Are People Afraid of Your Church?

Should people be afraid of the church? Actually, yes! In a day and age where we have all been taught to make people feel comfortable about our churches, here is some biblical thinking on the matter from Jim Savastio. There is a clear biblical pattern that when God is at work, people fear. In Timothy 5:19-20, 19, Paul instructs Timothy that the normal rebukes for sin in the church should produce fear and that, “Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.”

In Acts 2:43, during the time of a great outpouring of grace upon the church we read, “Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.”

In Acts 5:5,10-11 fear gripped the community when it was learned that Ananias and Saphira died after being found lying, “Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things....10 Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. 11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.”

In Acts 19:16-17, when the power of God was exercised against men with evil spirits, fear fell upon all, “Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.”