Truth Over Fear

I remember the first time I heard the phrase, “If you preach, don’t fear. And if you fear, don’t preach.” It was and still is a heavy phrase. Not because it was clever, but because it was painfully honest. It put words to something I have seen, and at times felt, in ministry.

The longer I have been in the pulpit, the more I understand how real the temptation toward fear can be. Fear of people. Fear of culture. Fear of saying the wrong thing and losing approval. Fear of backlash, attendance dropping, or being misunderstood. None of that is theoretical. It is real. And that is exactly why that saying matters so much.

When fear starts shaping the message, something sacred is lost. I have learned that the pulpit was never meant to be a place where truth is filtered through what is safe or comfortable. It was meant to be a place where God’s Word is opened, declared, and trusted. Once fear gets a vote, the message slowly gets trimmed. Certain passages get avoided. Certain truths get softened. Before long, preaching becomes more about managing reactions than proclaiming truth.

Scripture does not give us a picture of safe preaching. The prophets were rejected. The apostles were beaten and imprisoned. Jesus Himself was crucified. Faithful proclamation has always come at a cost. Somewhere along the way, we started believing that obedience should be painless. That belief does not come from Scripture.

Paul’s words to Timothy confront me every time I read them. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7, LSB). That verse reminds me that fear is not a badge of wisdom or maturity. It is not discernment. It is a signal that something is out of alignment. God gives power to speak. Love to shepherd hearts. Discipline to stay faithful when it would be easier to stay quiet.

This does not mean preaching without love or humility. I never want to weaponize truth. But love does not cancel conviction. Truth spoken in love is still truth. If I truly love people, I cannot withhold what God has said simply because it might be uncomfortable. Silence can feel compassionate in the moment, but it is rarely faithful in the long run.

The Church does not need more careful voices. It needs faithful ones. The gospel does not need to be protected from culture. It needs to be proclaimed to it. God’s Word is sufficient. It is authoritative. It is powerful.

That saying still echoes in my heart. If I am going to preach, I cannot let fear have the microphone. And if fear ever begins to shape the message, my first response should not be to adjust the truth, but to get before God until obedience is restored. God’s people deserve truth, not fear dressed up as wisdom.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Pastor Jody