Which Is It: Fear Frustrating Faith or Fearless Faith?

The church I serve, Oakdale Emory, wants to build a $3 million expansion in the midst of a recession. Last November, at a special meeting of the congregation, 86% of the people present voted to move forward. Now, maybe everyone thought we would be out of this economic mess by now, and that is why they approved the plan. Then again, I say, why wouldn’t we vote that way—then or even today? After all, Phase 1, which was the only thing voted on, seeks to do three things: 1) Add a much-needed gathering space, a “family room” if you will, so that we can invite people in the community to “come and see” what Jesus is up to in us and through us. 2) Add much-needed flexible space for the many groups and ministries that use our buildings as tools for discipleship, and 3) Update and correct some of the technical difficulties (inadequate restroom facilities, for example) our buildings suffer from now.

But an interesting thing happens when I talk to people about this. An enormous number of them react with fear. They are afraid we will fail. They are afraid we won’t be able to raise the money. (This is different than failure, in my opinion, and I’ll explain why in a second.) They are afraid people won’t give. They are afraid we are wasting our time. Fear! Fear! Fear! The Bible tells us in Timothy 1:7, “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” Too often, our fears frustrate and stop our faith when God’s desire is for us to experience fearless faith.

There are many ways we could fail. We could do nothing and just expect that the money will magically will appear. We could run such a stupid Capital Campaign that no one even knows what they are giving to. But in my mind, going to the congregation with a plan, asking for their prayerful and sacrificial support, and then tallying up where we stand is our next step of obedience. If, after we do our own due diligence, we cannot afford to build right now, then we will wait until we can. How have we failed?

On the other hand, if in the midst of this economy, we canvass our family and God opens the gates of generosity and we receive what we need, then we have a story to tell of faith in action! Because we can announce to ourselves and to those in our community “come and see” what God has done! This may be just the witness God wants us to have. In a “good” economy, we might have been tempted to say, “Look what we did!” But who is going to say that if, over the next three years, we are able to raise $3 million in a down economy? God is looking for glory and praise. God wants a people who will live by faith. There are plenty of places where my fears want to stop my faith, but today I am choosing to turn fear away and live with a fearless faith!

Foward Is Our Only Option

“You cannot step twice into the same river; for other waters are continually flowing in.”  --Heraclitus

It is human nature, especially as we get older, to idealize portions of our past. Some of us have fond memories about our childhoods, early days of school, lost moments of summer, our careers... These memories help form who we are and help guide our lives forward, but forward is our only option. 

Churches, like the humans who comprise them, can often long for the past. Every member who has been around a particular church for a few years has some past story, ministry, activity or program that was wonderful and meant something special to them. These ministry memories make up the “ideal” that can, if we are not careful, capture our hearts and keep us looking in the wrong direction. We cannot return to the past no matter how intensely we long for it. Even if we could recreate all of the past’s details, things still wouldn’t be the same because we are not the same.

God never intended for his children to live in the past or to fear the future. The Apostle Paul states in Philippians 3:13-15, "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.”

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I have not yet reached the place of entire sanctification that God invites me to pursue. As a church, Oakdale Emory has not reached that place of entire sanctification, either. Neither my heart, nor in my opinion, the heart of Oakdale has become so filled with the love of God that all other desires and vices have been cast aside. We may even want to debate the possibility of this theological position. But what is certain is that God is calling all of us forward and we cannot move forward if we are clinging to the past or fearful of the future.

The grace of God is the answer to both sides of this struggle. My past and Oakdale Emory’s past is spattered with sins of commission and omission. These can only be put to rest through repentance and God’s grace. This is God’s desire for all of us. And we have no need to fear the future. God has already been there and is strong enough and good enough to be our covering and our guide. We cannot go back. We will not stay here. Forward in grace and truth is where and how we are heading. I hope you will come along into the reality God is creating for us, because such a journey is always better when it's lived out together.