Stifled By Fear

Fear is the greatest stifling agent in the promotion of the good news of Christ. There is not a Christian who is immune to fear. This is good, since lack of fear would take our eyes off of faith in Christ and place our faith, or lack thereof, in ourselves. Luke records an example of fear turned to faith in Acts 18:9-18a. I believe that it is fascinating (and very comforting) to find that the one in this passage who is being comforted from fear is the apostle Paul. He was the very one who wrote in Romans 8 that we have nothing to fear because nothing can separate us from Christ. Paul had to be reminded of the confidence that he has in Christ over and over just as we do. Fear is real in the most dedicated of people. Why was Paul fearful? Later, as Paul writes to the Corinthian church which he presently is developing in our Acts passage, he says that he came to them in fear and much trembling. Corinth was a fearful place to be sure. Can you imagine being the first one to carry the news of Christ as the only Savior of the world to New York, Las Angeles, or Atlanta with the commission of Christ to speak boldly in His name? The immorality of Corinth was great. The amalgamation of cultures was tremendous. The religiosity was diverse. And Paul was going to argue that he had the one truth greater than all others.

How is fear dispelled? Christ comes to Paul at night and says in verse 10, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city."

Words are great, but what about action? It's one thing to say, "I am with you." But how do we know He is with us? The gospel prospers through conversion, growth, and circumstances.

Conversion - After Paul gets to Corinth he meets up with Aquila and Priscilla, a couple whose trade is making tents. While Paul works with them, he does what he ordinarily does when entering a new city and gos to preach in the synagogue to the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. The Jews in Corinth reject Paul, so he turns to the Gentiles. As soon as he does, the ruler of the synagogue is converted! In this conversion, God confirms Paul's mission almost immediately.

Growth - God blesses Paul in his choice to move away from the "religious" Jews to the "irreligious" Gentiles. Many came to faith. It is a fearful thing to move out of the comfort of your own people with which you have some common ground. The Jews were Paul's people. He was Jewish. Yet Christ had commissioned Paul to preach to others and, by faith, he must strike out into scary territory. As confirmation, God chooses to bless Paul's faithfulness. Many times, the people within our churches do not want to move out to the irreligious. There may come a time when the leaders of the church need to "move out" for the sake of the glory of Christ in spite of what the church wants. This in itself is a bold move of faith and many times brings greater health the the church although the going may initially bring conflict.

Circumstances - The Jews rose up against Paul and took him before the local law enforcement of Rome because they thought he was teaching things against the law. Judaism was an "official" religion of Rome having been legitimized by the government. If another religion was promoted that was not stamped by the approval of the governing authorities it was considered illegitimate and against Roman law. As Paul was getting ready to defend himself before the proconsul, the proconsul beat him to the punch and the Jews complaint was thrown out as nitpicking. What this did was, for the first time, made Christianity a legitimate religion in Rome in the eyes of the governing authorities! God raised up this gracious proconsul for the furtherance of the gospel through Paul! God directs and disposes all circumstances that He might be glorified and the gospel prosper.

What really do believers in Christ have to fear? Or, as Paul writes in Romans 8, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" His kingdom is being ushered in and He chooses to you the likes of fearful men like me to accomplish His great good of kingdom advancement. May the Lord teach me faith as he taught Paul and every saint before him and after him.