The young people said that a person could look from the top of one mountain and see all the way to Czechoslovakia one way and all the way to West Germany the other.

There was only one problem. I have always had a fear of heights. They assured me there was a trail that wouldn't be dangerous. I decided to attempt it.

The trail was nice, and the view was tremendous. About two-thirds of the way up, however, the trail ended. Then we began to really climb. We had to pull ourselves over rocks and make our own paths. I did fine until about 50 feet from the top. I could see for miles. It was fantastic!

But something snapped within me. I grabbed a rock and held on as a child would cling to its father in terror. I was frozen. I couldn't move. I was at the rear of the group, and no one noticed me. When they arrived at the top, they realized I wasn't with them. They looked down and saw what must have been hilarious; a fully mature American preacher clinging to a rock like a baby.

Fred Starkweather came back down to me. "Sam, what in the world are you doing?"

"I c-ca-can't move, Fred!"

"Sam, come on up. The view is tremendous. And besides, the East Germans will think Americans are cowards."

My body was immobilized. "I can't move, Fred."

By this time, the others came down to find out what was happening. They assured me that the remainder of the climb wasn't dangerous and I had nothing to be worried about. All I could say was, "I can't move!"

They decided that if I couldn't go up, we would all have to go down the mountain. But they didn't understand. "I can't move!"

Fred couldn't believe it. "What do you mean, Sam? If we don't go up, we have to go down."

True to form, I responded, "I can't move."

It began to rain. "Sam, if you don't go down the mountain right now, you'll slide the whole way."

It didn't matter. "I can't move!"

Finally, Fred and one of the East Germans pried my fingers from the rock, put their shoulders under my arms, and carried me down like an injured soldier. At the bottom, we laughed and laughed.

Every time I think about that, it brings tears of laughter to my eyes. But I also learned a valuable lesson. I came to understand the tremendous power of fear. Fear had paralyzed me.

Fear has also paralyzed the Body of Christ. One fear that knows no boundaries, has no time limitations, is found in Eastern and Western Europe as well as in the United States. It cripples the church and robs men of the blessing of the Lord.

It's the fear of rejection. All people have a deep fear of being rejected by their friends and family members. In the East, that fear runs even deeper. Christians may be rejected for sharing the gospel, and then, they lose educational and economic opportunities.

The need for acceptance stems back to the beginning of human history. When Adam was in the garden with Eve, his every need was met. There was no fear. God walked and fellowshipped with Adam. There was perfect harmony.

However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, fear filled their hearts. When God visited them, they hid. God is holy, and they had become unholy. Since that day, there has been a deep sense of rejection in the heart of sinful man.

Every person desperately wants acceptance. We try to gain acceptance in three ways. One way is legitimate; the other two are not.

People try to find acceptance through other people. A teen might try drinking or drugs. He thinks that will get his friends to accept him. After he has compromised, the sinking feeling of rejection remains. A girl might compromise her moral principles to gain acceptance. But after her sexual encounters, she is still haunted by rejection.

I've mete husband and wives who loved each other when they married, yet several years later, they almost hate each other. How can this be? The moment one feels rejected by the other, there's a feeling of betrayal. They though they had conquered rejection through the relationship, but rejection follows them through their lives.

Young people feel rejected by heir parents, yet some of their parents are the most loving, kind and gracious people anyone would want to meet. Even wonderful parents can't overcome that deep fear of rejection. No individual or group can give us enough acceptance to conquer it.

Fear of rejection is there because of a broken relationship with a holy God. Many attempt to please God and thus receive His acceptance. Many become more religious. But in the shadow of their religion stands a tall, ugly figure called "Rejection." Many churches are filled with people working hard to escape this figure, but the fear of rejection can never be escaped by religion.

Revival always awakens man to the true basis of acceptance. Acceptance can be found only through faith. Martin Luther understood that "the just shall live by faith," and he shook the world for God's glory. He didn't experience some new faith. He came to know and experience the faith of the spiritual giants of centuries past. His faith was the same as Abraham's, Isaac's and Jacob's. It was the faith of Paul, Peter and John. True faith is simply our acceptance of His acceptance of us based on what Jesus did on the cross.

Old Testament believers found acceptance by looking forward to the Messiah. We find our acceptance by looking back to the cross. One word gushes forth from the cross: grace. Rejection has to flee when that word is spoken. Hallelujah! I have been accepted! By grace I have been accepted! Sin separated man from God. But God entered human history uniquely through Jesus. He was unique. He was so much God that it was as though He wasn't man. And yet, He was so much man that it was as though He wasn't God. He was Son of God and Son of Man. He was the God-man. He crashes through the wall of sin that separates man from God. He has become the door through that wall. He forever stands as the doorway to God's acceptance. And when we have been accepted by the Father, we have really been accepted! That causes us to bow before the Father to love and worship Him in simplicity and devotion. He has met the deepest need of our lives through His Son, Jesus.