State of the Church (5)
Which of you under the shock of the tyrants kept rigidly to the rule given by the words of the apostle, a rule that has always been kept in every age by holy priests who reject the proposals of men that try to hasten them down the slope of wickedness: “One must obey God rather than men.”
– Gildas, The Ruin of Britain
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.”
– Acts 5.29
Fear of man
The fear of man can take many forms. In the case of early 6th-century Britain, and the shepherds of God’s flocks, “the shock of the tyrants” seems to have shaped the nature of their ministries. It’s not entirely clear in what sense the rulers of Britain in that day were “tyrants”. Perhaps they threatened violence toward any who didn’t toe their line. Or maybe they were more subtle, testing the waters in various ways to discern how best to get the preachers of Britain to endorse whatever they wanted to do. Or maybe they were very charismatic, and all the preachers hoped to be identified as their cheerleaders. Or perhaps a bit of all the above?
Whatever the manner of that “shock”, the priests of Britain caved in and went along. They feared more what men might do, or that they might be left out or set aside by men, or hemmed in by them, than they feared God. God had called them to preach Jesus as King and Lord and Savior (Acts 5.30-32) and their calling was to proclaim Him and to build His Church.
Neither of which they apparently were doing. They allowed the “proposals of men” to “hasten them down the slope of wickedness” and led the flocks of the Lord right along with them. Thus, further on in his book, Gildas concluded that these pastors were “imperfect shepherds” who had “failed to know Him Who sees” and were thus “ignorant of judgement”.
Solomon reminds us, “The fear of man brings a snare…” (Prov. 29.25). Once one becomes entangled in fearing men—for whatever reason or in whatever form—being ensnared will guide everything, redirecting one’s calling and driving the Lord’s sheep toward a cliff.
A familiar sound
This situation has a familiar sound to me. Pastors fearing what government might do to them or their tax-exempt status? Or wanting to be seen as counselors and advisors to presidents? Or cheerleaders for their platforms and projects? And all the while, the Lord’s flocks, who should be equipped for living Kingdom righteousness as disciples and witnesses of the Lord, are transformed into the wicked-slope lemmings of their wicked pastors.
Just thinking out loud here, that’s all.
The fear of men can ensnare any of us; we must be constantly on guard against it and the temptation to yield to it. Once we begin to fear what others might think of us, or say about us, or do to us, we will start conforming our behavior to their expectations rather than those of the Lord Jesus Christ.
How can we protect ourselves against the fear of men? By fearing God instead. Meditate often on His greatness and power. Steep yourself in His Word. Daily devote yourself to His Law and to following in Jesus’ steps. Seek His strength whenever you feel like you are being tempted to fear men in any way. Make sure you have prayer partners who pray for you day after day. Keep company with courageous and faithful believers, and draw on the strength of God in them. Most of all, pray without ceasing, and do not lose heart (Lk. 18.1).
We don’t have to cower before men. Indeed, we must not!
Fear God, and let the chips fall where they may. You’ll always come out a winner.
For Reflection
1. What are some situations in which you might be tempted to fear men?
2. Whom will you encourage today in their walk with and work for the Lord?
Psalm 119.63, 64
(Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise)All those who fear You, LORD, go with me on my way,
all those who keep Your holy Word from day to day.
Around us all the earth declares Your mercy, LORD.
That I might know Your glorious worth, teach me Your Word.
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: In our ReVision series on “The Church” we consider the vision of Church presented in Scripture. Our Read Moore podcast begins working through our book, The Kingdom Turn. The focus of our Scriptorium daily study is on “Matthew: The Coming of the Kingdom.” Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
