[The Growth of the Holy Spirit]
Acts 9:31
Verse 31 is the key to growth of the church and the individual. I pray that you will all grow spiritually and physically in this hard time. Let us think of the growth of the Holy Spirit.
First, one must have an experience as a loser. The verse 31 starts with the word then. The Jews tenaciously looked for an opportunity to kill converted Paul, and the brothers sent him to Tarsus. And then this verse about churchs peace and strength unexpectedly appeared. But this is not a surprise. The book of the Acts has been telling us stories about how the persecution and ensuing dispersion of the believers made the churches strong. Thus, then was the Holy Spirits intended usage of word. Even though Paul was in Tarsus, the church of Galilee and Samaria grew up. Just like Paul no longer had fellowship with the Jews but with the Christians after his conversion, we need to choose our friends carefully for our spiritual growth. It seemed like Paul did not have any friends, but his followers came up to save him at the critical moments. Those whom we give spiritual birth to are the ones we can put the hearts together while working for the Lord. Paul had a dramatic conversion and started evangelizing, but because of the continuous threats, he had been to Arabia and Tarsus.
Paul was such a smart person. He just beamed anywhere he went. His presence was known to everyone even when he did not do anything. Then God told him not to reveal himself but to live like a loser, abandoned and forgotten. This was a very hard training for Paul. He did not know in what way God would use him. He just stayed alone with God, lonely as he was. He spent almost sixteen years by himself, and this made it possible for him to write more than one third of the New Testament. It was not Gods mistake to leave Paul in Tarsus.
Second, it is peaceful. Peace and growth cannot be separated. The interpretation of the suffering can solve the problem, making one to experience peace and growth. Paul, who breathed murderous threats before, now had lips full of Jesus name one persons change became the seed to bring peace. It seems not to make sense for the church to enjoy a time of peace under continuous persecution, but it is spiritually correct. Peace and happiness without the cross only last for a moment. Only by the grace of the cross we can have peace it is the work of the Holy Spirit. At that time, Caligula of Roman Empire demanded his portrait hung on the wall of the Most Holy Place in Temple of Jerusalem for worship, and then the Jews temporarily stopped persecuting the Christians because they were otherwise occupied. The Christians now could enjoy peace. When given peace, we must freshen up for further missions, but most of people take a break in faith journey in the time of short peace thinking that the persecution has stopped forever. Every persecution, revival, and growth is a part of Gods time so we must spend the time of peace and time of persecution well. Peace only comes through the cross of Jesus and through the experience of Gods presence with the knowledge of the limits of man. Wooridle Church can have peace in many sufferings because we make confession that we are sinners.
Third, it strengthens. Peace makes one strengthened. Churchs strength comes from the firm foundation of the Word. The Word can save us when we read it as if the Word comes directly from Jesus who died for us. If Jesus does not become our Savior, the Bible can merely be a Book of Law that only puts pressure on us. Wooridle Church has been doing QT and has been guided in small group meetings, and that make us to grow. I see that we make mistakes when we do not consult with the small groups, interpret the Word in our own way, or follow our greed. The reason for our strength is not our thorough and good life we enjoy the time of peace because we reflect on our sin according to the Word.
Fourth, we have to live in the fear of the Lord this is the most important thing in the growth of the Holy Spirit. The primary definition of fear of the Lord means literally fearing the Lord, and the other definition means revering and loving the Lord as much as we fear Him. The church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria could inwardly and outwardly grow because they feared the Lord. The encouragement of the Holy Spirit follows the fear of the Lord. The hidden will of Father God starts from the humbleness of Son Jesus, and the effective power of the Holy Spirit is His support and encouragement. Therefore, we have to teach our children to fear God since their childhood. Without fear of the Lord, we evaluate people only by appearances and become to either fear or ignore human beings. Only those who fear and respect the Lord will obey Him, love Him, and meditate the Word day and night to live accordingly. The prosperity gospel only brings fear (in a sense of terrifying feeling), and we should not go to church out of fear for our own benefit. If we fear the Lord, it means we revere and follow Him, thus, He gives us peace that the world does not know of. With this peace, Paul could stay in Tarsus for thirteen years.
I have heard of a very heartbreaking prayer request. There is a deacon who began to attend Wooridle Church because he liked the honest attitude atmosphere, and he miraculously begot a son in thirteen years after he and his wife had the first daughter. Then recently, the three-months-old baby was diagnosed with brain tumor. The baby could not have a surgery because it was too risky, and the family has about a week of time with him. The baby was baptized on his sickbed yesterday, and his head was swollen because of the tumor, but people told me that he was such a beautiful baby. The Jews tried to kill Paul, but the church then enjoyed the peace and became strong. I pray that the babys family would also experience the same to have the growth of the Holy Spirit as a family of faith. I pray that all of you would fear and respect the Lord keeping the Word and receiving encouragement from the Holy Spirit.
