The Gospel of Peace, A Relationship with God!

The Gospel of Peace

A Relationship with God

The ultimate goal of the Gospel is a loving, meaningful relationship with God.

Because we fail to realize what God desires, we spend much of our time and effort pursuing and entirely different goal than that which God desires.

What does God desire?

-         He wants us as His sons and daughters.

-         He wants us to be a part of His family.

-         He wants our involvement.

-         He wants a relationship with us.

Therefore, He initiated the plan that could bring all us this about. He dealt with the one thing that stood between us and Him: sin!

What did sin do?

-         Sin had separated man from God.

-         Sin had created a bridge that we could not cross.

-         Sin introduced the one thing that would keep us from loving, or being involved with God.

In Genesis 3:8 (ISV) we see some insight into the way sin affected man’s relationship with God.

When they heard the voice of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden during the breeze of the day, the man and his wife concealed themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Just as God had initiated this whole plan of man, initiated every aspect of Creation, initiated a relationship with man to start with, this day He initiated a visit with Adam.

But for the first time, man didn’t respond. He hid from God.

From that day until the present, man has continued to run from the invitation of God. Man has refused to draw near and experience God.

Genesis 3:9 says, “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?”

There is every indication from the original language that when God called, it meant He “called to make peace.” God wanted peace; Adam assumed God called for judgment. That assumption is perpetuated in fearful man to this day.

What illusions about God do Adam and we have in common?

-         We rely on our abilities, not Gods.

-         We don’t think we are acceptable enough in God’s eyes.

-         We think we need to get holy enough.

-         We think God is judging us.

-         We fear God, because we think He’s judging us.

These fears along with others affect our behavior so dramatically that we cannot have a meaningful relationship with God.

Meaningful relationships are the product of love, trust, and personal involvement.

We need time with God in order to develop and experience love and trust. As we spend time with someone who is kind to us, we grow in our trust for him. But we will not spend time with someone if we do not realize that they accept us.

The one element that hinders a real relationship more than anything else is fear.

-         Fear breeds all sorts of negative emotions and actions.

-         Fear is the root of deceit.

-         You can’t be honest with someone you fear.

-         You can never be real with someone you fear.

You will be too busy trying to cover your faults to develop a relationship.

Because we are afraid of God, we don’t really believe how God feels about us. We have not allowed love to deliver us from the power of fear.

There is a possibility that the sin nature is not necessarily a nature that just craves sin.

There is every indication that the essence of the sin nature is fear.

 Fear was the very first emotion Adam displayed after eating from the tree. It made him hide from God. It is fear that makes us turn to sinful actions instead of trusting God.

Fear and unbelief go hand in hand. So what is it that fear and unbelief cause us to do?

-         First of all, fear God.

-         Not trust God.

-         Not to go to God to receive strengthen and help in times of need.

-         We don’t believe He really will give us His promises He has made.

What do we fear?

-         That we are unacceptable to God.

-         That God does not approve of us.

-         That we don’t measure up.

-         God will find fault in us.

-         God will punish us.

-         We do not believe we are righteous.

What does fear prevent?

-         Prevents us from having an open, honest relationship with God.

-         It keeps us from all honest and open communication.

-         It destroys all possibility of knowing God.

-         Makes us emotionally unstable.

-         It brings all matters of torment into our lives.

There is an endless list of the negative effects of fear.

Some people say that we’re supposed to fear God. In the King James Version scriptures tell us to value of having the fear of God. But let’s take closer look at admonition to fear God.

First of all King James made the scholars change words in the bible so that he could try to get away with his very bad behavior and to control people.

First John 4:18 tells us, “Perfect love casts out fear.”

This means that fear and love cannot coexist. If I grow in the love of God, the fear of God will diminish in my life. I know God is love. I know God wants me to experience His love.

The word for fear in the Old Testament is better understood as awe respect, and love that produces worship. We should have an awe of God that produces worship, not fear. God does not want us to fear Him.

Just as today as in Jesus’ time leaders portray God as hard and judgmental. Just like today the church misrepresents Jesus. Jesus was merciful, approachable and open. He was relationship oriented.

Jesus showed us God so that we could have boldness to enter into a meaningful relationship with Him. God desires our presence. He desires our hearts. He wants a relationship with us.