Do Not Be Afraid

PAUL GOES TO VEGAS

[ 000 ] Just wanted to give you a bit of a heads up where we are headed here in the next couple of weeks as we round out 2024, can you believe we’re saying that already? But we have a few more weeks in Acts before we take a break for Advent. And I wanted to let you know what we’re thinking for Advent this year, because it’s going to be a little different than what we’re preaching from Acts right now –

We have recognized that there are a lot of people at River City right now who are either new to faith in Jesus, or new to reading the Bible, or new to church, and maybe you just have never heard how the Bible is all one story. From Genesis to Revelation – even though there are 66 different books with very different stories, very different purposes and authors – the Bible is one story that points to Jesus.

[ 001 ] So we’re going to take 4 Sundays, plus Christmas Eve, to preach a condensed version of the story of God. So if that fires you up, and you want to invite someone, feel free to do that. But the goal is that a) those who are new to the Bible can see it from 30,000ft view, and b) hopefully it will put a little different light on Christmas, rather than just a baby in a manger.

[ 002 ] So, we’ll talk about Creation on December 8, Sin and Death on December 15 (that one will be the most depressing sermon you’ve ever heard), Redemption promised on December 22 – then on Christmas Eve we’ll talk about the time a giant red dragon tried to eat a baby (we’ll see if the children’s choir sings a song about that) and then December 29, right before New Years, we’ll talk about the New Creation, and what we have to look forward to about belonging to the kingdom of God both what is already here and what is to come.

So, that’s the plan for the next 6-8 weeks, as we round out the year – sound good? [ 003 ]

DISMISS KIDS

So we’ve been talking about Paul and Silas here for the last couple of weeks, following them from city to city as they preach the gospel and plant churches. And I think what can happen along the way, since these are such condensed versions of reality, right? That we can read about these men as if they are more superhero stories rather than real people stories. We can look at what all they are doing, look at our own lives and go, eh, Paul is Mr Incredible, and we’re the kid in the driveway on the tricycle just starIng, thinking there’s no way in the world we could ever be like him.

And if that’s you – there is some wonderful encouragement for you in this text today. So let’s dive in. Act’s chapter 18, starting in the first verse.

After this, (after Paul got to sit down with the Harvard and MIT professors there in Athens, reasoning with them about the scriptures) he left Athens and went to Corinth,

Now, here’s where it would be nice to have lived back in Paul’s day. The first readers of the book of Acts see those names Athens and Corinth and they already know what to think. A million things pop into their heads. Images. Stories. Experiences.

For example. [ 005 ] If I say the name Las Vegas, instantly a lot comes to mind for you. I don’t have to describe the city, right? Even if you haven’t been there, you’ve watched a movie where someone went to Vegas. You can already picture the lights, the hotels, the shows, the casinos. You don’t have to see the billboards to know what’s on them, in terms of what kinds of sensuality and immorality is being offered. Whatever you’re picturing in your head when I say Las Vegas – you’re thinking of Corinth.

If Athens was the Boston of our day, Corinth was Las Vegas. [ 006 ] Due it’s location, Corinth was a major trade hub for everything. moving north and south by land, and east and west by sea. The city would have been an international blend of every culture on earth – the markets would have been absolutely stocked with the best of international food, wealth, technology, resources, supplies, goods, animals and valuables. As a result of all of that, Corinth became notorious for two things, similar to Vegas. Prosperity and sensuality. Not far from the centers of trade and business and tourism [ 007 ] stood a rocky outcropping 1900ft above the city, on which was built the temple to Venus, or Aphrodite – the goddess of love – and at night, over 1000 of her servants worked the streets… so much so that the Greek word for sexual immorality was korinthaizomai.

So let me ask you, before we go any further – how would you roll into Las Vegas, knowing you are here to be a missionary? Where do you start? Would you be a little nervous? How do you begin to approach and interact with this city? It would be a little overwhelming, right? I’m calling this message “Paul is Human” because we’re going to get a little different side of Paul this week than we’ve had in the past. Starting with the fact that he works for a living. Maybe that comes as a surprise, maybe not, but, in verse 2...

[ 008-1 ] Somewhere in the city Paul ...found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. [ 008-2 ] Paul came to them, and since they were of the same occupation, tentmakers by trade, he stayed with them and worked.

This is the one and only place in the NT that says Paul had a normal job. He was a tent maker. If you recall, all of his stops in Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea record him as going to the synagogues on the Sabbath, but doesn’t say much about what he does during the week. Could it be that everywhere he went, Paul had a backpack of tools or something so he could do repairs, installs, replacments, etc on tents, and that he was working a regular job during the week? It certainly seems possible, even probable, right? The point is, Paul is a normal guy, doing work with his hands while he’s being a minister of the gospel.

Maybe some of us need some encouragement in this today, that the fact that you work a job or run a company or are a student in school is not what’s holding you back or keeping you from ministry. In fact, it’s exactly where you’re supposed to be. No doubt Paul’s ability to fix tents got him into conversations with a lot of people he wouldn’t have otherwise talked to.

I think what someone may need to hear today is that whether you buy, build, or sell, stay at home or leave the home; whether you repair, restore, or remove things; [ 009 ] whether you balance books or cut hair or change tires or install products, there is no secular duty for a Christian; everything we take on, from changing diapers to governing a state, becomes a form of service to Christ (Gangel, 5:303). It’s all sacred, and you are a minister of the gospel, right where God has you today!

Or maybe this needs to bring conviction to someone today. You’ve been hating your job, hating being in school, thinking you can’t wait until you get out of this situation into a better one where God can use you more. So, you’re just biding your time believing God has something bigger and better with greater reach for you. I think we have to be careful there, because first of all, our definition of bigger and better may not be God’s definition of bigger and better. [ 010 ] God often opens doors for us to move around and change jobs, so don’t hear me saying you should stay where you’re at for the rest of your life. But when scripture tells us twice in Colossians 3 “whatever you do, do it as if you’re working for the Lord”, it’s full on sinful unbelief to think you’re in a job or a situation where God can’t or won’t do something through you.

You are not spiritual JV because you work a 9-5, or run a business, or you are still in school, or you’re a stay at home parent.

I think sometimes we look at Paul on his missionary trips, and think now that’s the varsity team. That’s front line ministry. Being a pastor – that’s front line ministry. Ephesians 4 doesn’t see it that way. It says my job is to equip YOU to do the work of ministry.

Paul and Aquila and Priscilla let us all know you can have a full time job, making tents in the name of Jesus, and still see your whole life as ministry. Apparently they worked all week, and then, as always, [ 012-1 ] 4 [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.

Then in verse 5, Silas and Timothy finally catch up. Remember, Paul has been waiting on them for quite a while. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians lets us know that when Silas and Timothy finally arrive in Corinth, they showed up with financial offerings from the places they had just been. [ 012-2 ] Apparently, verse 5, they brought enough financial support from the churches in Macedonia, that Paul was able to step out of tentmaking for a while and just focus on preaching.

And once again, the message wasn’t received very well by the Jews in Corinth.

[ 013-1 ] 6 When they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his clothes and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” [ 013-2 ] And apparently there was a guy listening who was Greek, and he said, I live next door – come to my place and keep teaching! 7 So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. [ 013-3 ] 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.

Paul’s strategy is pretty straightforward – stick with the people who want to hear. You don’t see him running down the street, begging the Jews, going, “come on, guys. Are you sure?” No, Paul seems to have this strategy of, I’ll preach to whomever will listen – Jews, great. Gentiles, great. And Luke records that many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and are baptized.

That would have been quite encouraging, I’d say. Jews reject you, go to the Gentiles, and they come to Christ in droves. But that night, Paul needed to hear a message from the Lord. [ 014 ] 9 The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent.

What does that tell you about how Paul might be feeling as he went to bed that night? If the Lord has to show up and say Don’t be afraid, Paul likely has some fear. If the Lord has to remind him in two different ways, keep speaking and don’t be silent, what does that tell you about how Paul was feeling? Maybe he was sitting there going, is this another Athens where a few people come to faith, but I should just move on?

The Lord encourages him that night with the most repeated command in scripture. Do not be afraid. Does that encourage anyone besides me this morning, that even the apostle Paul might have operated in some fear? I think we look at Paul’s life and ministry, we see him preaching boldly even through opposition, we see him casting out demons, we see him get stoned back in chapter 14, gets up and heads back into the city, he gets beaten and thrown in prison, but there he is singing hymns and praying in the middle of the night, and soon we can start to look at Paul like he’s not a real human. He’s superman. I don’t see that kind of courage or fortitude or determination in myself, and so it feels like Paul isn’t real. I couldn’t ever do something like that.

Here’s what Paul said about himself [ 015-1 ] in 1 Corinthians 2:1–5, as he is speaking of this exact moment in Corinth: “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom.[ 015-2 ] I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.”

I don’t know how you imagine Paul when we read about him, but a second-century document describes Paul as short, not much hair, and bowlegged, with large eyes and a unibrow. And in his own words – he rolled into the ancient Las Vegas that was Corinth, putting his weak foot forward, in fear and much trembling.

How many of you feel that way when you think about speaking to your co-workers or classmates or neighbors about Jesus? I do. 100% I do. We often get caught up in our excuses – I don’t know enough, I don’t know where to start, I don’t know the right words to say, what if they ask me a question I don’t have the answer to. I’m not a pastor. I haven’t had training. [ 017 ] What does Paul say? Jesus Christ and him crucified. He decided that was going to be enough. He wasn’t going to get into discussions about anything else. Just Jesus, dead and resurrected. That’s it, and then trusted the Holy Spirit would take it from there. Obviously, Paul has held his own with the philophers in Athens. He’s capable of a lot more than just Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. But he’s decided – I’ll leave that other stuff up to the Holy Spirit. That’s where the real transformation really happens anyway!

Back to the night vision. [ 018-1 ] Do not be afraid to keep talking. There’s a skit Bob Newhart did many years ago, for those of you who are older and remember his show. Bob played a psychologist on the show, and one day a woman came to him with a problem where she lived with a fear of being buried alive, and it was making her life miserable. Bob listened carefully as she described her situation, and when she was finished explaining, he told her he has some advice for her. She got her pen and notebook out, and then Bob said, you keep thinking about being buried alive, right? “Well just STOP IT!” STOP IT!

I think sometimes we get the feeling that’s sort of how God is with us. Just stop sinning. Come on Abraham, Joshua, Mary, Joseph, Paul – you’re afraid – Just don’t be. Stop it. But I love it that as God is talking to Paul here in this night vision, he gives him solid ground to stand on. [ 019 ] He says in verse 10 For (here’s your reason to not be afraid – in fact, I’ll give you three reasons): I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”

Three things God says to encourage Paul:

I AM WITH YOU.

When people are afraid in scripture, you don’t see God encouraging self-talk. He never pumps you up with, C’mon Paul, you got this! You are amazing! Look at what just happened – lot of people just got saved… that means you’re doing great! You’re strong. You’re called. You’re gifted. God sometimes reminds people of their calling, but usually it’s because they need to step into it. The reason God gives you to not be afraid is not that YOU are amazing – it’s that HE is with you.

Genesis 26:24 ... “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you.”

Isaiah 41:10 “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 43:5 “Do not fear, for I am with you...”

Jeremiah 1:19 “They will… never prevail over you, since I am with you to rescue you.”

Jeremiah 15:20 “They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to save you and rescue you… ”

Haggai 1:13 “I am with you—this is the Lord’s declaration.”

Haggai 2:4 “Be strong, all you people of the land… Work! For I am with you… ”

Matthew 28:20 “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

And now, here in Acts 18, God says to Paul - Do not be afraid, I am with you.

What kind of confidence would that give you as you head back to school this week? As you head back to the office? As you reach for yet another load of laundry, another meal, another run to the grocery store? Another job interview, another customer or client who sends the nasty email? Another conversation that you want to say something about Jesus but aren’t sure where to start? Do not be afraid, I am with you.

NO ONE WILL LAY A HAND ON YOU

Secondly, God promises Paul that he is protecting him. This isn’t going to end like some of the other cities did, where Paul ends up beaten and in prison. God lets him know ahead of time – that’s not the plan here. This promise to Paul isn’t one that tracks all the way through scripture like the first one. You don’t have to read much of the Bible to know that God’s people in both the OT and NT face persecution, hardship, and afflictions of all kinds. Jesus himself didn’t receive this promise. Quite the opposite, right? We’re not always guaranteed that we will always walk in physical safety. But Jesus’ encouragement to us here is, “Don’t be afraid of people, where the worst they can do is kill you. Instead, fear God who can kill both your body AND your soul.

In verses 12-17, this promise is put to the test as Paul is attacked and hauled off to the public court here in Corinth. As Paul is maybe wondering if God has failed him, finally, the Roman proconsul Gallio surprises the Jews by saying, you’re wasting my time with this – figure it out on your own – and Paul gets to walk while the leader of the synagogue takes the beating. God was faithful to his word, and the fact that the Roman justice system didn’t care what Paul preached, it was an open door to openly and safely preach the gospel in Corinth.

And the third reason for Paul to not be afraid, is this: I HAVE MANY PEOPLE IN THIS CITY

If you had a grandchild, or nephew or daughter who was in a school play and they were feeling a little anxious about performing, it doesn’t seem like it would be all that encouraging to tell them, oh by the way – I invited like a ton of people and they all came. Paul in case you didn’t notice, this city is HUGE. Don’t be afraid. :) It doesn’t seem like God saying “there are a lot of people in this city” as a means of encouraging Paul. When he says “I have many people in this city” it would make more sense that God was saying, “I’m tilling the soil of the hearts of many people in this city. So don’t be afraid. Keep talking. Don’t be silent. Many people are primed to respond, so keep talking!” And verse 11, Paul stayed there for 18 months doing exactly that – teaching the word of God among them.

That’s honestly some of the motivation that keeps me fired up to step in here and preach the word every week. If a church is preaching God’s word, proclaiming Christ and him crucified, as long as we are trusting the power of the Holy Spirit and not our own strength, then the Church cannot fail. Or as Jesus said, the gates of hell won’t hold up against us. Not because God has collected the most brilliant people with incredible gifts to do all the. ministry, but because he is with us, he is our defender, and he is tilling the hearts of people everywhere to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ!

That should be our motivation to look for opportunities to share the gospel with people. It’s the motivation to plant more churches in more places, and send missionaries wherever God would call them. God is and has been tilling the hearts of people everywhere– all they might need is for you to just drop that seed in the soil, someone else waters it, someone else helps them pull weeds, and it’s the Spirit who provides the growth.

This was part of Jesus’ plan in coming to earth as well. He knew the Father was with him. He spent a great deal of time in prayer, he said things like, “I only do what I see the Father doing”, and “I only say what the Father tells me to say.” He knew that all the OT prophecies about the Messiah were about him, and that God would be his strength and his shield.

But he also knew that this rescue mission wouldn’t be safe. It would be painful. He would experience sorrow, loss, grief, pain, affliction, even torture. But he went through it willingly anyway. Why? Because the Father had prepared to give Jesus people; The Father was giving Jesus people to rescue, people to save – a bride to be married to. There many who are part of Jesus’ family, and many who need to be brought in yet. God raised him to life, ascended him to the throne of heaven, where he now works in and through us by his Spirit who takes care of the growth as our helper, our guide, our comforter, our convicter and our power.

[ 020-1 ] So let me ask you – what is that place, or those people, or that person, or that situation in your life that causes you some fear and trembling? Seriously, take a second to think about it. Maybe even jot it down on a piece of paper. What situation in your life is causing you some fear and trembling?

Listen to the Lord speaking to you through his word today, saying: [ 020-2 ] Don’t be afraid. I am with you.

I know some of you have a got a lot going on right now. Your marriage isn’t perfect. Hear the word of the Lord: Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Your job is a challenge and you’re not sure you can tolerate that environment another day. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. You have some unmet dreams and expectations. You hoped you’d be married by now. You hoped to have children of your own. You hoped your family would be a little more civil when you get together. Do not be afraid. I am with you. You worry about the economy. World War 3. The middle east. You worry are we in or near the end times? Do not be afraid. I am with you. You’re in high school, or middle school. Wondering if people like you. Wondering if you have what it takes to be an adult. Wondering if you’ll be loved for who you are if you don’t fit into the right groups. Do not be afraid. I am with you.

You want to share the gospel with someone, you want to be bolder in your faith, but you’re afraid you won’t know what to say and you’ll look dumb. You won’t have the answers to their questions and you’ll feel dumb. You won’t know how to start the conversation and you’ll seem dumb. Don’t be afraid, I am with you.

Maybe you feel compelled to pray with someone here after church, but with fear and trembling – I’ve never done that before, will they think it’s weird? Maybe you sense the Lord wanting you to encourage someone today, and there’s fear and trembling that I might say it wrong, it sounds strange, etc. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Maybe you’re stepping out into something major – some new venture, or closing down an old one – don’t be afraid. I am with you.

You’re not JV squad because you are not one of the pastors. You’re not JV because you have a job or run a business instead of being full time with the church. You are on the front lines of a battle that comes to you whether you want it to or not. Ephesians 6 tells us to suit up! Put on the armor of God! You’re not on the bench, you’re in the middle of it. Get the armor on, and take your stand against the devil! Don’t be afraid – I am with you.

Lastly this: How does Paul overcome the fear and trembling? How does Paul gain victory over the fear and trembling? Does he need to spend more time in prayer? Does he need to read his Bible more? Does he rebuke the spirit of fear? Maybe. All of those things are good and necessary. But here’s how you rebuke the spirit of fear, according to verse 11: [ 020-3 ] Paul walks out the door, digs in, and obediently worships God by doing the very thing he is afraid to do, fully confident that God is with him, and that God has tilled the hearts of many in this city to make them ready for it. And if I’m rejected by this person, I’ll go on to the next until the seed of the gospel lands in the soil that is ready for it.

Paul overcomes his fear by trusting God, and putting that faith into action. And so do we.

I’m going to give you some time to pray here this morning. I’m not going to put anything on the screen for you today – just whatever the Lord has whispered to your heart this morning, take it to him in these moments. Confess your fears. Be honest with Jesus about the people, or places, or situations that have you on edge. Then hear his words once again spoken over us: do not be afraid, for I am with you.

SOURCES

Christian Standard Bible, (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ac 18:1–23.

John R. W. Stott, The Message of Acts: The Spirit, the Church & the World, The Bible Speaks Today, (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994)

Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, Holman New Testament Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998)

GROUPS