"Do not be afraid." That's the challenge giving to the church at Smyrna, and it was also a pretty common greeting that first Christmas. In Luke 1 – It was the angels greeting first to Zechariah in the temple and then to Mary when the angel brought this message of a baby and a virgin birth. "Don’t be afraid." In Joseph’s dream in Matthew 1, Joseph was told, “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” In Luke 2, the shepherds were terrified and the angel said, “Don’t be afraid.” In fact, the most common command in the Bible is not "Don't Lie or Steal, Covet or Kill." It isn't "Love One Another" that might be the most important but not the most common.
The most common command in the Bible is Fear NOT! Lloyd Ogilvie notes that there are 366 fear not verses in the Bible.
This episode and the next, we'll talk a bit about fear and I'll hopefully encourage you with the hopeful words, "Don't be afraid!"
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