Daily Devotional | The Early Church Feared the Lord

Saul had inspired much fear in the early church by pursuing and persecuting believers in Christ. When Christ met him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–19), he found the true fear of the Lord and did a complete turnaround. But when he arrived in Jerusalem, theoriginal disciples remained afraid of him (v. 26). They didn’t trust him. Was this anothertrap? How could an outspoken enemylike Saul become a believing friend?

In faith, Barnabas took a risk and became Saul’s advocate with the apostles (v. 27). Barnabasprobably felt a bit afraid, like Ananias when he was told to go and heal Saul (9:13–14). It would have been normal, even sensible, humanly speaking. By obeying God in faith, they put the fear of the Lord ahead of their own human fears.

The church’s former greatest enemy had become one of them (vv. 28–30)! The believers perhaps watched with amazement as Paul evangelized boldly in Jerusalem, debated successfully with the Hellenistic Jews, and aroused their enmity to the point where they even tried to kill him. The believers then sent him to Tarsus for his own safety.

Otherwise, with Saul the persecutor transformed into Paul the apostle, the church enjoyed a time of relative peace and growth. “Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers” (v. 31).

John taught, “There is no fear in love” and “Perfect love drives out fear.” He meant the fear of punishment. That fear is gone for us because Christ took the punishment for our sins (1 John 4:16–18). The apostles, Barnabas, Paul, and all the believers did not fear punishment or persecution. They did, though, fear the Lord and on this basis the church grew and was encouraged.