Fear God and Be Encouraged by the Spirit

 Scripture:

“The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.” ‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭9‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Observation:

This verse expresses some things about the growth of the early church. First, it states that the church became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. Second, it grew larger with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit. Fearing God makes you stronger and encouragement from the Spirit causes growth. We need both in today’s church.

Application:

We are good in the church today at encouragement, but weak in the fear of the Lord. We tend to swing like a pendulum back and forth. We need the fear of God to make us stronger and the encouragement of the Spirit to help us grow. I want to bring balance to the church of my day. I want to bring a message that balances the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Spirit, bringing a solid foundation that God can bless.

Prayer:

Lord God Almighty, I want to grow stronger through the fear of the Lord. Teach me to walk properly in the fear of the Lord. Show me how to honor You better in this area. Also let me teach and preach the encouragement of the Spirit. Let Your Church become healthy again and let me be part of bringing that to fruition. 

Yours Forever,

Jeff