“So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.” (John 6:19-21)

I don’t know how tired these disciples were after they had rowed a Galilean fishing boat in a storm three or four miles – but I can imagine!

Then something extraordinary happened.

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Each Sunday we post a short classic piece from someone signally used by God down through the history of the church. Today we look to Samuel Chadwick (1860-1932).  

The Church Without the Spirit

by Samuel Chadwick 

 The Church is the creation of the Holy Spirit. It is a community of believers who owe their religious life from first to last to the Spirit. Apart from Him there can be neither Christian nor Church. The Christian religion is not institutional but experimental. It is not an ordained class, neither is it in ordinances and sacraments. It is not a fellowship of common interest in culture, virtue, or service. Membership is by spiritual birth. The roll of membership is kept in heaven. Christ is the Door. He knows them that are His, and they know Him. The Church Roll and the Lamb’s Book of Life are not always identical. “No man can say Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy Spirit,” and confession of the lordship of Jesus Christ is the first condition of membership in His Church. The command to tarry in the city until there came enduement of power from on high proves that the one essential equipment of the Church is the gift of the Holy Ghost. Nothing else avails for the real work of the Church.

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New York Magazine ran a story yesterday listing a group of living celebrities who have read about their own rumored deaths.

P.T. Barnum, the famous circus promoter and businessman (who, incidentally, was born in Bethel, Connecticut, just 7 miles from our church) had publicly remarked that “the press says nice things about you after you die”. So three weeks before his actual death, the New York Sun Newspaper ran the front page headline: “Great And Only Barnum — He Wanted To Read His Obituary — Here It Is.”  And so Barnum got to read his own obituary.  (Source: www.ringling.com )

But apparently he’s not nearly the only one. It’s been happening, in fact, with increasing regularity to celebrities. “And thanks to the gossipy virulence of the web, and especially Twitter, more and more will”, says Christopher Bonanos.*

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“And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.”  Matthew 8:34

Hang on … did I just read that right?

Can you believe it? Why were these people upset? Guess I should go back a few paragraphs and read the whole story of what had happened.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE CONTEXT

Let me get this straight, Jesus had just delivered 2 men of demons.  That’s a GOOD thing, isn’t it?  But when the people in town heard about it, they weren’t pleased at all. They begged Jesus to leave the region.

The true power of God is to the world only fearful. They would rather their mundane lives than Divine intervention.

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Links have popped up all over the internet to watch or listen to it.

Every Christian needs to hear it through at least once. Every preacher and pastor more than once. So let me give you the links …

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO

What a tragic verse of Scripture! John 12:42-43, “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”

These men came to believe in Jesus (they believed He was who He said He was) but they wouldn’t confess Him openly because they were afraid they’d be put out of the synagogue (excommunicated).

Their habit was so formed in them to love the praise of men, and their identity became so tied up with it, that they could not lay it down when Christ came. Here was the Promised One. They’d studied the prophets words about Him. They had taught others about the promises. Here He was at last – and they began to believe it! Time and eternity were in the balance – but they were still afraid to lose their standing, their reputation. They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Proverbs 29:25 says “The fear of man brings a snare (a trap)”.

What a great stronghold it is! Once the fear of man has its vice-like grip on you, it’s a very difficult thing to break free from. It can take many forms:

1) Intimidation
2) An over-concern with popularity
3) A fear of rejection
4) A fear of persecution
5) A fear of being in a minority

It occurs to me that one of the key characteristics of a truly revived heart – a mark by which you can know that God is making progress with you – is when the fear of man is broken. You see, the revived heart cares ONLY to please God.

The antidote to the fear of man is the fear of God. When you have a true reverence for God there’s no room any longer for the fear of man.

Listen to these words of the Apostle Paul: 1 Corinthians 4:3-5, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.” AND Galatians 1:10, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”

This is not Paul being arrogant. But he has only one real concern – pleasing God. He’s truly living for an audience of One. What a liberating way to live!

And this is how God wants US to live. Not afraid of men nor devils. What does the Word say? 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Pastor Phil