Violence...What's so scary about it?

Alright, a quick question for you...Is violence scary, and should it be to Christians? Now, I have my own personal beliefs on this, as I'm sure you do, too, but I'd like to take a look at what the Bible has to say on the subject. First, you've got psalm 23, which includes the word, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me, You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies...". And then, there is 1 John 4:16-18: God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
So, my question is, when it comes to the Bible, should we constantly be doing everything in our power to avoid being exposed to violence? Should we avoid things like movies (even Christian ones) that have violence in them, should we avoid watching the news, learning about the suffering of others, going to spread the gospel in places where violence is likely to happen, becoming friends with those who have been through traumatic experiences, or dining with and witnessing to pimps, drug dealers, thieves, or even murderers and child molesters, simply because we are afraid of violence? HEAVENS NO! In all honesty, the fear of violence does not come from God, it comes from the fall. It is a needless sickness that has been elevated as a badge of honor. It boils down to being selfish, to wanting to preserve our temporary flesh above all else. And as Christians, we know that there is more to ourselves than just our temporal bodies, we have a soul, that will forever be with Christ. That is the reason that Paul was able to say that "To live is Christ and to die is gain." We find nothing in the bible to support not going and spreading the good news to everybody. We are called, as Christians to "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20) Do you know what this means? We are supposed to take the good news to EVERYONE!!! Do you know what that means? Everyone includes those that we would rather forget about, like the ex-cons, those who are in prison, the deviants in society, those in suffering, those who have a different world view than us, those who are hostile to Christianity, the drug dealers, the pimps, those with terrible addictions...they are all included under the term of "EVERYBODY". And don't misunderstand me here, we are not all called or equipped by God to reach everybody, but we are all called and equipped to reach somebody. And, just because that "somebody" we feel we are being called to reach might expose us to violence, that is no excuse, because as Christians, we are not to fear violence. It all boils down to: if you truly believe that heaven is a place with no more tears, no more shame, no more guilt, no more pain, where we will live forever with God, and that this life is merely a fleeting moment that passes us by, why would you be afraid of violence? Death has no power over us, so if you truly believe what you say you believe, your actions should line up accordingly. Which means that among other things, you will stop justifying the fear of violence, and instead realize that our God is a loving caring God, who has our entire life mapped out, and that regardless of whether you live or die doing the work he has called you to do, you are going to live with him in heaven. So, to conclude, when it comes to being a Christian...
Violence...What's so scary about it?

I've been noticing recently that the church is supposed to be a place where people can come and let their guards down, where they don't have to put up a front. You know, a place where people can actually admit that they don't have all the answers, a place where people can ask difficult questions, where people can agree to disagree, and above all, where people can share each other's suffering, pain, happiness, or whatever emotions people are feeling. Instead, the church is often the place where people have their guards up the most, and as a result, make others feel the need to put their guards up. Also, I find it odd that most modern day Christians go to church, listen to the preacher speak, go to bible study, listen to the teacher speak, and then go out to lunch, and they have the nerve to call that BIBLICAL FELLOWSHIP! I don't know where they get that from, quite honestly. Biblical fellowship is supposed to be about sharing each other's burdens, about being able to admit to weaknesses, about conversation, interaction, and pouring your lives into each other's; pouring your heart out, and knowing that the other person wants to listen, not just because they want you to think that they care, but because they DO care, and the reason they care is because Christ loved the church, and set the example. When are we going to wake up, people? When are we going to finally realize that the church has been asleep for the last 2000 years, and it needs to wake up? I think the time should be now, because if it's not now, it might never happen. There are broken, hurting people in our church's, and people don't even know about it, because we've turned a deaf ear on the homeless, and the needy, we are afraid to allow the prostitutes, the deviants into our churches, afraid to dine with them, afraid to share in the suffering of others, and it's time we bring a stop to all of this foolishness. Notice that I say "we" instead of "you", because I too struggle in this area. I think, above all else, it is time for the church to rise, and wake from it's sleep. And it starts with you and me.