Worship

“Rest On Us” by Maverick City Music

Scripture Foundation

“So the church throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace [without persecution], being built up [in wisdom, virtue, and faith]; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort and encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it continued to grow [in numbers].” -Acts 9:31, AMP

The Grace of Rest

There are seasons with the Lord for advancement and then for rest—the beautiful and often difficult ebb and flow of both ministry and personal growth. The Church had gone through several mountaintops and valleys in its first years of birth and life. The believers had endured great persecution and great refinement. But the grace of the Lord Jesus was on His people and the shalom of God was establishing His Bride in rest, order, quietness, and abundance.

In this particular season of reset, there were three things that anchored them: the fear of the Lord, comfort from the Holy Spirit, and encouragement by the Spirit. What resulted in this place of grace was another wave of growth. They rested while the Lord continued to expand. What a beautiful word for those laboring for the gospel: our seasons of rest are not a sidelining or a setback but rather an opportunity for more growth. God advances while we rest and receive. What grace.

Note the areas Paul mentions: Judea, Galilee, and Samaria—all places covered by the scope of Acts 1:8. God was faithfully fulfilling his commission to move out from Jerusalem. The gospel was taking ground! Even as the Church was entering a season of peace and strengthening as the dust was settling from all the persecution, people were still coming to faith in Christ.

Three Anchors in Rest

Let’s look at what was being established in God’s people as they received from the Lord.

A Fear of the Lord

“The carnal person fears man, not God. The strong Christian fears God, not man. The weak Christian fears man too much, and God too little.” -John Flavel

God was depositing within the believers a gracious gift to establish identity and authority through a holy fear of the Lord. The Church was acknowledging the Lordship of Christ and living with a reverence for the words and the life of Christ in the believer. This was not a time to fear judgment but an invitation to deepening holiness. Perhaps they just needed a season of lingering with the Lord to engage intimately and intentionally because of the past seasons of persecution, hardship, and growing pains.

“The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” -Oswald Chambers

The Church had a prime opportunity at this time to sink into a pit as a community that had a greater fear of man over a fear of the Lord. They had been recklessly pursued by both the government and stout religious authorities. Once fear of man trumped fear of God, their growth would be stunted. The enemy loves to paralyze us into bondage through a fear of man. But the Spirit of God was tending to them in this season, enabling them to walk in greater freedom.

The Comfort of the Holy Spirit

The Church had been afflicted out of their comfort zones since the beginning of their growth. Now was a time for comfort—a season of comforting rest. This word, “comfort,” comes from the Greek word paraklesis, meaning helper or comforter. God was not just concerned with their fruit-bearing; He was acutely aware of their need for comfort and counsel. And by the looks of it, this season encompassed the comforting words and presence of the Spirit in the Church. Something was continuing to attract new believers to the Church. And when the intimate tending of the Spirit to the garden of the Church was taking place, people were drawn to that kind of comfort to come and establish their roots.

The Encouragement of the Holy Spirit

The other role of the Spirit that was evident in the Church was the encouragement that was taking place from one to another by the power of the Spirit and the words of encouragement coming from the Spirit individually and corporately. This reminds me of the time Paul encouraged the believers to prophesy so that the Church would be edified and built up (1 Corinthians 14:5). I picture a place and time of safety and healing and strengthening of the Lord so that they could continue to advance to the ends of the Earth.

The Church wasn’t hiding away. Instead, the end result was more and more people coming to follow Jesus. They weren’t concerned about marketing their churches in all of these cities. They were faithfully following the leadership of the Spirit in this season of growth.

Personal Application

I can remember the Lord pulling me back from a highly fruitful ministry into a season of rest. I was so perplexed and wondered what I had done wrong. I can remember the counsel of a dear friend allowing me to see that there are indeed times when God ushers us into seasons of rest and healing to prepare for the next season of advancement. It’s like He pulls back the bow in order to shoot the arrow even further!

Prayer

For those of you in this waiting and resting I want to pray for you.

Jesus, pour out Your grace on those in seasons of waiting. They may be longing for You to release to them what You are calling them to in this next chapter, or release them to take more ground in their current calling. We choose to trust You with the timing and the process. I pray for grace upon grace to cooperate with Holy Spirit and to receive both comfort and encouragement during this season. Give them words to anchor their hearts in holding onto Your faithfulness and Your promise that You will fulfill Your purposes for them, declares the Lord (Psalm 138:8). As they wait on the Lord, renew their strength, give them fresh vision, and restore their soul. In the merciful name of Jesus, amen.

A Few Key Notes

• Join us on October 12 for Levántate, a brunch to celebrate the launch of our Spanish Arise chapter, Arise Latina! We will enjoy food and fellowship as our Spanish chapter leader, Flora, shares the heart and vision of Arise Latina. Tickets are free, but space is limited! RSVP today!
• Registration for the Arise Fall Luncheon is open! Join us on November 19 in Plano, Texas. We will hear from author and missiologist David Joannes as he shares your God-given destiny and purpose in the Great Commission. Early bird tickets are $20. Reserve your seat today!