Secret Church

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Worst Case Scenario Posted: 29 Aug 2013 02:00 AM PDT Out of all the amazing statements of Jesus in Matthew 10, this one may be the most astounding and most important: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Frankly, this seems a weird way to encourage disciples who were risking their lives in obedience to him. Jesus was telling them – and us – that we need to fear God, not people. God is the ultimate Judge, and he holds eternity in his hands. People don’t have that power, so we need not fear them. Let me paraphrase what Jesus was saying here to help us feel the weight of it. Jesus was telling disciples who would face certain persecution and suffering, “Don’t be afraid of people.  The worst they can do is kill you.” What kind of encouragement is that? We say, “Well, if I go to this place, I could be killed.” Jesus replies, “That’s all?” We don’t need to be afraid to go anywhere in this world, because the worst that could happen is that we might be killed. And this is supposed to comfort us! The only way this can comfort us is if we have already died with Christ. The only way this can encourage us is if we are so focused on an eternal God that temporal human beings strike no fear in us. In the words of Paul, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” Clearly, the only way death can be a reward is if dying really is gain. - David Platt, Radical, pp. 174-75

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