{Continued from Destruction of the Church by Fear A}

Believers, and thus their churches, need to understand what Paul was forced to understand via his thorn in the flesh. God, His Spirit, works through our weaknesses sharing His glory with us as He works through us. Being weak in the flesh means that one is strong in God's Spirit which burns brightly in those who submit to Christ's maturation process as He strips away in increments our sinful worldviews, replacing them with God's coherent and living truths. His fundamental truth is His love for each believer even during chastening (He 12:5-8; 1Jo 4:18). His Love eradicates our Fear as we rest in His wrestling with the World. We do not fear punishment as we rely ever more tightly on Him knowing that we will give an account of all we do in the body (2Co 5:10). This is a life-long process because the flesh resists the Spirit who is our teacher (1Co 2:14). Thus, we see God's truth as through an enigma (1Co 13:12). Yet, just as the Spirit translates our groanings into prayers, so also will He amplify our weak efforts into a clearer vision of Christ as we mature in His truth (Ro 8:26-27).