THE LORD IS WITH US

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

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

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Jesus was on the brink of His ascension where He would sit at God’s right hand in authority over everything in heaven and on earth, He gave His disciples their marching orders. You may remember these words that He spoke:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28:19-20

And then, He added these very important words that I believe people forget:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 18:20

Yes, Jesus was issuing a great commission, a tasker regarding the way He expected the Gospel to be shared by His followers. He had already shared earlier that the work would not be without peril, warning His disciples that they would be despised, mistreated, and hated by others just as He had been. Indeed, being an evangelist is not for the faint of heart.

This is why Jesus’ final words in chapter 28 of Matthew are so critical for us to remember. He isn’t sending us off to do His work alone. He isn’t sending the sheep of His flock into slaughter while standing off and doing nothing. Rather, He is with us and for us during every step of every path He places us on in accordance with His will and way. We need to be assured and comforted by this truth.

As we continue to look at Acts 18, we know that Paul has arrived in Corinth from Athens, taking up residence with two Jewish tent makers who had recently relocated from Rome. We also know that Silas and Timothy reunited with Paul after being in Macedonia and their arrival freed Paul up to exclusively devote himself to preaching as he sought to reason with the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.

In yesterday’s message, we saw where his efforts with the Jews didn’t go well. Paul was rejected and even abused by his fellow people and so he rebuked them and vowed to take the Gospel to a household of Gentiles who lived next to the synagogue. We read where the household gladly received the good news of Jesus and were baptized.

So, there was hope in Corinth for at least some people to be saved by Paul’s work but of course the threat of danger always loomed large. For it seemed as if rejection morphed into desires of murder in many places Paul had visited in the past and there was no guarantee that Corinth would be any different.

That is until the Lord intervened.

For as we turn to our scriptures for today, we find the Lord doing what He does best. Letting His people know where He wants them to be and what He wants them to do. And in the midst of Paul’s possible uncertainty as to whether he should remain in Corinth or move on, the Lord comes to him in a vision with the following guidance:

“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.” Acts 18:9-10

Put yourself in Paul’s place. Imagine how much consolation these words would have brought.

Here the Lord is giving Paul a pep talk, like a good coach on the sidelines urging his player on in the midst of doubt. The exhortations are concise, bold, and commanding.

“Do not be afraid.”

“Keep on speaking.”

“Do not be silent.”

And just in case Paul still had reservations, the Lord guarantees that He is with him, serving as his great Protector. No one would be able to attack or harm Paul because he had the Lord on his side. It’s little wonder why Paul wrote these words in his epistle to the Romans:

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31

Friends, the Lord is with us and through Him, we can do all things. All we need to do is trust in His promises like Paul who embraced the Lord’s assurance and “stayed in Corinth for a year and a half” to teach the Corinthians the word of God.

Paul was where the Lord wanted him to be to do what the Lord wanted him to do. I encourage you to take that approach to not just this day but every day for the Lord is with us and we are purposed to carry out great work in His name and in accordance with His will.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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