We are more concerned about looking stupid (fear of people) than we are about acting sinfully (fear of the Lord).

Fear in the biblical sense... includes being afraid of someone, but it extends to holding someone in awe, being controlled or mastered by people, worshipping other people, putting your trust in people, or needing people.

God is God, He is not tame and domesticated like we sometimes (try to) make Him.

If our failure to consistently worship the true God is the key feature of sin, we are sinners all.

Sanctification is like a clumsy, slow walk rather than a light switch that we turn from off to on.

We spend too much time wondering what others may have thought about our outfit or the comment we made in the small group meeting. We see opportunities to testify about Christ, but we avoid them. We are more concerned about looking stupid (a fear of people) than we are about acting sinfully (fear of the Lord).

As a counselor, I have spoken with many people who want to know their spiritual gifts. They come hoping for some sort of diagnostic test that will precisely locate them. My impression is that this perspective represents a breakdown in the church. It reflects a church where we are running around as self-actualizing individuals rather than uniting as a God-glorifying community.