John Bevere shared a powerful story of a minister who claimed to love Jesus but had no fear of God.
John Bevere
A Christian minister and author, John Bevere, shared the story of a man who had no fear of God. In 1994, he was asked to visit a man in prison who led a large ministry but tragically committed fraud. The news channel CNN covered his trial every single night. In 1990, he was sentenced. While in prison, he read John Bevere’s first book. He contacted John from prison and asked for a visit.
Eventually, John went to see him. When the man walked into the visiting area, he embraced John and said to him, “We have so much to talk about, and we only have 90 minutes.” So, he sat down, and the first thing he shared was that he believed the prison wasn’t God’s judgment in his life. Instead, it was His mercy.
Furthermore, the man mentioned, “If I continue to live the way I was living, I would have been separated from God forever. I would’ve have been in the lake of fire.” Then, the man shared stories with John. He discussed how Jesus visited him in prison and delivered him from wickedness. He also learned to spend three hours daily in God’s word.
Angelus Temple. (Screenshot). (2024). Awe of God, Retrieved February 28, 2024 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECmlRnPVr5U
No Fear of God
Moreover, after John heard his story, he asked him, “Listen, I watched you weep as you preached the gospel. I watched so many people get saved on your ministry. When did you fall out of love with Jesus?” Then, he looked at him and answered, “John, I didn’t.” That’s when John got confused. He knew that the man had committed adultery and many wicked things, but then he still said that all those years, he was still in love with Jesus. The man said that he loved Jesus all the way through it.
While John’s face was filled with confusion, the man looked at him and explained, “I love Jesus, but I had no fear of God.” He then added, “There’s millions of Americans just like me. They love Jesus, but they have no fear of God.” After that, John realized that God had given His children a force to keep them from legalism and lawlessness. It was called ‘the fear of the Lord.’ According to him, the more people fear God or feel in awe of Him, the more deeply they fall in love with Him.
Watch the full sermon here.
Reference | Angelus Temple
Header Image: Angelus Temple. (Screenshot). (2024). Awe of God, Retrieved February 28, 2024 from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECmlRnPVr5U