Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

For there stood by me this night an angel, belonging to the God whose I am and whom I serve, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.”
Acts 27:23-24 (emphasis added)

Talk about being in a boat in a storm! From Crete to Italy, stopped by a storm. Three days of fighting with the storm, everything overboard, and an unknown number of days in the storm — unable to see sun or stars — and a long time without food. That’s pretty dire. As bad as being in a boat on a large lake in a big storm is, I’d take that over a storm on the sea. It was bad enough that an angel appeared to Paul to let him know he didn’t have to worry. Which implies he was beginning to. He was told not to fear. He wasn’t told not to doubt, so Paul had faith. But it is reasonable to conclude that he was starting to wonder what the plan was. Not about himself, necessarily. Paul had a heart for others. He cared. He had real concern. You can infer that from these verses too, because He is told specifically that God has given the lives of all those with Paul into Paul’s bubble of protection.

How good was that bubble? “I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust. For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart. You shall not be afraid of the terror of night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday” (Psalm 91:3-6). That’s a pretty good bubble. God put every life on that ship into Paul’s bubble. Paul was told not to fear for himself or for them. The cargo wasn’t saved. The ship wasn’t saved. They ended up shipwrecked for a while. But they lived. Every last one of them. And Paul continued on to Rome and did stand before Caesar.

Paul’s love for believers and for unbelievers, his heart for the unsaved, was immense. He put himself in boats (literal and not) all over his world. To preach the Good News. To tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ. To help shepherd the believers. To fulfil his instructions from Jesus to preach the Word. To be a witness. Paul put his trust in the Lord. But this is not where he started.

Paul started as Saul. A pharisee among pharisees (Acts 23:6). He studied under Gamaliel, probably the foremost Pharisaical teacher at the time (Acts 23:3). And he was zealous for the way of the Law. Really zealous. He tells us himself that ““I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished” (Acts 22:3-5). This isn’t someone who was all that caring for others. Definitely not for others who were against the Law as he understood it. Acts 8:1 says “Saul was consenting to his death. A great persecution arose against the assembly which was in Jerusalem in that day. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.”

He didn’t just persecute them by punishing them in the courts. He dragged them out of their homes (Acts 8:3) and the word it uses is ravaged. He ravaged the christian community. But Jesus came and met Saul where he was (Acts 9). Saul was breathing threats and slaughter but Jesus spoke life. Jesus humbled Saul and he changed. He got the heart of God. He was born again into a new creature: Paul. And Paul knew what love was. He demonstrated it. He knew how much Jesus had done for him. He knew that Jesus did it for all of us. And he was desperate for everyone to know it along with him. To know it and to come into the Kingdom of God. Paul wanted it so much that he put everything on the line to achieve it.

He was willing to live for Jesus and to die for Jesus. How willing? He worked hard for the Lord, went to prison, beaten with rods three times, flogged five times, stoned once, shipwrecked three times, lost at sea for a day and a night, in danger while travelling, hungry, cold, and hunted by those who wanted to silence him (2 Corinthians 11:21-27). That’s pretty willing. He says, ““For I know that this will turn out to my salvation through your prayers and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will in no way be disappointed, but with all boldness, as always, now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I don’t know what I will choose” (Philippians 1:19-22)

We today are probably not going to have to go through all these things, but we may have to go through some of them. In the chaos of the modern world it is hard to predict where the ground will shift to. But if you look past mainstream media you’ll see that there are rumblings out there. Christians are being treated in a way that really won’t surprise you, but it may. So do not yourself be surprised if you have to suffer in some way for Christ — we are warned by Jesus Himself that being a disciple isn’t without cost. But Paul’s attitude is the silver standard (Jesus being the gold). Live your best life under submission to the will of the Lord and look forward to life in heaven. Be happy to do the work, talk Jesus to whomever Jesus asks you to, live a life that models Jesus to all whom you don’t talk to, and be ready to walk away from all of it when it’s time to head to heaven. You win either way! On the one side we’re introducing people to Christ Jesus. On the other, we’re WITH Christ Jesus face to face. That’s the best win-win there is. Or ever could be.

But what about all those troubles? What if they happen where you live? What if they happen to you? The bible tells us again and again that God has us. The storm very well might be around you. A city sized storm, lake sized, or sea sized. Maybe even ocean sized. It makes no difference to the Lord. He still speaks. He still guides. He still protects. If you acknowledge your Lord and Saviour, if you set your love on the Father, the Father will deliver you. Unto life or unto heaven, delivered you will be. Without fear. With Peace (Philippians 4:7). Peace you can’t even understand will flood you and everything will be fine. You will be set on high. You will be answered. You will be delivered and honoured. You will be in God’s hands (Psalm 91:14-16). The size of boat doesn’t matter. The size of storm doesn’t matter. Get under God’s wings and God’s wings will enfold you. Period.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Matthew 18:11-14

The Father wants every human on this planet who has ever and will ever breathe saved. He made each and every one of us and he wants each and every one of us safe in heaven living life the way that He designed it. That’s why Jesus came to earth. To redeem us. To reset things back to where they should be by seizing back the authority that man threw into the devil’s hands. He searches and stretches out to the lost. Every person not saved has Jesus on their doorstep knocking and inviting them into freedom. Each and every one. He loves us so much. He really does. There is nothing He didn’t do to get us where we could be saved. And He does everything He can to get us in. But we have a choice. He doesn’t violate free will. The choice is ours. But boy, is it an easy one. Everlasting life with Love personified? Sign me up. What about you? Are you in too?

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.