{"id":2025,"date":"2011-07-27T09:33:31","date_gmt":"2011-07-27T13:33:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.fbclafayette.org\/?p=2025"},"modified":"2011-12-12T09:26:50","modified_gmt":"2011-12-12T14:26:50","slug":"acts-and-the-fear-of-the-lord","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/acts-and-the-fear-of-the-lord\/","title":{"rendered":"Acts and the Fear of the Lord"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

In Acts 5, which we studied this past Sunday<\/a>, we saw great fear coming over the people in two instances (in v. 5 \u201cgreat fear came over all who heard of it\u201d and in v. 11 \u201cgreat fear came over the whole church\u201d).\u00a0 Something is going on here.\u00a0 Phrases are not repeated in the text because the writer could not think of anything else to say.\u00a0 Phrases are repeated because they are important.<\/p>\n

From chapter 2-4 we have been reading about the advancing of the church through miracles and sermons.\u00a0 We have read in both chapter 2 (vv. 42-47) and chapter 4 (vv. 32-36) how the early church cared for itself.\u00a0 All the sudden chapter 5 explains that one family, being wealthy enough to own property, sought personal gain through generosity.\u00a0 They wanted to become known.\u00a0 They wanted a certain reputation, possibly like that of Barnabas (see 4:36).\u00a0 Yet, the reputation that they actually received was quite different.<\/p>\n

Why Did They Fear God?<\/h2>\n

It is in that context that we are told two times that great fear came over the church.\u00a0 Something happened in the hearts of those who heard about it that was significant. \u00a0The challenge we have is unpacking what this \u201cfear\u201d really was.\u00a0 Fearing the Lord is a common concept in the Bible.\u00a0 According to Proverbs 1:7 \u201cThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.\u201d\u00a0 In Acts 2:43 the term fear is used (normally translated \u201cawe\u201d) to describe the reaction of the people on the day of Pentecost. \u00a0Acts 9:31 explains that the church, which has now expanded from Jerusalem to all Judea and Samaria, was living \u201cin the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.\u201d\u00a0 In Acts 19 the sons of Sceva attempted to perform miracles in the name of Jesus and were beaten by a demon possessed man.\u00a0 In response, fear came upon the people and the name of the Lord was exalted.<\/p>\n

At key junctures, Luke (the writer of Acts) gives us a picture of what is happening in the hearts of people.\u00a0 In doing so, he often explains that \u201cfear\u201d is that response.\u00a0 If we unpack this notion of fear I think there are two basic things that we can say about it:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. People feared because they watched an amazing and powerful God do amazing and powerful things.\u00a0 The acts of God were totally different than the acts of other gods.\u00a0 There was nothing awe inspiring done by the other gods.\u00a0 People were drawn toward a God who could heal the sick, mend the lame, and cause different languages to be heard.<\/li>\n
  2. People feared a God who was so powerful that he could enact such swift and severe judgment for rebellion.\u00a0 Ananias and Sapphira\u2019s judgment was immediate and severe.\u00a0 This again was not part of the way the pagan gods related to their worshippers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How Should We Respond?<\/h2>\n

    I think first we should rejoice in a great, mighty, and powerful God<\/strong>.\u00a0 Just as the Lord can take life, he can give it.\u00a0 Until the day of judgment there is always hope that this same God can work in the direst of circumstances.\u00a0 As we wake up in the morning our thoughts should be drawn to the God who can do truly amazing things.\u00a0 He is the God to be worshipped, loved, praised, pleased, and talked about.\u00a0 So let me encourage you today to meditate on phrases like,<\/p>\n

    \u201cHe is mighty to save.\u00a0 He is mighty to save.\u201d and \u201cMy chains are gone, I have been set free.\u201d\u00a0We serve a great and mighty God.<\/p>\n

    A second way to respond is to be all the more motivated to avoid sin<\/strong>.\u00a0 We serve a great and powerful God who can give sight to the blind, make the lame to walk, soften the hardest heart, and save the most rebellious soul.\u00a0 But our God is also the God who can bring swift and severe judgment if we think more about ourselves, our reputation, and our status, than we think about his glory, his holiness, and his reputation.\u00a0 God does not always judge greediness or lying so quickly today, but fearing the Lord reminds us that our God is so mighty and powerful that he can choose at any moment to deliver discipline as he sees fit.\u00a0 Wise is the child of God who listens to warnings so they can learn from Ananias rather than be like him.<\/p>\n

    Before this Sunday please finish reading chapter 5 and write out the top 3 issues you found in the text.\u00a0 Finally, talk to someone you know<\/strong> about what we are doing in church.\u00a0 They just might be willing to come with you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In Acts 5, which we studied this past Sunday, we saw great fear coming over the people in two instances (in v. 5 \u201cgreat fear came over all who heard of it\u201d and in v. 11 \u201cgreat fear came over the whole church\u201d).\u00a0 Something is going on here.\u00a0 Phrases are not repeated in the text… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[94],"tags":[4388,4407,4408,4379,4335],"yoast_head":"\nActs and the Fear of the Lord - Faith Church Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/acts-and-the-fear-of-the-lord\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Acts and the Fear of the Lord - Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Acts 5, which we studied this past Sunday, we saw great fear coming over the people in two instances (in v. 5 \u201cgreat fear came over all who heard of it\u201d and in v. 11 \u201cgreat fear came over the whole church\u201d).\u00a0 Something is going on here.\u00a0 Phrases are not repeated in the text... read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/acts-and-the-fear-of-the-lord\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith Church Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-07-27T13:33:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-12-12T14:26:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/files\/2011\/07\/Acts-and-the-Fear-of-the-Lord-e1311773565408.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rob Green\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rob Green\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/acts-and-the-fear-of-the-lord\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/acts-and-the-fear-of-the-lord\/\",\"name\":\"Acts and the Fear of the Lord - Faith Church Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2011-07-27T13:33:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2011-12-12T14:26:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/044621790bd51280ac2491914cbf2301\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/acts-and-the-fear-of-the-lord\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/acts-and-the-fear-of-the-lord\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/acts-and-the-fear-of-the-lord\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Acts and the Fear of the Lord\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/\",\"name\":\"Faith Church Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/044621790bd51280ac2491914cbf2301\",\"name\":\"Rob Green\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/faith-blog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/20200408120942\/GreenRob.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/faith-blog-assets.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/20200408120942\/GreenRob.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Rob Green\"},\"description\":\"Pastor Rob Green oversees Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries. 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