Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭11‬-‭15‬
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

It is gardening season and as I talk to people who seem to be expert gardeners, they give me advice. Of course, there are the watering and soil tips. But one category of advice seems to be most prevalent — how much sun a specific plant needs to thrive. Some are low-sun, some average, and some full-sun plants. In essence, these gardeners live in reverence to the sun and its impact on the plants they are trying to grow. If you plant plants in areas without much sun that need a lot of sun, they will not grow well. If you plant plants that only need a little sun in areas that have a lot of sun, they will get sun-scorched.

In a much bigger way, we are called to live in the fear of the Lord. This means we understand the weight he brings to bear on the success or failure of our efforts in life and life itself. We have a reverence for him that is tangible and it will impact how we prioritize our life and the disciplines we develop. And as we fear God, we are strengthened in our stability spiritually. We grow deep in our relationship with him. We rely on him, we stand on his promises, and we run to him when we are in hardship.

The early church understood hardship. Saul had led an all-out effort to persecute them, arrest them, and destroy their livelihoods, reputations, and in some cases kill them. They stood their ground to preach the gospel. They may have moved locations for protection, but what moved their heart was still outwardly visible to all around — Jesus Christ.

I like this cross reference in Hebrews, because it talks about discipline and its relationship to righteousness (right living). Hardship can also be a form of discipline God allows us to go through. He allows us to go through hardships to develop the spiritual muscles we need to follow him and stand our ground for truth.

When the early church had a time of peace, they spent this time healing up and strengthening their spiritual walks with God. They allowed the Holy Spirit to encourage them and build up their faith.

When we are attacked, persecuted, or in trials, many times we are working off of spiritual adrenaline. We have to act quickly and decisively. However, when we are in a time of peace, this is when we should train our hearts and minds. We should, as Paul said, discipline or bodies spiritually to be ready and better prepared to take more spiritual ground for the Lord. “But [like a boxer] I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached [the gospel] to others, I myself will not somehow be disqualified [as unfit for service].” (I Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭27‬ ‭AMP‬‬)

When we fear God, we work hard to become like him and we respect the positive impact he can have on our lives and the lives of those around us. So we train hard spiritually when we can, so that we are ready for the spiritual assignments he calls us too.

Lord, thank you for this passage that calls out how the early church lived in the reverence and fear of you. May it also be said of me that I do not become a “milk-toast” Christian in the easy times, and then am unprepared for spiritual battle. On the contrary, may I strengthen myself in spiritual training and discipline so I will be a front-lines warrior for you!