Strengthened and in Fear

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

STRENGTHENED AND IN FEAR

Acts 9:31

31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

NIV

Two points here for us to make note of as a life lesson. First we see that the church enjoyed a time of peace being strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit and growing in numbers. This is a key to growth of any church, well at least growth in spiritual maturity as it grows in numbers. Those words strengthened and encouraged give us the truth about spiritual maturity. The people were built up or constructed by the Holy Spirit. They were encouraged or exhorted by the Holy Spirit. This means it is not men who build the church into a spiritually mature force, but it is constructed by the Holy Spirit. Does the Spirit use men to accomplish all this? Most certainly all throughout the Old Testament God used men to accomplish his plan, and it surely is the case in this New Testament Church, as they have men like Peter, John, Barnabas, Matthew, Luke, Mark, Paul and so many others who had been with Jesus. The Spirit certainly used these men to strengthen and exhort the other believers. Today we still have the Spirit at work in the lives of the church, the people. We still have men who the Spirit uses to strengthen and encourage the people. The key is for the people, for us to know which of these men have been with Jesus, not actually physically, like those Apostles were, but in a spiritual sense. There are some men who are building churches for their own edification, their own benefit, and those we need to stay as far away from as possible, but there are men who have been with Jesus, and are true men of God, called by the Spirit to strengthen and encourage the church. This is where we need to be, in this kind of church. The second truth we see here is they lived, walked in fear of the Lord. This fear can be translated both as afraid, dread, terror as well as reverence, respect for authority. The context does not give us any specific clue as to which type of fear this is, but both could be used here. Although generally we do not see God as a God to be afraid of, as we usually express that God loves us, that we are a friend of God, that he calls us friend, that we are children of God and co-heirs with Jesus. He still is the all-powerful, almighty God who caused the flood to destroy all mankind. He still is the God who crushed the enemies of Israel. He is the God who made the Sun, and all the planets. Have we become too familiar with God? Have we lost sight of the wrath he is capable of? Should we not have a certain amount of healthy fear of him? Yet it is also true that we need to have a reverence, a respect for him and his authority over our lives. As children of earthly fathers we did not make our own choices, our own decisions as to where we lived, what schools we attended, what food we had to eat, what clothes we had to wear along with a host of other authorities our fathers held. Is it any different with our relationship with our heavenly Father? If we are walking in fear, living in reverence and respect of his rank, his dignity, his authority, then we cannot be in control of our own lives, but we must submit to his authority, his leading, his choices as to where we live, what church we attend, what clothes we wear, what jobs we do, what ministry we serve in, along with a host of other authorities he has concerning us. We can walk our own life and incorporate God into our ways, or we can walk in fear of God and he will incorporate our life into his ways.