For now, the pressure was off. For now, as a result of Saul’s encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-30), Operation “Persecute the Church” had been derailed and the focus had shifted to silencing Saul who was himself now proclaiming that Jesus was, in fact, the Son of God and proving that Jesus was the Christ (Acts 9:20, 22). And so, writes Dr. Luke, for now at least “the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up” (Acts 9:31a).

But what captures my attention is that intertwined with this period of peace was fear and comfort.

And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

(Acts 9:31b ESV)

The fear of the Lord . . . the comfort of the Holy Spirit . . .

Fear and comfort. Seems like the two are meant to go together. Kind of like peanut butter and jam, salt and pepper, cookies and milk. Where you find one, you might expect the other to be by its side. Kind of like Batman and Robin, Abbott and Costello, Wayne and Shuster (your welcome, my Canadian friends). Fear and comfort — found hand in hand in the early church.

Fear of the Lord . . . Hmm, not just an Old Testament thing. I guess you might expect that if the fear of the Lord really is “the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10), and if wisdom is a thing needed for all ages. Living in the knowledge of the greatness of who God is — the Father who loves with a steadfast love and sent His Son to redeem man, but also the Creator who requires a reckoning from His creation and will one day require all to stand before Him.

Navigating life with the ever-present awareness of who Jesus is — that while He is “gentle and lowly in heart” and always inviting all who are weary to come (Matt. 11:28-30), He is also the coming King of kings and Lord of lords, pictured in John’s vision arrayed in splendor and ready for battle, a sword coming from His mouth (Rev. 19:15-16) — a symbol informing all with ears to hear that He will return to judge the nations.

Our God is an awesome God. His Son is a glorious Savior. Bow the knee. Face to the ground. Not in cowering dismay but in heartfelt, soul-inviting reverence and worship. The early church, walked in the fear of the Lord.

The also walked in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. They did life in the comfort of the Comforter, in the encouragement of the Encourager, in the strength of the heaven-sent Strengthener. Though formal persecution may have known a temporary cease-fire, the tumult of day-to-day life continued. These new believers still needed to navigate swimming against the current, fighting the uphill battle. Showing up as children of kingdom light while still living in a world enveloped with deepening darkness. And they found the power to do so through the Paraclete, the indwelling, ever present, Spirit of God. They walked in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way? To be sure. Fear and comfort, for it’s how to walk unencumbered? To be sure as well.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.