"What we fear is what we’re subject to; our fears define our master." -- Erwin McManus

I am scared of a couple things. When I first started fighting bulls, I was pretty scared. I saw a guy get runover pretty good and I had a difficult time putting that out of my mind. Only the person who did my laundry that night could tell you how scared I really was! Now, I am able to put that out of my head to do my job in the arena. There are however a couple fears that I have trouble getting through. I am claustrophobic (scared of small, closed spaces); paedophobic (fear of babies); and aquaphobic (fear of drowning or water). The fear of new born babies comes from a recurring nightmare that I have about me reaching up to catch a foul ball at a baseball game (a personal goal of mine); the problem is that I was holding a baby prior to lifting my hands. I look down just in time to see the baby liquify on the ground. It is a horrible nightmare that I have about once a month or so! I dont fear water so much as I fear swimming in places where I cant see my feet and putting my head under water. The claustrophobia is more a fear that the elevator doors wont open. I have so many problems.

When I read through Acts, I noticed that fear seemed to play a specific role in the book. Fear in all but 1 case (Acts 9.26) is a literary device used by Luke to differentiate which side of salvation and faith a person falls on. Like a black hat in a western of the ability to see both eyes of a person in a manga book, depending on what a person fears is the signifier of their relationship with God.

In cases of fear in believers the object of their fear is always God (aside from Acts 9.26). The church was gripped with fear because of the actions of God when he killed Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 and in Stephen's speech as he relates Moses' interaction with the burning bush in Acts 7. The Church feared God himself as well (Acts 9.31; 10.35; 13.16) and Cornelius was scared silly by the messenger God sent to him during his vision in Acts 10.4 (which if you are unfamiliar with Luke's writings is a common place when God sends a messenger).

On the other side of the great dividing line of fear is the fear present in non-believers. They fear the punishment of men. They are commonly afraid of the men in power over them. Twice a leaders of the Roman Army is fearful because he has been keeping Paul, a roman citizen in chains (Acts 16.38 and 22.29). Not only are they afraid of people who are in charge of them; but they fear the people under their jurisdiction. Non-believers are shown to be in fear of being stoned by crowds if they take the apostles away (Acts 5.26). The men without a relationship with God were also fearful of spirits at least once. After the seven sons of Sceva were beaten and bloodied they were scared of the spirit that did this act. Finally, the non-believers are fearful of death. In an interesting sandwiching of fear near the end of Acts we see the sailors fearing death not once but twice during the soon to be shipwrecked. Paul, during the night an angel came to him and told him to not be afraid (Acts 27.24). So in the midst of a fearful ordeal; God reminds his followers that he is in control.

Perhaps the funniest events of fear in the non-believers in Acts, is them fearing for the one who should be fearful! In Acts 23 Paul is placed before the Sanhedrin. Paul does what Paul does and he starts an argument between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. While they are arguing, it became so violent that the Roman commander was afraid Paul would be ripped to pieces (Acts 23.10). Paul apparently was unavailable for comment, but seemed unfearful.

The believers in Acts had plenty of reasons to fear. Paul says that he has "been in dager from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers." (2 Corinthians 11.26) Paul was no stranger to danger, but did not fear. The early church was in constant danger, but did not fear.

I fear a lot of things: uncertainty; bills; the upcoming lessons I have to write; etc. Fear has become a constant in our lives. Looking at the early church, fear was something that they did not deal with. Fear is something that they did not do. When God is in Control: fear is not present! Great in principle; tough to live out. Paul reminds us in Romans 8.27-29:

"In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Next time fear comes, think back to the early church and the unfamiliarity they had with fear? Great in principle, tough in practice!