Acts 9:31 31So then the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace. being built up and living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
Luke provides a summarizing statement of the persecution that begin in 8:1. With Saul off to his hometown of Tarsus, the church experienced peace. He had created quite the stir before his Damascus road experience and after. The persecutor had become the proclaimer. Beforehand, he caused problems for believers, and after he was hated by the Jews. His would go on to become one of those type of people who always seem to draw attention. In Saul’s case, he grabbed people’s attention because of the message he proclaimed wherever he went. Nothing is known of what he did in Tarsus, but with his ministry pattern as we know it, he likely preached and led people to faith in Jesus.
This is the fourth time Luke has used the word church (5:11; 8:1, 3; ekklēsia). The church by that point had spread throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. The word as used here refers to all those who had put their faith in Jesus. Curiously, the church experienced peace once Saul left. Was this because they became passive in their witness so as not to anger the Jews? Had they lost some of the fire they had before chapter 8? As with all churches, the time comes when the initial revival of the founders is replaced by the consolidation and structuring of the next generation.
The time of peace provided three opportunities for the church. First, it was built up (oikodomoumenē), a word related to the building of a house. It is often used in the New Testament metaphorically in the sense of strengthening in order to fulfill some task or mission. The time of peace allowed the church to expand once again without the major threat of persecution. It could continue the practices begun in 2:43-47. The participle used for this word is passive, implying that God was the one who built the church up. God was at work in their lives.
Second, the church lived in the fear (phobō) of the Lord. Throughout the Bible, fear of the Lord is described as foundational for God’s people. It is a deep sense of reverence and awe, and causes one to live out the importance of faith and obedience. Effectiveness in witnessing and carrying out Jesus’ mission must be built on the solid foundation of worship and reverence for God as supreme and sovereign in our lives. The idea behind this second description indicates the response of the people to God’s strengthening in the first point. God’s grace led them to honor God with their lives.
Third, the church experienced the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Comfort (paraklēsei) is the same word Jesus used to describe the role of the Holy Spirit in John 14:16. The word can also mean to help, mediator, or provide help. The church was not left alone, but the Holy Spirit continued to guide and be the primary source for courage and the words to speak in spreading the good news of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. Grace led to worship, which opened the believers more to the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. As a result of these three, the number of believers grew tremendously and multiplied.
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