“And fear came upon every soul...”

Read: Acts 2:43-47 

“And fear came upon every soul…”

What exactly happens when the people of God “devote themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers”? (2:42)  What sort of activity does this lifestyle lead the people of God into? What becomes very clear in this passage is that this sort of life does not remain “contained” for long. Living this way is “contagious”… it quickly impacts those within the family as well as those on the outside looking in… and the end result is something a little odd: “fear”.

The word translated “awe” or “fear” in verse v.43 is the Greek word “phobos” which we also derive the word “phobia” from. In its most literal form, it truly means “fear”. What a surprising outcome for the work of the Lord in the midst of his people, right? Fear? “And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need.” (v.43-45) This “fear” impacted “every soul” that was around the people of God. The genuine movement of God can and will be scary at times… scary to those within as well as those outside. What is “fear” exactly anyways? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Gavin Debecker wrote a book called “The Gift of Fear” that outlines all of the positive elements of fear and the ways that it keeps us safe. There are many examples in the scriptures where a “fear of God” is held in high regard… as something crucial for his people. (Lev. 25:17, Josh 24:14, 1 Sam. 12:14,24 etc.) Fear of God is seen as a noble attribute of Job, a “righteous and upright man” in the eyes of the Lord. (cf. Job 1:9) We are called to “serve the Lord with fear” in Ps. 2:11, and it is noted that “fear of the Lord is the beginning of true knowledge and wisdom” in Prov. 1:7. It would seem that “fear” is a common element in surrounding the Lord and that not all “fear” is created equal! There is fear that motivates, fear that paralyzes, fear that draws people near, and fear that pushes people away… but one thing is for sure - you cannot come face to face with the powerful living God or his work in and through his people without feeling a little bit of FEAR… and that is GOOD.

Maybe we have made God too “safe” these days. Maybe “safety” and the eradication of fear plays too large a role in our lives. What if there are some things we should be a little afraid of? What if we should be taking bigger “risks”? I just came back from an adventure with our students. On this trip, we repel in a canyon over 100+ feet to the bottom of two different rock walls. It is fun, exciting, safe, and a little scary all at the same time… no matter how many times I have done it! That exciting feeling is GOOD! That hint of fear is a welcome thing. It is normal to feel some sense of fear when we take risks. Fear acknowledges that we are not in control all the time and that there is something bigger than us out there… namely the Lord. What if we, as God’s people, started to lean into the scriptures, fellowship, and prayer in such a way that God began to lead us into ministry that was big enough for us to be a little afraid!?! Maybe we have taken too lightly the cosmic truth of the gospel and the spiritual battle that rages around us? 

When God begins to work through his people, it pours out onto the world around us: “many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.” (v.43) The Apostles were leading the way for these new believers. They were the ones who had the most experience in walking with Christ. They had been trained for this moment, and were modeling for the C/church what a life in Christ would and should look like. To determine your spiritual gifts and use them takes practice and development… it take mentoring from those who have gone ahead and have more experience than you. We will see these “wonders and signs” begin to spread out into the lives of ALL of God’s people as we continue to read. This did represent something “new”… something “scary” or “fearful”… something unexpected. It was outside of the norm for those around. This exciting time drew the people of God closer together… closer to one another : “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need. And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved.” (v.44-47) Not only did it draw them closer to one another… it drew outsiders IN. God was adding to their numbers daily. People were being saved. This is what God is still up to today. 

Tomorrow we will look more at some of the mechanics, bit for today I want you to think about this idea of “fear”? Not all fear is good… some is unhealthy and bad. But what if there is a healthy fear to be had for the Lord? What if God was big enough and calling us into uncharted waters in such a way that we had a little pit in our stomach… we had some nerves… we were a little afraid? Would you be ready for the adventure? Have you made God too small… too safe… removed all “risk”… and settled for a “predictable” Christian life? During this snapshot of the early C/church EVERY soul exposed to the work of God experienced some sort of fear. What are you afraid of? Are you willing to let Jesus lead you “off the map” into uncharted territory for you? Maybe Acts is showing us a part of the “map” that has been there all along and just been folded up and out of our sight ? (Thanks to Brian Onken for the imagery of unfolding a map… I will never forget when he demonstrated that to me at Starbucks one day while reading the bible together.) Love you guys. - JDP