City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

Acts 9:31

Reflection

Does anything seem odd to you about this verse? 

Luke is saying the church is comforted by the same God it fears. I know people attempt to explain away Scripture about fearing God by saying “fear” really means “awe.” But if “awe” were the best translation of the Greek, don’t you think the translation would have used the word “awe”? 

And if there is any doubt, one need only look to Luke 12:5, where the same Greek word is used when Jesus says, “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell.” That sounds considerably more frightening than awe.

The Scriptures that speak of the importance of fearing God are abundant and consistent. They can be found as early as Genesis 20:11 and as late as Revelation 14:6-7, and everywhere in between.  It is such a consistent theme, one could say that not to fear is not to truly know Him. 

It would be like a person insisting he knew Jerry Seinfeld personally describing him to someone who had never heard of him. He talks about Seinfeld being smart and loving cars but he never mentions that he’s funny. 

The Church that Luke is writing about in Acts 9:31 knew the fear of God. They had seen Ananias and Sapphira struck dead for their sin. They knew Jesus had confronted Saul, one of their chief persecutors, and left him blind for three days. They had taken Jesus’ words seriously—they knew Whom to fear.

And yet they looked to this same God, whom they feared, for comfort. 

When we think of someone we fear, we don’t think about being comforted by them. And when we think of someone who comforts us, we don’t fear them. We are quick to impose on God what we see in man. Our mistake is assuming that because fear and comfort rarely dwell together in man, they cannot dwell together in God.

Yet the God the local church feared had turned one of their most fearsome persecutors into a brother. The God they feared had confirmed His support for them by working miracles and healings through their hands. And the God they feared had encouraged them by increasing their number. They trusted that the God they feared was also the God they could trust.

Application

So, do we fear God, and do we find comfort in Him? 

We are mistaken if we think we must choose between the two. We must embrace both. To choose only one is to choose a god made in man’s image. To choose God, we must tremble before Him and trust Him; stand in awe of Him and run to Him; fear His wrath yet embrace His warmth. 

Both are necessary because a church that fears God without knowing His comfort will produce people who are afraid to approach Him. And a church that knows God’s comfort without fearing Him will see little reason to obey Him.

But a church that does both will reflect both God’s holiness and His love. It will be unlike any other earthly club or community.

It will be the body of Christ.

Prayer

Lord, help me always fear You and run to You. Amen.