Faith Fights Fear

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Mark 4:40

The disciples were taking Jesus across the Sea of Galilee in a boat when Scripture tells us that a ‘furious squall’ came up. Waves were breaking over the boat to the extent that Mark 4:37 says it was “nearly swamped.” The disciples were terrified! And you can hardly blame them. Their lives were in danger. I would say that fear was an appropriate response to their situation.

But look at how Jesus responds when they call out to Him for help. The passage says Jesus “got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” Then He asked the disciples, “Why are you so afraid?”

The disciples' fear was perfectly reasonable from a worldly perspective. And yet Jesus rebuked them for their fear... because it showed a lack of faith. In vs 40 Jesus asks them, “Do you still have no faith?”

You see, if the disciples had trusted God more, they would have feared the storm less. If they had truly believed that God was in control of all things, they would have known that nothing could happen to them apart from His will. And if they truly had faith that Jesus was the Messiah, they would have known that that storm couldn’t be the end of Him.

Now, let’s apply this to our lives… Why are you so afraid? Is it possibly because you lack faith? The simple truth is that the more you trust God, the less you’ll fear the storms of life. The more certain you are that God is in control, that not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from His care (Matthew 10:29), the more you’ll trust that no harm can come to you apart from His will

Consider what the psalmist says in Psalm 27:3, “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.” What was it that gave the psalmists such freedom from fear? It was faith! Faith fights fear! So... trust the Lord! And have no fear.

Set Apart

And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Luke 1:80

It wasn't normal for a young person in the first century to live in the desert, but because of God's special calling on his life, John the Baptist did just that. In doing this, he imitated the prophet Elijah who lived in the desert and was fed by ravens during the famine.* 

And more than just imitating Elijah, "in the Old Testament, the wilderness was the place where God met with His appointed messengers."** For example, it was in the wilderness that God met with Moses at the burning bush. And it was in the wilderness that God met with His people and gave them the 10 Commandments at Sinai. So, John likely lived in the desert not only to emulate Elijah but also to commune with God and to keep himself separate from the world. 

Now, in my opinion some of the monks of the Middle Ages took this mindset too far. I don’t think you should go live in a cave and not see another living soul for years on end. But that isn’t the error that most Christians in our day and age fall into. We aren't in danger of separating from the world too much but too little.

Let John the Baptist serve as a reminder that we are called to live separated lives. Christians ought to be holy, set apart, and different from the world around them. As 2 Corinthians 6:17 says, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

Let’s strive to live that kind of Christian life.

* Martin, John A. “Luke.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

** Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016.

Do More for Jesus

The King will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."

Matthew 25:40

Jesus makes this astonishing statement in the parable of the sheep and the goats. Yes, we minister to the needs of the lost as well so that we might lessen their suffering and have an opportunity to share the gospel with them, but it isn’t love for the lost that is our identifying mark as Christians. It’s our love for other believers. True sheep love other sheep. This reminds us of what Jesus says in John 13:34-35. 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

People should be able to look at us and judge our Christianity based on our love for other believers. And that’s exactly what Jesus does in this parable. He identifies His sheep by their love for other believers.

Now, this isn’t talking about earning salvation. We aren’t saved by loving believers. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. No, this is evidence of our salvation. When we are saved, we become a part of the family of God. And one of the marks that God places on us is our love for that family. Those who love Jesus, love His children. Thus, our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ marks us out and sets us apart as members of the family of God.

This a test of salvation that you can apply to your own life. Do you love God’s people? Do you love the church? Is their evidence of that love in your life? Are there any believers anywhere who are better provided for or ministered to because of you?

Find ways to love on Jesus by loving on and serving His people... His church. Give generously to your church. Invite the new person at church over to your house for a meal. Visit those who are homebound or in the hospital or in a nursing home. Take meals to the person who just had a surgery or a death in their family. Pray faithfully for them. Weep with them when they weep, and rejoice with them when they rejoice. 

When you do these kinds of things for other believers, Jesus takes that personally! He says, “whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do for me.” I want to encourage you to start thinking about it like that. When you minister to another believer or to the church, don’t think of it simply as doing something for them… train yourself to think of it as doing something for Jesus. Let's do more for Jesus!

The Church Needs All Kinds

"Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you."

Romans 16:6

The book of Romans is hailed, almost unanimously, as the Apostle Paul's doctrinal masterpiece. Yet, it ends not with doctrine or theology but with personal greetings. Most of the sixteenth chapter is taken up with the names of various individuals that Paul wants to send greetings to in the church at Rome. Then there are also those who are with Paul as he writes who want to send their greetings to the believers at Rome as well.

If you aren't careful, as you read about the roughly 35 individuals that are mentioned by name in Romans 16, you'll begin to think that this is a waste of time. But as I read it, one overwhelming lesson jumps out of the text at me... it takes a lot of people with different gifts and callings to make the church work.

Romans 16 mentions scribes, public servants and wealthy believers with the gift of hospitality. It mentions ministers and mothers and hard workers and teachers. And I'm sure that more than a few of those named are just regular old everyday church members who loved Jesus. The church needs all of these! 

If all we had were Apostle Pauls and Timothys, then we wouldn't really have a church at all. We need people like Mary who is mentioned in Romans 16:6 as someone who worked very hard for the church. We don't know what she did. We don't really even know who she was. Mary was a very common name back then! And yet, she is memorialized in the pages of Scripture as someone who served the church with gusto. 

Never think that what you have to offer doesn't matter to the church. Never think that you don't matter just because you aren't on stage. God made you the way you are on purpose. And if you're believer, then He saved you and called you to serve His church and advance His kingdom. You may not serve like someone else does, but the church needs all kinds. So, serve in the ways that you can. Work hard for the church, and I have no doubt that your faithful service will be remembered too.