Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. (Acts 2:43)

What The World Needs Now

There are many things the world needs, but none as essential as a good, healthy fear of God. The common perception of God is that He is a loving, compassionate God; which He is in every way. Knowing the love of God is imperative to understanding His grace and mercy, but there is so much more about the character of God. In the early days of the church, the Holy Spirit spoke about the fear people had about the nature of godliness and truth. After Peter and the apostles preached to the crowd on Pentecost, three thousand souls were convicted to obey the gospel of Christ. The first days of the church were filled with worship, communion, and praise. Luke also tells us that fear was a part of the early church.

After the people obeyed the gospel, they devoted themselves to the teachings of the apostles and fellowship. The infant church learned about the Lord’s Supper, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the continuing power of prayer. If there were needs to be met, the people joined together to help one another. Luke says the people were also filled with fear. They had a healthy respect and regard for sin. Peter had convicted them they had killed the Messiah, the Son of God. Fear was part of the motivation that pricked their hearts to ask what to do to be saved. They understand the eternal consequences of killing the Son of God.

As the church began to grow in number, benevolent needs arose. Men like Barnabas sold some land he owned and gave the money to the apostles to help needy saints. This spurred others to do the same, including a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. They had a possession they sold to help those in need. When they brought the proceeds to the apostles, they kept back part of the proceeds and lied to Peter about the amount. Because they lied to God, they were both struck dead before the witness of all those gathered. Great fear came upon all those who heard about what happened. The church was filled with fear at the sudden deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. They knew this was a work of God. The city of Jerusalem was also fearful of hearing the news.

It should come as no surprise that God hates sin. The Lord used Ananias and Sapphira as examples of His wrath against sin and, thankfully, does not reward all sinners in a like manner. There would be few people left on the earth. But His wrath against sin remains the same. The world has watered down sin to where there are no sinners, and people make mistakes or misjudgments. A person can indeed be mistaken, but sin is an affront to the character and nature of God, and He hates it. Just because the world accepts sex outside of marriage does not mean that God does. Homosexuality can be common in the mind of the world, but God does not accept it. Lying, cheating, drunkenness, worldliness, covetousness, and a list too long to include is sin.

What the world needs now is a healthy dose of the fear of God. Sadly, many Christians do not have a fear of God. They live and act in such a manner that they do not believe there are consequences to their actions. Immodesty is common. Cursing is a daily occurrence. Pornography is rampant. Failure to worship on the first day of the week. Anger fills the heart. Racial hatred. Ungodliness. Immoral thoughts and behavior. And there is no fear of God. When a man realizes how small he is and how great He (God) is, the first thing that should happen is fear. God spoke a word, and the universe was created. That kind of power demands respect and fear.

Without fear, man becomes his own God. We need to fear the One who destroyed all life on the planet and saved eight souls in the days of Noah. It was the Lord God who destroyed the nations of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece, and Rome. God also punished His own nation, Israel, because they did not fear Him. The Bible is a story about the love of God and the fear of the Lord. Read the Bible to see how much God loves you. Examine the holy scriptures to learn how to fear the great I AM, the Awesome God, the Lord God Almighty. Fear Him.