

   No Fear Volume One Issue One
   January 01, 1995

   1.  January Information

   2.  Reflecting Christ           - Chuck Pilato
   3.  Recall                      - Christian Haller
   4.  Theophilus Part One         - Alan Koch
   5.  A Call for Christian Action - Rick Savage
   6.  A Hidden Friend             - Kristi Steele

   7.  Closing Comments
   8.  No Fear Member List


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1. INFORMATION - JANUARY 1ST, 1995

   God is doing many good things during this age. I feel that one of
   those things is No Fear. No Fear is a radical magazine that takes the 
   standpoint of an apostolic, pentecostal body. I've looked around this
   world and the one thing I see that we need is truth. We need to know
   what God is doing and what He has done. So many people shirk the duty 
   of the Great Commission but we at No Fear are taking it seriously.
   
   No Fear is composed of six main authors and two freelance authors. No
   Fear is more than a hobby. I feel that No Fear is the answer to the 
   hungry Christian. Meat is contained within. If you can't handle the
   meat that is presented, most likely you will simply leaf through this
   site and then never connect again. But the hungry Christian will
   devour the following words. They will print them out and highlite them
   and share what they've learned with their friends. No Fear is a
   radical committment and is made up of people with a radical
   committment to God. If you prefer to have your ears tickled then the
   words inside of the magazine will create no joy for you. I hope and
   pray that you will seek God before reading this magazine so that He
   will show you His divine truth. I hope that you will delve into these
   writings and let the words of God touch your heart as they have done
   to me.

   I have some big plans for No Fear but I need your help! If you would
   like to write for No Fear then please read our writers guide and email
   me with any questions or comments that you may have. Please share the
   good news about what God is doing with all of your friends.         
   
   We thank you for taking the time to read No Fear, as we have put many
   hours into this months production. We look forward to hearing from
   you. Expect issue 02 to be out on February 2, 1995! God be with you  
   all. 
   
   -BC

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2. REFLECTING CHRIST

   I remember a phone conversation I had a few months back with a dear
   friend from my undergraduate school. This friend had become a
   Christian while we were rooming together with another friend of mine,
   also a believer. I had undertaken the task of discipling him, and it
   was quite a frustrating time, because Chris seemed unable to grasp
   even what seemed to me to be the simplest tenets of our faith; it got
   to a point where tensions grew between us, and eventually we only
   spoke to each other as much as absolutely necessary. The few times
   that I saw him the following year, his senior year and my first year
   of graduate school, he seemed quite bothered to be around me, and I
   really didn't know what to say to him.

   Well, towards the beginning of this, my second year of graduate
   school, Chris called me on the phone. It was an absolutely wonderful
   conversation. He asked me how school was; I told him. (I like my
   program, but I hate everything else.) I asked him if he'd found a job
   yet; he had, but it was a machinist job, and not the engineering job
   he'd been hoping for. It would do for a while, though, seeing how
   scarce jobs were. He then volunteered some information that...well, I
   can't really explain what it did to me. Chris had found a church. It
   was a very loose fellowship, not the absolutely rigid and methodical
   structure of churches he had been to while he was still at college.
   But that wasn't what made it special. These people had something. It
   took Chris a while to understand what it was. They didn't just give
   lip-service to caring about other people. They went out of their way 
   to show it. They did work for those in their community who were in  
   need, giving money, food, shelter, or just themselves for whatever
   needed to be done. They loved each other, and hung out with each other
   all of the time. When they prayed for a friend, they meant it. In
   other words, they lived out the Christian faith before Chris' eyes.

   
   They had Jesus. And they wanted others around them to have Him, too.

   So a funny thing happened to Chris, something which my systematic
   procedures in discipling him had never accomplished. Chris understood
   who Jesus was. He understood who Jesus was because there were people
   around him who were like Jesus. It wasn't that much of a stretch
   anymore to see how God, in Jesus, loved the world so much that He was
   willing to die for it.

   The fact that this conversation took place back in September shows how
   much it affected me at the time. I usually don't remember what      
   somebody said to me last week. But this was at a time when I was on 
   really shaky ground, spiritually, and it did me no end of good to get
   a lesson in following Jesus from a guy who I tried to teach to follow
   Jesus.
   
   Now, let me preface this with the following statement (which really
   ought to preface everything that I write): Christians are hypocrites,
   through and through, and I am among the worst of the hypocrites. I see
   some truth in my life, and I talk to somebody about it or write about
   it. And every time I do this, somebody will have every right to come
   up to me and say, "But why are you telling us to do this? You don't do
   this yourself!" And 99,999 times out of 100,000, they will be       
   absolutely correct. I seem to have an easier time writing about things
   that I personally struggle with than things that are strengths. I
   don't know why that is...something about strength being perfected in 
   weakness, perhaps? (Check out 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.)               
   
   Whenever any church has failings and loses the impact that God intends
   for it to have, the reason - no exceptions - is eventually reduced to
   the fact that the church no longer reflects Christ. The fallen church
   cannot understand what Paul says when he says:

   If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a
   material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from
   you, shouldn't we have it all the more? But we did not use this
   right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder
   the gospel of Christ.

   Again, the dying church cannot understand Paul when he says:         
   
   "Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to
   everyone, to win as many as possible."

   (This and so many other good things are said in 1 Corinthians 9.)
   In short, when the church knows Christ and from what kinds of hell He
   has saved her, then the logical response of the church is to see that
   as many people as possible are saved from that same hell by whatever
   means necessary. The "material harvest" ceases to mean anything. The
   "spiritual harvest" comes to mean everything.
   
   In keeping with my hypocrite mood, I must admit this: I cannot
   understand what Paul is saying here, either. I have not been a slave
   to everyone in hopes of saving as many as possible over the course of
   this week. I have been a slave to myself, filled with lust and       
   laziness and not love for the world. There is a world to be saved, and
   I love my couch and my television and myself too much to care. (Didn't
   Keith Green once say something about Jesus' ability to rise from the
   grave and our inability to get out of bed?) So these words from Paul
   (still talking to the Corinthians! This comes from 2 Corinthians
   4:5-7) are such a relief to me:

   For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ our Lord, and
   ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said 'Let
   light shine out of darkness,' make His light shine in our hearts to
   give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
   Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this
   all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

   In case you're like me and you lack the historical knowledge to be  
   able to see the "jars of clay" bit the way that Paul saw it in his  
   time, my Student Bible (thanks to Zondervan Bible Publishers!) says a
   good modern-day comparison would be putting diamond earrings in a old
   cardboard box. We are the cardboard box - we are the jars of clay -
   and God has put in us the gift of His Spirit - the diamond earrings.
   How blessed we are! I wish I could understand better - and desire    
   better - the precious gift that God in His undeserved mercy puts into
   me, a worthless jar of clay!
                         ____________________

   My ending on this piece, from the time I wrote it last week until just
   now, the day the article goes up on the web-site, was quite weak.
   Something about not being quite sure how to end it, but pray for me to
   see and desire that precious gift and all that, and when I have that
   gift, then I'll be satisfied. That would have been an OK ending, I
   suppose, and I really could use the prayers, but there's something 
   more important that needs to be said.
   
   All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling
   their possessions and goods, they gave to everyone as they had need.
   Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They
   broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere
   hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all of the people. And
   the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. -

   Acts 2:44-47

   This is where the good news lies. I've been really down while writing
   this piece, wondering if there was any hope for me. There is. These  
   people Luke writes about here, just like the people in Christ's church,
   are jars of clay in which God has chosen to place the gift of Jesus. I
   am no better than they, nor am I any worse than they. So there is no
   reason why God cannot use me to show others Jesus the same way God
   uses these people to show the world Jesus...
   
   ...and, I pray, the same way God will use you to show the world Jesus.

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3. RECALL

   As I look around the world I see so many things with problems. I see
   high taxes and low interest rates. I see governmental problems and
   political problems. I see domestic problems and foreign problems. All
   of them have a solution which seem so vague and hard to find, yet
   there is one problem that this age has decided to skip over. It is the
   problem in our churches. In the days of Moses the Israelites were
   God's people. They looked to Him for every need; He supplied. They
   sinned and then cried out for forgiveness and were forgiven. They were
   in oppression and cried for freedom and it was freedom that they
   gained. In today's age I don't know many people that actually look to
   God for help. Has He fallen in His ability to help us, or is it us
   that have fallen in the ability to ask? There is a new idea that has
   hit our "market" of ideas today: atheism. Since the beginning of time
   no one had denied the fact that there was a God until several hundred
   years ago. Even pharoah, with his hard heart, believed that there was
   a God. So my eyes scan the horizon of our age and the problem with the
   church stands out so vividly. It almost blinds my eyes. It seems to me
   that if we could fix the problem of our church, the rest of the
   governmental, domestic, and foreign problems would fall into line.
   What is the problem with the church?

   As I look deeper into the problem of the church I see many problems
   which stand out but all have one main root. The basis of a church are
   those that attend it. The basis of THE church (the world-wide     
   conglomeration of the body of Christ) is then, in fact, the people and
   their actions. Yes, what people DO makes up the church. As I start to
   look around I see a lot of things that people DO but several things   
   that people aren't doing. People go to church every Sunday and   
   Wednesday night and sing songs and praise the Lord and then they go
   home to their troubled beds; they go home to their closets and their  
   hidden treasures. They go home to their dirty deeds and their pain.
   Yes, the church is covered in sin from head to toe. This mighty giant
   that once shook the entire world system has fallen so dead asleep that
   there are those few that even deny the existance of a God! What is  
   wrong?! Where have we gone wrong? I have searched and searched for an
   answer to this question; it is an answer that the entire world needs 
   to hear. It's something that people should perk their ears to and take
   to heart. They should not simply nod their heads and agree, but look  
   in their own hearts and see if they too are guilty of this problem!   

   The problem starts with commitment. No one is committed any longer.
   Sure, there are a few here and there, and I applaud you all, yet there
   are so many who claim to be God's children and who are so tolerant of
   this age. They tolerate sin yet are we not supposed to HATE sin? I've
   seen youth groups where masses of the young people would head to the 
   closest party joint as soon as service let out. What happened to us?
   Where did this sickness come from?! One offspring of the problem with 
   lack of commitment is that of mediocrity. We have an "army" of people
   who call themselves Christians yet they are so mediocre in everything
   they do. They are neither hot nor cold; that, I fear, is the worst
   place of all to be when you are in God's sight. Somehow this world has
   fallen prey into the frame of mind where people believe that being a
   Christian is like being in politics; they have to make everyone happy.

   If I may add an extremely radical point, Jesus was murdered in three 
   years after His ministry began. And He was very popular. I wonder how 
   many of us have even stepped on some toes? Christians tip toe around,
   hoping to make everyone happy when all they are doing is angering the
   God of the universe. And I ask you: what is worse; to anger man whose
   opinions will fall away, or to anger the Almighty God whom you serve? 
   
   We are still God's people. We have always been His people and always
   will be His people. It's time that we started noticing this.
   Christians today have somehow forgotten the stories in Exodus and feel
   that they are different from the Israelites because their group is    
   much larger. Perhaps this is true but as a whole we are a group. We  
   are the church. We have a duty here in this world to the people of   
   this world... a duty that will never be accomplished with mediocre, 
   apathetic souls. You may be sitting in your chair shouting, "Go Chris!
   Preach, brother!" But may I remind you: I'm talking to YOU! If you can
   honestly look at your heart through God's eyes and say that you are  
   perfect then applaud away. I myself am not living up to what I would 
   love to live up to. I want to step on some toes and I want more   
   commitment. So I ask you: where have we gone wrong in our walk with   
   the Lord? I look deeper into the problem (with this analytical mind of
   mine) and I take you to a place far, far away. 
   
   I take you to the place of your salvation where you knelt at the altar
   and gave your heart to God. You said, "God! I can't do it on my own! I
   accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ! I plead your forgiveness! Come,
   Lord, live in my heart too, please." Do you remember that time? I    
   remember it as if it was yesterday. Most Christians, I feel (because I
   was one of them), have forgotten this day. They still mutter prayers
   and think about God now and then but for the most part they are simply
   the same as they were before they were saved. God changes from the
   core. He doesn't wait too long either. If you were saved and one or   
   two months later you felt the same way, something is most likely  
   wrong. I was one of these Christians. I grew up in a Christian home
   and then one day about a year ago I realized that I was no more saved
   than a tin can. I had prayed my neat little prayers that I'd heard my
   parents pray. I went to church yet I also had lived my own entire life
   separate from God. I didn't rely on Him. I claimed that I could do it 
   on my own. This isn't salvation; this is a pathetic excuse of a    
   Christian who is lukewarm. Some would claim that I was saved but in my
   black and white mind I was on the path to hell. I saw sin all around
   me and it didn't even phase me because I fit in. I never wanted to 
   stick out too much; I never wanted to see people angry at me. Somehow 
   I had forgotten that God, the most important of all, wasn't happy with
   me. He was going to spit me out of His mouth! In light of this
   situation I feel that I should tell you all what was told to me. I am 
   going to tell you about salvation. You may say, "Chris, I've heard    
   this all before!" I say: read it again. If you have that attitude then
   I pity you. Our salvation is so glorius! We were on the path to hell
   and Jesus stepped out and stopped it! Read on.
   
                          A Worthy Sacrifice

   Jesus was born in a small, dirty barn because the world had no room
   for Him. He lived a life that no one knows much about except we know 
   that from birth there were plots to assasinate Him. He grew up as the
   son of a carpenter. He was a strapping young lad, larger than most of 
   the other Jewish children. Before He began His ministry (which begins
   in John 2), He had already amassed a small group of followers. This
   man emminated "Messiah". He began to perform miracles and to make a   
   long story short, within three years had gained twelve ultimately   
   chosen follower. He had performed so many miracles that if the world
   was full of books there would still be not enough room for them all  
   (John 21:25)! He helped everyone and despite His popularity He was    
   still a compassionate man. He had every right to be a snob and turn up
   His nose at the poor and lame individuals but Jesus never did that. He
   came as King yet He was the biggest servant of us all.            

   It came down to the fact that the Jews would not accept Jesus as their
   Messiah (God's gift to mankind) and they set out to have him killed.
   After attempt and attempt again they could not capture this elusive
   man due to the fact that if they took him, the people around him would
   murder those capturing Jesus or perhaps start a riot. But God's plan
   was that Jesus die. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus as he kissed Him on
   the cheek. The guards rushed to surround Jesus. Jesus never said a
   word for He was a gentle lamb. He knew! He didn't resist what HAD to
   happen!
   
   May I interject at this point and show you the common view amongst   
   Christians today? They tell you about how Jesus died and they'll sing
   "Jesus Loves Me" all day long but for the most part they don't know
   what it means. They can tell you about the crucifiction again and  
   again but they don't even know about it themselves. Perhaps they know
   facts, but not ramifications. They'll tell you that "Jesus opened His
   arms THIS wide and then He died!" but the words don't phase their  
   soul. Those words should bring tears to the eyes of every sayer. If
   you were standing in front of an oncoming car, sure to meet your death
   and an old man undeserving of his fate pushed you out of the way to   
   save your life and committed his own to death you would never forget.
   You would be thankful daily. You would weep at night thinking, "What
   kindness! How could he have done this for me!?" And this is what Jesus
   did for us! Why have we forgotten? Why do we Christians not weep over
   the fact that we have been saved from a sure death when we are so
   undeserving of life?! Please allow me to attempt to paint an accurate 
   view of what Jesus did for us. Please ask God to show you the severity
   of this sacrifice if you even care to learn.
   
   Jesus was a popular man and the courtyard filled below was filled with
   those jealous of His high position. Twelve trials were held and Jesus
   was acquited on every count. No judge could find Him guilty of
   anything. He was finally sent to Pilate for a trial. They questioned
   Him and finally got Him to say several words which were, "I am the Son
   of God." The crowds cried, "BLASPHEMY!" They never bothered to think
   twas the truth. Jesus was sentenced to death by Pilate even
   though Pilate rung his hands of Jesus' blood. Pilate believed that   
   Jesus was innocent man yet he sentenced Jesus to death to please the 
   people. Barabus, a common thief and murderer, was released to the
   people. This was a common tradition amongst the Romans. What was   
   happening? Jesus was taking Barrabus' place. Jesus was going to die   
   for Barrabus and all of us at once.
   
   I may point out that what I'm about to say is not for the faint of  
   heart. It's not for the people who don't want to hear the truth. It's 
   not for the people that want to think Jesus was put to death via     
   injection. Jesus was brutally murdered yet we treat it as so light.
   "Oh, He never felt any pain" they say. I believe differently. If you 
   don't want to hear that truth about what happened to my Lord please   
   don't read any further.

   He taken to a certain place in the Roman kingdom and in a small
   room they stripped Him of His clothes. Our King stood there naked.   
   They strapped Him to the ceiling and floor as they slammed their fists
   into His face again and again. They took a cat of nine tails (leather
   with chunks of ceramic and stones) and ran it through sheeps blood and
   then through crushed ceramic. The weapon slammed into His olive skin
   39 times. 40 lashes would kill a man yet Jesus still breathed. He 
   never said a word. He only poured love out onto those beating Him. As
   soon as the lamb's blood hit his blood, a violent reaction took place
   and gangrene started immediately which was evidenced by the most 
   horrid burning sensation that could ever be felt. The crushed glass
   rested in His skin so that with every breath they dug in deeper. Blood
   poured from His back and front, dripping onto the floor. They did this
   to my Jesus! Then they took a velvet robe and placed it onto His back
   allowing the blood to dry and stick to the robe. The fashioned a crown
   of thorns and forced it into His skull.
   
   Most pictures show Jesus with the crown of thorns and perhaps a small
   amount of blood issuing forth. Yet as far as I can recollect, they  
   forced the thorns deep through the skin and all the way to the skull.
   From what I gather, Jesus' face was covered in blood. Yet you'll see
   no pictures that show this.
   
   The forced a cross onto His back and made Him walk to Calvary hill
   where all common thieves and miscreants were crucified. It was a hill 
   where all passer-bys could see what happened to those who did not    
   follow the law. As He walked, the splinters dug deep into His back    
   rough the robe. He was so weak and so disfigured that the cross   
   finally pushed Him to the ground. Another man was chosen to carry the
   cross and the crowd finally reached Calvary. Soldiers ripped off the 
   robe which reopened all of Jesus' wounds again. There He stood, naked
   cold in the afternoon air. They threw His body down onto the cross
   which was lying on the ground. They drove the spikes through His hands
   and feet and blood issued forth. The cross was raised and dropped into
   the ground. Instantly Jesus' shoulders were both dislocated which made
   breathing extremely difficult. This is a basic trait of crucifiction 
   death.

   You may see pictures of Jesus' on the cross with a little towel on and
   Him looking up to heaven and whatnot. From the way I see it, Jesus was
   so disfigured at this point that He hardly resembled a human. Yet no
   one will acknowledge that it was a disgusting sight.                 
   
   They spit on Jesus and called Him names. They even played a game to
   see who would win His clothes! (Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 26-62-63) (Psalm
   22:18, Mark 15:24) Jesus hung there with two common thieves. The King
   of the universe hung there on this cross, beaten worse than either of
   the two thieves. His name was Jesus. He was favored. He performed
   miracles. He saved this world! Why did He hang on this cross?! He 
   pushed up to gain every breath and they came with such difficulty. He
   hung on the cross for nine hours, bleeding and attempting to breathe,
   and then His life passed from Him. As He died, He muttered the words,
   "It is finished."

   Oh, Christians, do your eyes issue forth tears?! Do you weep over what
   you read?! Do you weep because this INNOCENT man took what YOU        
   DESERVED?! You were condemned to hell and this Jesus took your place! 
   He died for you! That cross was for YOU! You were to endure all of  
   that! Why have we forgotten? Why do the words, "Jesus died for me!"
   not phase us when they should make us crater in emotion? Hell is real!
   We were headed there until Jesus stepped in to take our place? Is this
   not the God that we owe our commitment to? As Jesus died He had the   
   sins of the entire world, past, present, and future, on His shoulders.

   Every little bit of guilt that you've ever felt, He felt ten times
   worse. Multiply that times several trillion people and the fact
   becomes clear that truely this was the Son of God. He could have said,
   "No, NOT CHRIS' sins! He's a bad guy! I've got everyone else's sin; I
   don't need his too!" But Jesus didn't say that. Jesus said, "Yes,    
   Father, I'll take Chris' too." We were sentenced to death, a price   
   that we could not pay and come back succesfully from. Jesus came to
   earth and said, "Don't worry! I'll take those sins of yours if only
   you'll put them on me! I'll take them to the grave and they'll be gone
   from my sight forever!" We need only repent and our sins are forgiven.
   Why has this age forgotten?! Why do we no longer weep for what our   
   Jesus did for us so graciously?! We act as if we are doing God a
   favour by being Christians yet it is God who is doing US the favor!
   open your eyes, oh adulterous nation, and see that the price has been 
   paid!
   
   Is there anything more important than eternity? Don't we owe God the
   prayer to straighten up our lives? He does it! Once you realize that
   hell is real and your sentencing is real and that the sacrifice is    
   real don't you find it worth sharing? Jesus saved you! Your owe Him   
   your life! So many people give it halfway and unhappiness abounds. 
   Jesus paid for our lives with His own blood; do we not owe Him ours?  
   Can't we not be ashamed of Him; He was never ashamed of us even in His
   nakedness and everything else. Why do we run and try not to learn
   about this man? This man, whom we owe our lives to, receives nothing  
   these days but a bunch of false prayers and made up excitement. It's 
   time. It's time to turn around and go. It's time to go against the
   tide once and for all! It's time to say, "Jesus! You died for me so
   I'll live for you!"

   Jesus is WORTH being committed to! Why is there such a lack of        
   committment?! Oh, if only people could remember what the price was and
   how it was paid they would never forget! If it's real to you you'll
   weep and travail and be so thankful. If it's not real to you most
   likely you will just blow off this whole thing. Think about it. Come
   to a SAVING knowledge of Jesus. Acknowledge that He paid the price!  
   Quit relying on your parent's experiences and get your own! Get on
   your knees and talk to the Lord for He is worthy! This age shirks Him
   almost altogether but He had our sins on His back when He died! How 
   could we forget?! How could we have turned away?!

   You may hear the Lord's voice in your lifetime. He may ask you to  
   witness to someone. The people of this age would say, "Oh, Lord, what
   would he think of me? I don't want to do that!" The Lord may ask you
   to quit watching some TV so that He can spend time with you. This kind
   of communication may just come in the form of a thought like, "Hey, I
   oughtta read the Bible instead of watching this trash." But the people
   of this age would say, "Oh, Lord, this is 90210! I can't miss this  
   episode! Next week! I promise!" Or the Lord may ask you to quit   
   listening to some music that exalts itself above the saving knowledge
   of Jesus Christ. The people of this age would say, "Lord! How dare YOU
   ask ME to stop listening to THIS music! It's just fine! I heard so on
   rec.music.christian that these guys are Christians so shut up!" Yes it
   IS that bad. People turn a deaf ear to the Lord daily. Aren't we      
   supposed to die to ourselved daily?! Something is wrong! What is   
   happening here? What can be said?
   
   Turn from your ways! Repent from your evil deeds! God will forgive you
   if only you'll ask! He's worthy! Oh, please take to heart these words
   and let them eat at your soul. I'm not advocating that you fall into 
   the law and try to make Jesus' happy on your own strength. Acknowledge
   Him as the King and ask Him to change you with a sincere heart. Give
   Him your heart once and for all! He hates the lukewarm! Don't be that
   way! Either give it all to God or take it all back! He's real! He's
   with you at all times! Oh, how sick it must make Him to see His      
   children disobeying Him daily instead of pleading for His help daily.

   My God wins over sin; let Him change your heart. My God will bring    
   that light back into your eyes; let Him fill you with His Spirit. My 
   God didn't worry about you in front of thousands; why should you worry
   about Him in front of your co-workers and friends? Nothing else   
   matters except Jesus Christ and the knowledge of Him. Share it. Oh,
   please share the good news. Let it fill your heart, church. Yes, I'm 
   talking to you who think you've got it all down. You think that you've
   got everything worked out and God is happy but if you're living two  
   lives it just doesn't work! There's victory in this battle! Just ask  
   God, from deep within your heart, to change you and He will! He'll
   prove to you everything that you've believed so blindly and without
   strength to back it up.          

   But this is serious business! I'll use the Apostles as an example. The
   Apostles were a lot of cowardly people that were so self centered    
   before Jesus died. One book later (Acts) they were leaders of the   
   world, challenging the system and turning it around. Let God make that
   change in you. You, too, can be just like the Apostles. The book of 
   Acts is full of men who took the Great Commission seriously, and look
   what happened! Perhaps they were persecuted but that's ok! Your    
   heavenly crown is so much more important than your worldly crown! Step
   on some toes! It's time to tell some people about Jesus. It's time to
   turn to the God who paid for your sins. It's time to give up your 
   life, for it's not your own anyhow. Quit hanging on to what the WORLD
   says is comfortable and hold on to God, the Rock of Ages!             

   The people of this age are living a lie of selfish, manufactured   
   security. Jesus still saves, heals, and delivers. Will you turn to Him
   or will you keep going your own way? Let Jesus' grace fill you again. 
   Turn to the Bible and read it all over again or for the first time and
   let the words of wisdom fill you up. Ask God for His help! Oh, please,
   look in your heart and see that these words are for everyone including
   myself! Oh, read through the story of Jesus' death until it's real to
   you (because it IS real)! Oh, please, church, make a choice! Be either
   hot or cold but you persecute my Lord even more with your
   indesiciveness.

   - BC

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4. THEOPHILUS PART ONE

   My Dear Theophilus[1],


   Some men came [to where Jesus was] bringing to him a paralytic,
   carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus
   because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus
   and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was
   lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son,
   your sins are forgiven." -- Mark 2:3-5


   Now, if I had been that paralytic, my thoughts at that point would
   have been, "... and?" Let's face it, this man came to Jesus to be
   healed of a physical ailment. Jesus' proclamation about his spiritual
   state begged the question.

   What if this story had ended at this point? What if Jesus had chosen
   to leave this man as a forgiven paralytic? He might have been tempted
   to despair that the one thing he desired more than anything else in
   the world had been denied him. But what had he just received?
   Forgiveness! Relationship with God! Spiritual life, itself!

   One of our failings as we spend our time in this world, is that we
   think too highly of our physical life, and too lightly of our
   spiritual life. Although Jesus finally did heal this man's legs, what
   did that healing amount to? Did it give him life? No, not even
   physical life. It simply changed the quality of that physical life --
   for a while; maybe a few decades. Then he died, and his body, which
   Jesus had healed, rotted in the grave.
   
   No, the really significant gift that the paralytic received that day 
   was the spiritual one. For in forgiveness, he received spiritual life;
   a life which has continued to this very day, and will continue into
   eternity! 

   And this has everything to do with you, dear Theophilus, and with me.
   Let us remember, as we bring our desires and petitions day by day
   before the one true God, that the important thing is NOT that He
   chooses to grant some and withhold others, but that we are in such a
   privileged position! Who can fathom that he has adopted us as His own
   children, and made Himself our beloved Father? That He has invited us
   to present our petitions to Him? That even now, He is preparing a
   place for us, and will one day bring us Home to live with Him forever?

   When taken in the context of the grand scheme of things, our most
   pressing desires seem petty, our most urgent needs are trivial, and  
   our pain from which we cry for relief is but a passing wind. All of
   the things that engage us and consume us in this world are passing   
   away! But He has decreed that we should live with Him forever! May we
   focus on that which is eternal!       

   For His glory, Theophilus[1]

   
   [1] The name "Theophilus", to which Luke addressed both his Gospel and
   the book of Acts is derived from the Greek words, "Theos" meaning
   God, and "Philos" meaning friend. Therefore, I join Luke in
   addressing what I write to all who are friends of God.


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5. A CALL FOR CHRISTIAN ACTION


   "...Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done, ON EARTH as it is in
   Heaven..." Matthew 6:10.

   Do Christians understand what they are praying for when they pray the
   Lord's Prayer? It seems those who came to America on the Mayflower had
   a good idea of what it meant. Before coming to shore they made a
   proclamation that began with these words... "Having undertaken for the
   Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour
   of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first colony in the
   Northern Parts of Virginia; do, by these Presents, solemnly and
   mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and
   combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better
   Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And
   by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equall
   Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Offices, from time to time,
   as shall be thought most meete and convenient for the Generall Good of
   the Colonie; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience."
   These Christians understood that part of the advancement of the
   Christian faith included covenanting together with God and one another
   into a Christian community, or "civil body politic."

   These people were community minded and came with the purpose of the
   "advancement of the Christian Faith...." Have Christians today
   abondoned this goal? It would seem this way when there does not appear
   to be any interest in what it means to "mutually in the Presence of
   God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a  
   civil Body Politic, for our better Ordering and Preservation." Have   
   Christians become so 'heavenly minded' as to be of no worldly good? I
   don't believe so. We have just forgotten that liberty requires eternal
   vigilance. I am writing this in the hope of re-awakening Christians in
   part to their civil duties to God and one another in the spirit of
   "loving thy neighbor as thyself."

   It saddens me at the long hours that Christians spend bickering (to no
   avail), and accomplishing nothing but throwing words around. What is a
   "Christian?" What does it mean to be Christ-like? Many know the 'pat' 
   answers for those questions, but fewer walk in its reality. Too many  
   simply have a religion - regardless of how accurate it may be.        
   
   As true as this type of criticism may be, is it productive? How do we
   encourage action out of people in a way that encourages participation 
   rather than runs them down personally? How would you encourage people
   to care enough about something to work toward its creation or
   preservation? I ask these questions out of a desire to inspire som
   thought toward answering them in light of seeing God's "will be done"
   and His "Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven."
   
   We need to move beyond the criticism stage and move on into offering
   successful solutions people can duplicate. Anyone can be a critic but
   it takes a successful example that people can model to multiply      
   productive activity. I speak from the perspective of feeling like I   
   and other Christians are spinning our wheels and not gaining any      
   ground in the battle for the Christian principals that made America
   great.

   Christ has provided many successful examples for emulation but have we
   translated these examples into modern circumstances? Some call for    
   Restoration and Reconstruction, but what needs to be restored and    
   Reconstructed? I'm seeking such successful models, and hope to inspire
   others toward the same end.

   There is a document on the Internet entitled "How to Defeat the      
   Radical Right in Your Community" put out by the National Jewish      
   Democratic Council. It is a complete battle manual that gives        
   successful models for people to emulate in their attempt to organize
   and defeat "Rightist" (Christian) initiatives in their communities.
   Where is the Christian's comprehensive battle plan for educating our 
   average community-minded John and Jane Doe Christian who want to
   oppose the leftist anti-Christian intitives in their community? Those
   who want to simply say, "We have such a plan, the Bible," are merely
   offering the source for solutions but not the solutions themselves.  

   For such an answer, the next questions should be, "What sort of
   successful models does the Bible offer for right-minded Christians to
   emulate that will bring their communities a little closer to the
   Kingdom of God? Who has put together a Biblically modeled community
   action plan to defeat and replace the leftest anti-Christian
   initives?"
   
   Community action is something Christians should start thinking more
   about once again. Christianity, with its strong foundation in the
   family, is supposed to be a community oriented faith. Our lack of     
   knowledge of this aspect of Christianity surely shows in our lack of
   practical guides for building Christian Communities in our own
   back-yard. IMHO, this is an area Christians need to start focusing on
   more. If we can't clean up our own home and back-yard communities what
   makes us think we can clean up our nation's government?      
   
   Maybe Christians would not have lost sight of what those on the
   Mayflower had in mind when they came to America if we would understand
   the full and true meaning of the word "church." The word "church" is
   actually the Greek word "kuriakos" (or kuriakon) which means         
   "pertaining to the lord." This word may correctly fit Christians idea
   "church" today, but it doesn't even resemble the Greek word
   "ecclesia" whose place it has usurped. When people use the word
   "church" they probably think of a meeting place or a building.       
   Ecclesia means much more than this. It is an assembly of the    
   "called-out ones" (Christians), with Christian government, i.e. a  
   community. The body of Christ was meant to be more than just a
   "church." Ecclesia includes the concept of community and a Christian
   civil body politic. Those who came to America came for the
   "Advancement of the Christian Faith" in the full spirit of the concept
   of "ecclesia."
   
   Maybe Ephesians 6:12 would give us a better insight into the full
   meaning of what the early Christians were fighting for. It wasn't
   simply for a new religion or an establishment of a "church," but     
   rather an ecclesia (a Christian civil body politic):

   "For we fight, not against flesh and blood, but against the
   governments, against the authorities, against the world rulers of
   this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph.
   6;12)

   The early Christians were Kingdom builders! They prayed the Lord's
   prayer in more than just words but also in deeds and action! They were
   dethroning rulers in the minds of the people and preaching Christ as
   King of kings and Lord of lords. They were teaching the principles of
   Christian government. They were preaching the Kingdom of God "on
   EARTH, as it is in Heaven."

   Jesus defines, in His Word, what it means to follow God. It saddens me
   at how many of the preachers, teachers and believers of Jesus the
   Christ are similar to the Judeans/Pharisees of the first century. If  
   we look around we can see this tendency is found in all religionists
   of all persuasions. What differentiated the Christians from the
   Pharisees? Maybe the more we think about that question, the closer we
   will come to understanding the Way that leads to Life.           
   
   We all have different gifts and talents. We need to acknowledge that
   there are different jobs that need doing and refrain from criticizing
   those active in other areas from those we excel in. David Barton in
   his talk, "8 Principles for Reformation," talked about the Ezras and
   Nehemiahs. The Ezras being the prayer/praise warriors and social needs
   ministers. The Nehemiahs being the wall builders who tend after civil
   affairs of the community and state. If we get the two working together
   as a team we will have a more productive effort which will accomplish
   more than bickering over whose job is the more important. Both are    
   needed for rebuilding the walls of our crumbling Christian Republic.
   is the Word, and His Word is the Truth. We need to consult it
   more often and make it part of our private and public lives. We hear
   much talk about living the Word, but who has really held us
   accountable to this standard, or given us scriptural models to emulat
   toward building Christian communities? 
   
   I hear many Christians complaining and grumbling about the way our
   government is becoming increasingly hostile to Christianity. What sort
   of response is needed from Christians to turn the tide? Where are th
   Christians with their Bible-oriented solutions and alternatives for
   implementing change in our homes and communities?

   Part of the problem is that the few Christians who are becoming      
   involved in their communities, are issue orientated. While being   
   pro-Life and pro-family are desirable goals you can't build a       
   Christian community campaign on single issues. We need a whole new    
   world and life view to re-build the crumbling fabric of our          
   communities in the true healing spirit of Christianity. This means    
   education and a bringing together of a comprehensive community vision
   that can turn the world right-side up again!
   
   Another problem to be overcome is religious factions within
   Christianity. Too many are captive to the traditions of man-made
   religious groups and institutions. They fear to stray lest they be  
   outcasts of their "fellowship." But their fear is misplaced. They do
   not fear God before man and thus compromise His Truth. We must also b
   careful that we don't use our "righteousness" as a defense and an
   excuse to be self-ordained outcasts from other Christian groups. A
   loss of fellowship does hurt, but love is patient and longsuffering
   and we should never burn bridges between our brothers and sisters in  
   Christ.

   This short article was not designed to provide all the answers, but
   rather to help inspire our thinking toward the solutions which we need
   to turn our lives, families, communities and nation back to God. This
   will only be done through Christ, revealed in His living Word for
   those who would follow the Way that leads to life. My hope and prayer
   is that these questions will generate many thoughtful responses that
   follow-up articles can reflect in this important work toward
   fullfilling the Lord's prayer in our lives, communities and nation.
   
   The spirit of this publication is "No Fear." I ask, if your life has
   already been bought by the precious shed blood of the Lamb of God,
   what do you truly have to fear? "The whole duty of man is to fear God
   and keep His commandments." Eccl. 12:13,14

   Understand the nature of your God, in what spirit we should live our
   lives, and what He has truly accomplished for those who have sincerely
   turned their lives over to Him:
   
   "Having received a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us be joyful,
   by which we serve God acceptably with reverence and awe; for our God
   is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28,29

   - RS

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6. A HIDDEN FRIEND

   There were two men from Galille who walked along and discussed a
   certain man. Jesus walked behind and listened. Jesus was a stranger
   then, but as the journey continued, He became a friend to these men.
   As a Christian or non-Christian, Jesus can be a stranger to us. On
   that road to Emmaus, the stranger wanted to walk with these men and He
   still wants to walk with us. And somewhere along that road, when your
   heart yearns for Christ and the flame of Truth, you will find that He
   is not a stranger any longer. He becomes a friend, a guiding light,
   and hope for the next day or hour to pass. As you continue to grow,
   the Lord shows you that pain is something you learn to look for, and
   learn to yearn for as well. Steve Green put it best when he said, "I
   choose the Refiner's Fire." Growth with God becomes something that
   comes along with maturity and also with the realization that God knows
   what is best in your life and that there is always a purpose, even
   though it may hurt sometimes.

   There are many times that we may never know the reason God allowed
   something to occur or happen. Leaning on Him makes Him less of a
   stranger and more the Lord of out life. It's such a simple conecpt,
   but so hard to attain and maintain. God gives us loves and forgiveness
   so freely, yet WE do not give anything so freely. As you walk down
   this road with this Man, there will be times when you may want to go
   the other way. But then He begins to become a stranger to you again.
   Don't lose touch with the Man who can make the most of your life. My
   question to you is: on this road, right now, He may be a stranger to
   you, but what will He be when your journey is through?            
   
   -KS
          
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7. FINAL COMMENTS - JANUARY 1ST, 1995

   On behalf of all the members of the No Fear staff I would like to say
   thank you for checking out this site. We hope and pray that the
   articles presented here have ministered to you just as much as they
   have ministered to us. If you are interested in more information about
   No Fear please email any one of us or if you would like to be a part
   of the team then please read the writers guide from the main menu.

   If the articles presented here have ministered to you we would love to
   hear about it! Please share this site with your friends and family and
   spread the good word around about what God is doing on the internet.

   No Fear will be issuing hard copies of the magazine beginning February
   1st, 1995. If you know anyone without a computer or without internet
   access that would be interested in this form of communication, please
   let us know.

   Once again we thank you all for reading. May God richly bless you.

   -BC


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8. Author List for January 01, 1995


   Alan Koch               - Editor / Author
                           - ask@sei.cmu.edu

   Christian Haller        - Publisher / Author
                           - pdh@tenet.edu

   Chuck Pearson           - Author
                           - dopearso@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu

   Cory Berry              - WWW Coordinator
                           - ab132@rgfn.epcc.edu

   Kristie Steele          - Missionary Outlook / Author
                           - ad204@rgfn.epcc.edu

   Rick Savage             - Freelance Author
                           - rsavage@netcom.com

   - Future Contributors -

   Allen L Elson            - alelson@mailbox.syr.edu
