NBC debuted a new game show in 2001 called “Fear Factor.” An instant hit, the show pitted people against one another in stunts designed to test them physically and mentally under the premise that the activities forced them to confront their ‘fears’. The voyeuristic pleasure that spurred the rise of reality television in the early 2000’s played a role in the show’s popularity, which drew on viewers’ recognition of how fear impacts thinking and behavior. Good reasons generally prompt fear’s impact – the potential for harm, even if generalized, non-specific, or irrational, motivates fear.
Fear plays a role in evangelism. In a 2018 survey, the Barna Group noted that fear occupied the number one reason self-identified Christians said they avoided evangelism. Fear’s impact on evangelism motivates this lesson, which explores Moses’ fears about the commission God gave to him in Exodus chapter three.