Holy Boldness

Chapter 1 T he R eturn to the F ear of the L ord

Life demands courage. The fear of the Lord is an internal work of grace, a cultivated disposition towards the Lord, that forms the foun dational platform for the kind of holy boldness that will be necessary for each person to fulfill his or her destiny. The fear of the Lord has many expressions and facets and carries out numerous functions. The deeper this characteristic is cultivated the greater and broader a foundation will be established for fulfilling the will of God. This is because the fear of the Lord establishes the priority of God’s interest over all others. A self-cen tered church will never fulfill the divine mandate to make disciples of all nations. The will of God must take on a new significance for the church to begin to make headway in the nations. I want to begin our journey by simply outlining foundational elements of the fear of the Lord. This is not exhaustive but it will give us a basic definition that we will expand upon as we continue our study of Jesus. The life and words of Jesus will confirm everything that we write here. So what exactly is the fear of the Lord? 1. The fear of the Lord is rooted in a profound awareness of the presence of God and a belief in His inherent goodness. • It is a reverence for who God is. • It is a deep heartfelt sense of honor for the person and glory of God. • It is a deep appreciation of who He is and a thankfulness for Him. • It is the opposite of presumption, familiarity, and casualness. • It is to tremble in His presence but also to celebrate His good ness.

9