Acts 9:31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. (NIV)
Some of the richest sections of the Book of Acts are found in Luke’s brief summary statements. The passage above is an example of this, but is often overlooked. Yet, look at some of the powerful words here:
“The church” – Greek ecclesia – assembly – Luke sees this movement of Jesus’ followers among Jews as “the church.” This is significant!(1)
Peace – Shalom – Greek eirene – The gift of well-being from God.(2)
Strengthened/built up – The church as God’s building being strongly built.
“Walking in the fear of the Lord” – more below.
“Encouraged/comforted by the Holy Spirit” – more below.
What is the context of this magnificent little paragraph? The reign of terror from the Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, came to an end. But saying it this way is both too brief, and too trite. The conversion of Saul is so important for Luke, that it is told three times. The Lord, Jesus, didn’t simply stop the persecution, He completely flipped the script! Saul didn’t just “see the light,” it overwhelmed him. The Lord didn’t stop Saul, He radically turned him around. The man who committed his life to stopping the message of Messiah, Jesus, became its greatest proponent and messenger. Both Luke and Paul, himself, know that this was the Lord’s doing.
What should such powerful work of the Lord produce in His people? Luke’s answer is fear of the Lord. Many in the contemporary American church seem not to agree with Luke, or insist on watering fear down to a virtually meaningless word. Theophanies in the Bible often have The Lord or angel say, “fear not” as an assurance because fear in the presence of the Holy is a faithful response. In worship, we come together before the Lord. Hymns, some now practically lost to us, reminded us that in worship we come before the Holy God, before Whom we humbly bow, and a holy Temple where He resides, before which we should keep silence (Habakkuk 2:20). This fear is not craven terror, but is a reverent awe that we should experience. Worship is a time of great joy (the Psalms speak of clapping and even shouting), but it is not a casual church “happy hour.”(3)
Walking/living in the fear of the Lord is joined with the encouragement/comfort of the Holy Spirit. These are not contradictory, since both necessarily go together. The word translated “encouragement” or “comfort” is a profound word. In Greek, it is paraklesis.(4) Barnabas’ role in Saul’s ultimate acceptance by the apostles has just been mentioned, and Barnabas is the son of paraklesis (encouragement). Here it is the Holy Spirit who provides the encouragement. In John 16:17, Jesus calls the Spirit the Paraclete (Advocate or Comforter). We make the Spirit’s encouragement very difficult if we view Him as an It (God’s impersonal power), or as One whose work was finished with the writing of Revelation. Both of these interconnected heresies have been destructive. He has come, and our Paraclete encourages us!
Paul, who received such encouragement here, wrote letters filled with encouragement that we encourage each other. Fellow disciples needed encouragement then, and no less so now. We face shaming discouragement all around us. Open social media or look at the news, and we find ourselves shamed for being human, for our political affiliation, or what others did centuries before we were born. The job of a hospital is not to shame the sick, but to seek healing. When we gather before our Holy Abba Father, may we do for others what the Holy Spirit does for us. He encourages and comforts. So, let us encourage encouraging.
Tim Kelley
(1) The use of “church” seems to separate the assembly of Jesus from the Jewish assembly or synagogue. Jesus builds His church (Matthew 16:18).
(2) Coupled with “grace,” peace becomes the common Christian salutation, and benediction. Both are gifts from God.
(3) More, and more balanced comments need to be made here, since there is much right with contemporary Christian worship. However, I stand by what I do say.
(4) A calling upon, exhortation, incitement, persuasion, Rom. 12:8; 1 Cor. 14:3; hortatory instruction, Acts 13:15; 15:31; entreaty, importunity, earnest supplication, 2 Cor. 8:4; solace, consolation, Lk. 2:25; Rom. 15:4, 5; 2 Cor. 1:3, 4, 5, 6, 7; cheering and supporting influence, Acts 9:31; joy, gladness, rejoicing, 2 Cor. 7:13; cheer, joy, enjoyment, Lk. 6:24 (Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament.)