a mark of Christian humility. It is a characteristic of living in community, of being in God’s family.

In addition, all those called to leadership are to "be submissive to those who are older... clothe yourselves with humility toward one another..." (1 Peter 5:5 NIV). Humility has a profound affect on our lives. It connects us in righteous relationships. It causes us to submit to the spiritual authority of those the Lord has set over us in the church. Real humility honors God’s authority.

After crossing the Jordan, Joshua encountered the Lord (Josh. 5:13). The Captain of the Lord of Hosts had showed up on the battle field with a drawn sword. Joshua bowed low and removed his shoes. He offered the salute of submission, awaiting the orders of his commander-in-chief. Because of Joshua’s reverence, he was given a strategy to take the fortified city of Jericho. That strategy involved respecting holy things, God’s offerings (Joshua 6:19). Joshua had the fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord gave the early church a respect for God’s offerings as well. Revival was the result. A couple in the church lied about their offering (Acts 5). Peter said it was lying to the Holy Spirit. They died for their sin. Great fear came on the whole church.

The next thing that happened? An awesome wave of healing power broke out. Many people were saved and added to the church. Peter’s shadow became an instrument for healing the sick in the streets (Acts 5:15). Miracles happened. God’s glory is always manifested when His people worship Him in reverence and walk in the holy fear of God.

© 1998 by Ron Wood. Ron and his wife, Lana, have been pastors more than 30 years. He has served as a State Coordinator for the U. S. Strategic Prayer Network. Ron is best known for his prophetic writing ministry. Ron & Lana are a ministry team. They are members of Reconciliation Ministries International led by Bishop Joseph Garlington. Ron & Lana were sent to Africa to help equip emerging apostolic leaders in the developing church. If you wish to copy this article for free distribution, permission is hereby granted to duplicate it provided there are no changes or omissions made to this article and this byline is included. The author asserts his moral rights of ownership. For more information or helpful literature, visit our web site at touchedbygrace.org, or e-mail us at ron@touchedbygrace.org.

Leaving Organized Religion

Idealism and perfectionism can be a cover-up for lawlessness. We can say, "I won’t join a church until I find the perfect one." With that prideful attitude, we’d better not join it, for then it would no longer be perfect! We overlook the beam in our eye and see the mote in everyone else’s eyes. We remain disconnected, justifying our isolation by finding fault with leaders in the church. Our independence can be fanned into flame by our desire to see renewal. Then, our criticism takes on a prophetic tone: "You’ve fallen short! Everyone else but me needs to repent!"

A dear friend of mine was blessed with the return of his wayward daughter. After a few months of once again being a participating member of the family and their wonderful church, she complained, saying, "I feel like I am losing my independence." Her gracious father said to her, "If you haven’t lost your independence, then you don’t understand the kingdom of God."

There never will be a perfect church. Why? Because it is made up of people being saved from their sin and selfishness. Consider the material God has to work with. What if the best he has to utilize is no better than you or me?

There is always a tension between the ideal model and the best that we can do with the current level of grace or understanding we now have. For example, our human family is never perfect, yet we strive for the best. Do we throw away the family because it isn’t perfect? Of course not! We know we are walking out God’s ways with imperfect human beings, so we always need to be trusting, forgiving, even tolerant.

We need to see the ideal and then conform our lives to its pattern, knowing in advance we will always fall short and need grace from God. Tension exists as we struggle to bring the actual into line with the ideal described in the Bible. That means reformation is needed.

I am a reformer. The prophetic grace on my life gives me no choice. I walk in the steps of men and women who pushed back the frontier and paved the way for others to follow. I count myself among the pioneers, not the settlers. Therefore, I understand the frustrations people feel with the status quo, with the current state of affairs with organized religion.

Some folks have come to the conclusion that they want nothing more to do with the organized church. I have reacted in a similar way in times past. I have even been proud of how disorganized or non-institutional I was. I once even equated being disorganized and impulsive with being anointed! This posture made me judgmental of the historic church. For that attitude, I have deeply repented. God has since given me a great love for all of his church.

In my radical posture, I thought I was being prophetic. Instead, I was just comparing myself with others, approving myself and judging them, and becoming arrogant in the process. I have discovered that much of my reaction was in the flesh and was very unloving. It was zealous, but immature. That isn’t to excuse the carnality or blind traditionalism of the historic church. It needs reformation and renewal, desperately and urgently.

There is a new paradigm of church, based on a old model. It is radical in the sense that God is taking us back to our roots. The word radical refers to a root. We can’t cut ourselves off from our lineage and pretend it doesn’t exist. Our history can’t be undone, only denied. Yes, the organized church is part of our heritage. But thank God, a new era has dawned. God is changing his church.

God is pouring out the Holy Spirit on millions of Christians worldwide, stretching the wineskins with new wine. He is also changing the authority structure of the church. Apostles and prophets are emerging, thus offering an alternative to independence or denominationalism.

Yet, in the midst of all this renewal, the historic church stands at a crossroads. Many are joining in the flow of the river of God. Others are watching from the banks, critical and doubtful. We need to be patient and intercede in prayer, not be quick to shoot our skeptical brothers. God hasn’t given up on the organized church. He loves all of his family, but he doesn’t want any of us trapped in ignorance and powerlessness due to substituting man’s tradition for God’s word.

Some factors should be kept in consideration. Here are points to consider:

1) Don’t Sink the Ship Yet!

The organized church is still the main "salvation station" for millions of souls, and dis-organized religionists are not doing very well at missions, evangelism, or discipleship. The fact is, God is not the author of confusion, but of order. There can be no peace apart from order. The larger any work grows, the greater is the need for some degree of order, policy, protocol, and yes, even revised tradition. God wants good government in his house. Good government is a blessing from God. To some Christians who have an independent spirit, any authority at all feels like a spirit of control. This is a wrong reaction.

There is good authority in leaders appointed by God which should not be resisted. There are, in God’s kingdom, captains of tens, captains of fifties, captains of hundreds, and captains of thousands. The leaders with larger spheres, like Moses of old, have to delegate responsibility in order to better care for the people. This is natural and ordained of God. I am delighted to report that it is possible to be anointed of the Holy Spirit and be organized at the same time. Both are aspects of Christ’s kingdom.

2) The Church is Changing

The church is in transition and in a state of flux. We don’t yet know what it will look like. Like a chick still in its shell, we can only guess at its final appearance. We hope we will resemble the church in the Book of Acts. We should be charitable in the way we judge it in its formative stages. Have enough faith to believe that God will complete what He has begun. We will emerge from our limitations and traditions and look more like the Son of God, only corporate.

God has spoken to several prophetic people that the church as we know it will not be the same, either in its function or its appearance, and that this transformation will occur in our day. I believe this.

3) The Shape of Things to Come

When God has finished with his reformation, we will not be lawless, prideful, or independent. God’s nature and Christ’s likeness will be in us. That means persevering prayer, faith to be obedient to all of his word, and grace-based evangelism abounding. We will recognize leadership, be fitted into the body, and walk in covenant love. The end result of the Spirit’s outpouring is not just independent believers displaying charismatic gifts, but true community.

The true church is more than a gathering of believers around a water cooler at work or over a coffee table at home. It must be organically connected to its Head, even Jesus, and to his apostles. This connection to Jesus is first by the Spirit, with no mediators. But it is also relational, through Christ’s appointed leaders–apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. (Eph. 4:11-16).

Jesus said that if we don’t receive those he sends, then we don’t receive him. Relationship is a reality. God is ending our isolation from one another. Apostolic networks are emerging. The Holy Spirit is inspiring covenant connections with these new circles. There really is a difference between a home Bible study and a church. One is set order in order; the other is embryonic or dislocated, or worse, perhaps even lawless.

Jesus only used the word "church" two times. First, he referred to the universal church (Matt. 16:18), saying he would build it himself. It was to be built on a rock, overcome hell’s gates, and have authority. The second time, he referred to the local church (Matt. 18:17). Here, he taught about forgiveness, reconciliation, and church discipline. He had an expectation of righteous behavior by church members.

Jesus builds the universal church. His apostles build local churches. They are the "wise master-builders" like Paul and other workers named in the New Testament.

Because some people have been wounded by man-made church systems, or been scalded by abusive authority, we have to recognize that reformation will not be without effort. Thank God for wise counselors and patient instructors who can help us walk through the re-organization of the church! Their experience is worth a gold mine.

If we are not careful, we can easily go beyond fighting traditions and start wounding the Body of Christ or fostering a state in which "every man does that which is right in his own eyes."

Jesus loves the church and gave himself for it. We should not take part in anything that further fragments or disintegrates the church which is Christ’s body. God hates those who cause discord or disunity. The church is his temple, his dwelling among his people. If anyone destroys it, he will destroy them. This is a solemn warning by the Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17). We need to discern the body of Christ in all of its wonderful variety and handle one another with love and honor.

An attitude of humility helps us see that God isn't through with the church. In fact, we may be called on to sacrifice our comfort in order to help finish its reformation. When Jesus is finished investing himself in his own church, then it will truly be a "church without walls," whether or not it has elements still standing of organization or traditional structures.

© 1998 by Ron Wood. Ron and his wife, Lana, have been pastors more than 30 years. He has served as a State Coordinator for the U. S. Strategic Prayer Network. Ron is best known for his prophetic writing ministry. Ron & Lana are a ministry team. They are members of Reconciliation Ministries International led by Bishop Joseph Garlington. Ron & Lana were sent to Africa to help equip emerging apostolic leaders in the developing church. If you wish to copy this article for free distribution, permission is hereby granted to duplicate it provided there are no changes or omissions made to this article and this byline is included. The author asserts his moral rights of ownership. For more information or helpful literature, visit our web site at touchedbygrace.org, or e-mail us at ron@touchedbygrace.org.

Refiner's Fire

Many years ago in an early period of ministry, I went through a painful experience connected with my work. I was called on to give up my salary, find secular employment, and help our pastoral team cut back on expenses so we could afford to build on our property. With the best of intentions, laying down my privileges out of sincere love for the church, I unknowingly entered into a season of intense personal suffering.

That season lasted five years. I remember saying, as I struggled to support my family doing things I was not trained to do, "How could God love me and let me suffer like this?" During those years, I preached just once, I worked among sinners, I felt useless, and I lost everything when the oil business went bust. I also lost a big part of my pride. God dealt ever so wondrously with me. He spared no detail in seeing to it that I was thoroughly humbled, completely crucified, totally emptied out. I came out of that season a changed man. A yoke had been put on my neck. My will had been exchanged for God’s will. I found myself loving the church more than I loved the fulfillment of my own calling.

A different kind of perseverance had been worked into me. I came out of it as his servant, not his co-director. I learned submission by obedience while suffering.

The Bible has a great deal to say about suffering. If Christ Jesus was not immune to suffering, then Christians are not either. Read 1 Peter 1:3-9 in the New Testament, and then examine verse seven. The New International Version says, "These (trials) have come so that your faith–of greater worth than gold which perishes even though refined by fire–may be proved genuine, and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." The idea of suffering is associated with glory. No suffering; no glory–they go together.

There is something about our human experience, I suppose our carnality while we are yet earthbound, that is unable to handle God’s glory apart from experiencing suffering. Suffering while maintaining a right attitude, that is with thanksgiving and without complaining, uncovers the eternal deposit in us of God’s grace and glory. Suffering polishes the tarnish off the treasure.

Suffering does not mean God does not love us. Often, it means just the opposite. In fact, the Bible lists the names of men and women in faith’s Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11) and says "God is not ashamed to be called their God." Their faith during adversity brought divine approval of their lives. They are an example for us all.

Suffering, however, must be handled righteously. If we cast off our faith in the middle of our trial, if we become bitter and start accusing everyone around us, then we have wasted the experience. Now, we have to repeat that grade again. As my coach in seventh grade used to say, "Take another lap!" When we endure trials without turning to God, when we are persecuted and begin to hate our enemies, when we take our eyes off Jesus in the midst of the storm, then we forfeit the grace we were inheriting.

Trials mold our character. We don’t come to Christ fully formed. If we are to walk as Jesus walked, then we have to be shaped into his image. Modern Christians want to bypass character and get straight to charisma. We want the power without the cross. We want the fame without the flame. But there is no escaping the refiner’s fire. Those who refuse the dealings of God, who reject discipline, who resist the hand of the potter as the clay is molded, will find themselves crumbling under pressure further down the road. Indeed, it is our Father’s great love that forces us into the fire.

The experience of redemptive suffering is not just for ourselves alone, but for the sake of the whole body of Christ. At first, we are rolling stones, not fitted stones. Until we learn obedience, we are rowdy, unfruitful, useless to God. And, we are not very pleasant to be around. Godly character enables us to become corporate. We learn to fit in. Christianity is not an isolated experience of God. It is lived in community, not on an island. It is walked out in a context of relationships, of honor, of submission, of serving. This shapes us. We grow in faith, hope, and love while we endure testing.

The fact is, Jesus endured suffering. He learned obedience through the things he suffered (Hebrews 5:8). His suffering was not at all due to the consequences of sinful choices, like so much of our suffering, but his was vicarious, or in behalf of others. He suffered for our sins, he took our punishment. In this regard, his suffering was unique. None of us can suffer for the sins of others. Jesus has already done that once and for all. However, we can suffer in order to submit and learn obedience. We can suffer while enduring hardship in behalf of the church. We can suffer for righteousness’ sake. And we can suffer while resisting temptation and overcoming evil.

Suffering can be used of God. It is God’s way of proving our faith. Peter said that faith must be proved to be genuine. Faith that has not been tested is not acceptable to God. Until faith is tried by fire, it cannot be declared trustworthy. This word in 1 Peter 1:7 is translated in the KJV, "trial;" in the NIV, as "proved genuine;" and in the NASB, as "proof." This word carries the idea of an assayer who puts ore to the test to see if it is really gold. He certifies that it is genuine and not fool’s gold. Apart from the test, how will anyone really know? The fire proves our faith is authentic, the genuine article, the Jesus-kind of faith.

This whole concept of enduring trials so that our faith can be approved is a major theme in portions of the Bible. Endurance is not pleasant, but it is necessary. No one ever matures apart from endurance. Do you know what a biblical definition of endurance is? Try this: "A long obedience in the same direction." Biblical endurance can’t be practiced overnight. Endurance involves a season, not an event. Endurance means continuing to do what is right, overcoming internal weaknesses, resisting external opposition, remaining doggedly in the battle until you are the last one left standing.

Why does suffering come our way? Can we avoid all suffering? I don’t think so. In my studies on suffering, I have found three direct sources. Of course, there is another indirect source, and that is simply the fact that we live in a fallen world. When the tower of Siloam fell and killed people, Jesus said it was not because they were more sinful than anyone else. When a blind man was brought to him, he said the disease wasn’t due to sin done by the man. Some suffering occurs simply because the world we live in has been subject to evil ever since Adam’s fall. This is a world of weeds, rust, disease, sin, crime, corruption, decay. Devolution and disorder reign, apart from salvation in Christ.

There are three sources of suffering. First, we suffer because of our own sinful actions and choices. Some pain we invite by foolishness. The prodigal son suffered in a pig pen because he made stupid choices. We understand that kind of suffering, don’t we? If we drive recklessly and have an accident, we shouldn’t blame it on God.

The second kind of suffering doesn’t come from our actions. In fact, we can be minding our own business and behaving well, and suddenly, become the target of harassment. This happened to Job. If you read his story, you will discover that Satan made a target of Job and tried to destroy his faith. We do not live in a morally neutral universe. There is a prowler loose, not yet caged, whose goal is to devour, steal, and destroy. Prayer and watchfulness are called for to avoid needless troubles.

The third kind of suffering comes from God. This is trouble that can’t be rebuked. This is the refiner’s fire, the master craftsman’s method of putting his work to the test. God never builds anything without examining it. This is true of our own house of faith as individuals. It is also true of the house of God’s dwelling, the community of faith we call the church. God puts our relationships to the test. He puts the fire to ministry teams. He lets churches go through times of trouble. Will we walk in love? Will we keep the unity of the Spirit? Is there covenant between us? God tests everything he builds. He wants it to last and he doesn’t want it to fall apart and hurt people.

I may not like tribulation, but I can’t escape it. What do I have to gain if I endure testing? After Job passed the test, God gave him back twice as much as he had before. Vindication was sweet. When God brought Israel through the wilderness for forty years, their stubborn and rebellious nature was dealt with. He used wilderness trials to "humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not." (Deuteronomy 8:2) If I endure testing by God, I will earn his "well done." And, I may lose some more of my sinful pride.

Do you feel like you are in the wilderness? Have you found yourself experiencing a fiery trial? Do you feel like your faith is being tested? Under the pressure of a shakedown cruise, every system is subjected to more stress than it will normally ever see. Let endurance have its complete work.

When God has finished with the test, He will fill you with more of his glory. He will qualify you for the next level of responsibility. He will certify you as trustworthy, able to bear weight, worth following, a faithful model of the kingdom message. You will be a workman who has been approved. That "well done" is truly worth enduring the fire!

© 1998 by Ron Wood. Ron and his Lana have been pastors more than 30 years. He served as State Coordinator for the U.S. Strategic Prayer Network in Arkansas. They are members of Reconciliation Ministries International led by Bishop Joseph Garlington and have been sent to Africa to help equip emerging apostolic and prophetic leaders. Permission hereby granted to duplicate without any changes or omissions with byline intact. Visit our web site: touchedbygrace.org or e-mail us at ron@touchedbygrace.org.