Terry Storch

Writing about life, leadership, faith, and anything else I find interesting.

Acts - 18 Fear

 

Acts - 18 Fear

Fear. A quick Google search will tell you that fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. Often that belief is accurate, but other times that belief is not real. This is when psychologists label fear as False Evidence Appearing Real. You see, fear can be real, but often fear can just be a mental game. 

I do not know about you, but when I think about the Apostle Paul, I do not think about someone who dealt with fear. Paul had every reason to be fearful; he had people everywhere he traveled with the message of Christ trying to harm or kill him, which could cause fear. Even with all this in mind, I just don’t think about Paul as someone who dealt with fear...but that just is not the case. Paul did deal with fear; we read about it here.

“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.” - ‭‭Acts‬ ‭18:9-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.” - ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We read this, but again I just have a hard time thinking about Paul dealing with fear. Maybe because he was the one that was always encouraging others and speaking into their lives. 

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” - 2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭NIV

‬‬

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him, we cry, “ Abba, Father.” - ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” - ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭16:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” - ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I could keep going, but I think you get the point. So when we read in Acts, one night, the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid... this jumps out to me because Paul was afraid. We read Paul encouraging so many others, pastoring them, preaching to them about do not fear, do not be anxious, and here we are in Corinth, and Paul is full of fear. 

This is what hits me this morning; God will use our issues and challenges to minister to others. You see, we often want to think ministering to others comes out of our strength, but frequently that is just not the case. God will use everything to bring Him glory, and many times He will use our weaknesses and issues to minister to others, and that in and of itself will minister to ourselves as well. Read the Scripture above, and now process Paul’s words through the lens that he was ministering to himself while he was pouring out to others. Paul, do not be anxious about anything. Paul, be on guard, stand firm in the faith, and be strong. Paul, the Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again. 

Such a great reminder as I read about Paul, and I “think” Paul is this mighty warrior of an Apostle. Yes, that is true, but Paul, just like you, and just like me dealt with his own issues. We all have them, and I am encouraged today that God will continue to use our issues to glorify Himself and to develop and grow us closer to Him. 

other writing
John 20 - The Gospel

John 20 - The Gospel

The Gospel, the Good News! Jesus, Son of God, was born of Mary, lived as the Son of Man, died, and rose to life to rescue the world and bring about a new life. The central message of the gospel. Jesus, the centerpiece! John 19 & 20 cover the brutal death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

In this scene, I can not imagine how the disciples felt. John describes them as overjoyed...but those words just fall short of what I can imagine this moment was like.

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

The day of Jesus' crucifixion fulfilled 28 Old Testament prophecies. Scripture was fulfilled! Beyond that, trying to wrap my mind around what happened this day, on the cross, and fully grabbing the magnitude of the cross is mind-boggling.

Sure, we can dumb this down or simplify it to a place where I just don’t believe it is anywhere near accurate. We can get into penal substitution and argue over was God full of love or was God full of wrath and hate that he killed his son. To me, John 3:16 is pretty clear on the love part.

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

In John 18, we come to the great betrayal. Judas came with the soldiers, officials, and chief priest and Pharisees. We know the scene. But this morning, I saw something I don’t remember reading and surly don’t remember learning about.

“So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭18:3-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 is Jesus looking heavenward and praying to God the Father. So much beauty and mystery in this prayer. One thing that jumps out to me is that Jesus, fully God, and fully man prayed. Jesus is God fully. Why did he need to pray, He was One with the Father, He was God...and yet he prayed. This is so powerful;

“And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭17:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

By the end of John 16, Jesus had done countless miracles, preached some amazing sermons, transformed so many lives, and developed a close and personal relationship with his disciples. So, when reading these verses, I am just utterly confused on so many levels.

“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.” “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:28-31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

Jesus’ time on earth is quickly coming to a close, and he finishes up his last sermon or teaching to his disciples as they walk to Gethsemane. This final teaching was a heavy one that no doubt left his disciples with a heavy heart. Jesus said it this way;

“...None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus goes on to say;

John 15 - Constant Growth

John 15 - Constant Growth

We were built for growth, constant growth. From birth, all the way until our death, we were designed by God for constant growth. The problem is, we often can find ourselves stuck in a belief, a phase, or a part of life where we stop growing.

One of the most brilliant investors embodies this understanding. Charlie Munger, at 96 years old, is still learning and growing as a person. I love this quote:

“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”
- Charlie Munger

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 opens with Jesus, saying, Don’t let your hearts be troubled. And the chapter closed down with Jesus saying Don’t be troubled or afraid.

A message that needs to resonate with our spirit and our inner self. This was such a good reminder, reading through John 14 over and over. This passage lifted off the screen.

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart…

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

The world today seems so volatile and chaotic. Everywhere you look, whatever we read and see on TV just seems to be troubling. Last night, I noticed my lovely wife Tweeted this;

“I can’t be the only one who watches the news and is simply embarrassed right now, right? (Dear Jesus, we tap out. Come on back.)”

I find this first humorous, but then I also find it sad. It’s true, watching the news as a Christ-follower is pretty embarrassing. In John 14, we see Jesus…

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

Summarizing John, chapter 13, looks like this. The Lords Supper takes place. Jesus washes the disciple's feet. Jesus calls out Judas, and Satan enters him. Night comes, Judas leaves, and Jesus says he must go, and where I am going, you can not come. To cap it all off, Jesus also calls out Simon Peter and tells him that he will deny and completely disown Jesus three times. Whoa, a really full chapter, and historical day.

Nestled in the wrap up of the day is the parting message Jesus leaves his disciples, a message Jesus is sharing with us right now.

 
thoughtsTerry Storch