If you want to see a strong man die inside, let him get extremely old, old enough to the point where the simplest task requires assistance. If you desire to see a beautiful woman lose all hope, grant her those same extended years.
“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
Apparently that fear is quite easily brought upon the majority of those who profess to serve the Living God quite easily, all that was necessary was to say a terrible virus, a disease was spreading rapidly across the planet. Not only did many obey the mandates, put the mask on, received the supposed cure for the dreaded threat, but they locked the church doors in fear.
If you want to see those who profess the Lord Jesus Christ with their lips only move away from that supposed profession, simply place fear in front of them.
“And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.” (Job 2:4)
With that fear came the possibility of losing their own lives, with that fear came the proof that their belief in the assurance of their salvation was not a fact in their life. With the arrival of that fear, they proved Philippians 1:21 was not a truth to them.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
And now all those who feared sit in the assemblies once again, the topic hopefully forgotten, those days a distant memory they do not want to recall, and if the matter is brought up to them, they will shun you, they will rebuke you, they will cast you from their midst until you agree to never bring up the matter of their fear ever again.
Can you think of a better example of this verse in accordance to those days when so many who claim to have died to self were afraid to die?
“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.” (2nd Tim. 3:13)
They did not seek refuge in places to continue to worship the Most High in secret, they hid in fear, even from each other.
I am going to ask you a question here, and if you were one who hid in fear, then you will have a different answer than those who did not, who saw through the lies of those times from day one. Are those who obeyed without question the weaker brothers and sisters?
Every single person who agreed to lock those church doors, ninety-two percent of all churches, those who now meet once again openly without fear, are they weaker brothers and sisters in Christ, or hypocrites?
Harsh words, I know.
They forsook the singular commandment that each of them seem to think is the prime directive, the epitome of what reveals a person as a Christian, they forsook the assembling of themselves together.
Because of fear.
Want to see who truly has already died to self, who understands whether we live or die, we are the Lords? Place the possibility of the end of their own life before them, even perhaps the end of the life of one they know and love because of their unquestioning faith in the will of the Almighty. Place fear before them and you will see truth revealed.
But we are just supposed to forget about those days, are we not? The coast is clear, the fear has passed, and there are other, more pressing matters to attend to now.
A sermon by even one of those pastors, words from the lips of even one in the assembly about to live is Christ, and the memory of those days would need to be brought up to them.
