Psalms 111:10 MSG
10  The good life begins in the fear of GOD; Do that and you’ll know the blessing of GOD. His Hallelujah lasts forever!

Matthew 10:28 KJV
28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

(Matthew 10:28 MSG
28  “Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life;body and soul;in his hands.)

While in primary and secondary school I had to confront bullies.  In primary school I would do everything possible to avoid them.  Since I was of small frame and not muscular I often found myself at the end of closed fists.  In my latter years now I still will do everything possible to avoid confrontation, whether it is to cross the street, or more simply avoid those who are looking for some reason to cause conflict.  Yes, I do understand what it is like to fear someone, or something.

I grew up with a healthy fear of respecting the rule of law.  Not in my wildest dreams would I even imagine a situation where I would be brought back to my home by an officer of the law.  I knew that there would be consequences for such an action.

The other situation was being called into the school principal’s office and receive the strap.  This is now no longer an issue in any school system, but in my generation it was a reality.  My mother told us that if this ever was the case, that when we arrived home there would be more to face.

We now live in a generation that really has no fear of consequences related to actions that we have enacted.  There is not a healthy fear of respect of law, our fellow man.  This generation believes it is acceptable to be the bully.

Now in regards to our generation of leaders in the pulpit, the message of fearing God is far from their lips.  All messages now speak to how to increase self-esteem, how to be wealthy, and how to be our best.  The message is through the spectrum of rose colour glasses.  These messages have created a generation that is lacking in the fear of God.

If a leader does preach a message on the fear of God the critics cry that God is only love.  I agree that God is a God of love, but also, He is a God whom we should fear.  The scripture warns not to fear the bully that can only destroy the body, but, we are to fear the one who can destroy both the body and the soul.

What also is missing in the messages from the pulpits is the lesson about hell.  Yes, hell is just as real as the message of Heaven is a real place.  If we believe in one then we must also believe that the other is also true.  The message of hell is quite often spoke of throughout Scriptures.  Christ spoke of the man who from the pits of hell asked God to send an angel to place a drop of water on his tongue just to calm the fire.

This generation is a generation of “me” focused on gaining material goods for this worldly life with no thought of the preparation of what happens after the grave.

 

Mat 6:19-20 MSG
19  “Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or;worse!;stolen by burglars.
20  Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars.

Praying that God would make us wealthy with lots of treasure and finance is a waste of words.  When they asked Christ how we should pray, Christ told them to ask only for their “daily bread”, just our needs, not our wants.

While going through the dessert the children of Israel lived off the nutrition of “manna from heaven”.  They were instructed that they should only gather enough for one day, except for the Sabbath.  If they gathered more than they needed the excess would spoil.  The same holds true throughout the New Testament.

While I was young in the ministry I too was in false doctrine and in error preaching what is commonly known as “the Prosperity Gospel”.  I truly believe that this is another gospel.

Gal 1: MSG
8  Let me be blunt: If one of us even if an angel from heaven! were to preach something other than what we preached originally, let him be cursed.
9  I said it once; I’ll say it again: If anyone, regardless of reputation or credentials, preaches something other than what you received originally, let him be cursed.

As I grew in wisdom and the fear of God I began to believe that it was not my job to make feel good and comfortable with gaining wealth, but rather have them set the eyes on things above.  Sometimes it meant “scarring the hell out of them”!

Christ while speaking to His disciples posed a question to them, a question about what kind of conditions would he find when He returned.

Luke 18: MSG
8  I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?”

Our salvation is not an easy road, but rather a fight until the day we are absent from the body.  Our faith is also a fight.  We cannot be found to be complacent in our faith, but rather we are commanded to fight for the faith that was given to the saints.

Jude 1:3 MSG
3  Dear friends, I’ve dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. I have to write insisting&begging! that you fight with everything you have in you for this faith entrusted to us as a gift to guard and cherish.

I am now over fifty years old and no longer trying to win the popularity race.  I have decided to speak out on the condition of the leaders in the pulpit of North America.  This condition of lack of Godly fear is only growing worse.

Christ warned the disciples that there would be those on the day of judgement that they would say have we not cast out devils in your name…etc.,  The reply is, Sorry, I never knew you.  I truly fear that this will be the situation for many and there will be those who followed these leaders will hear the same refrain.

So, I would urge the Body of Christ to turn from these doctrines of the devil and grasp once again the true fear of the Lord.  Time is too short and one never knows when we will be required to give an account of our life here on earth.

Like the last verse of the Book of Revelation, “Even so come, Lord Jesus”!