West Cocoa Chat

My next few posts will be generated by some of my thoughts and experiences at the Mid-Ohio Valley Workcamp (MOVW). One of the comments I made to the teens in my workcrew had to do with fear. When kids sign up for the MOVW they do so with the understanding that they will at the most, be with one or two members of their youthgroup. This means that the vast majority of an individual teen’s workcrew is comprised of kids they do not know.

For a teen to agree to work with people he or she doesn’t know on a home that could be large (as mine was) in my mind demonstrates an act devoid of fear. Is there a lesson to be learned from 500 teens that demonstrate that they are available to be used by Christ to minister to those who can’t help themselves? I think so.

I believe that when it comes to church leadership the biggest hindrance is fear. This fear that can grip and paralyze church leaderships can evidence itself in the form of statements such as, “What will brother or sister so and so think” or “will be lose “x” number of members if we do this” or the big one, “What will the brotherhood think and do?”

I can tell you this, it is liberating when you turn your back on fear. Jesus himself said in John 14:

1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God[a]; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."

I am convinced family that when we free ourselves from fear, God can truly use us. For my teens, they were able to paint a home in the name of the Lord for a couple that otherwise could not have had it done. For you and I individually, when we free ourselves from fear God through the power of the Holy Spirit God can use us to accomplish things that we could not do ourselves. As for our churches when we free ourselves from fear we can truly become autonomous groups of believers functioning as the body of Christ.