Pastors use fear to force repentance

I remember when my first church pastor taught Deuteronomy 28. All the blessings and curses that comes with obeying or disobeying God.

In that scripture, there are 13 blessings for obeying God and about 54 curses for disobeying God.

Mahn it’s scary. My 15 years old brain was thinking why only 13 blessings? It’s almost like more effort is given to cursing you than to bless you.

I gave my life to Christ that day, out of fear. I mean verse 28 said the Lord will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic.

Lol, I didn’t want to be mad, so I decided to repent.

It was fear, I didn’t know Christ. I just didn’t want those curses. Heck, I didn’t even obey God afterward.

What my pastor failed to do was to preach the love of Christ. She didn’t state that these curses have been borne by Christ. He became a curse for me.

That I don’t and shouldn’t have a spirit of fear but of Love. She didn’t preach the gospel that day. Because the Gospel gives a sense of relief not a burden of fear.

She preached the Law. The law that Christ knew I couldn’t uphold hence his sacrifice.

I gave my life to Christ that day but I didn’t know him. I didn’t know what he did and who I am to him.

I didn’t know he already gave up his life for me. And all I needed to do was to accept him. Lol, who was I to think I could be righteous or save myself?

Where there is fear there is no God.

Preach love, that’s the Gospel. Balance your message, as God did.

There is no curse for those who are in Christ Jesus. The Law has no hold against us. It is not our saviour, Christ is.

Stop preaching fear, that is not what Christ taught.

“Hell is real”

“Hell is real”

So is Christ!

So is his sacrifice for us, so is his love, so is his justification and ramifications. So is his grace.

Let your message be christ-centered. Only love, God’s love, can change or foster true repentance.