KEEP MINISTERING EVEN WHEN AFRAID

   

 

By Rev. Michael Benson Ajayi

  Acts 9:26 -27'And when  Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join  himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid  of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him, and brought  him to  the apostles, and declared unto them how he had  seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken  to him, and how he had preached boldly at  Damascus in the name of Jesus." 

    Here you have a newly converted Saul now called Paul after his miraculous spiritual rebirth by the Holy Ghost while on his way to  Syria . He had spearheaded the oppression of the early Christian using the instruments of government. 

  After his conversion , he began preaching the message of the kingdom in the same territories where he was once celebrated as a dictator. It was no surprise then that his admirers - the religious Jews turned against him with a plan to kill him . The scriptures says "Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. After a while some of the Jews plotted together to kill him." Acts 9:22‭-‬23 NLT Bible 

  He escaped by being let down a basket down the city walls. It was a very scary moment for Paul and the disciples . Regardless of the calling and the anointing ,we shall be faced with scary moments. It is part of our training as soldiers of the kingdom of God. It is at such moments that our faith in the Lord grows. 

   As a soldier ,the passion , conviction of the importance of the mission  at hand is stronger than the fear of failure or defeat . The soldier is trained to always be prepared for the worst (even if it means paying the ultimate price ) but expect the best always . Always be ready for the bad but expect the good all the time . A driver may not have a tyre puncture during a journey however , having a spare tyre gives a sense of comfort.     Walking by faith is a dangerous but very rewarding proposition , the fact that the Holy Ghost is always with us gives a sense of peace in the face of imminent danger . He said he will never leave nor forsake us , his angels encamp around us twenty four hours of the day . We are promised that the evil meant for us will eventually be turned for our good. 

      It was this assurance that made the disciples welcome the newly converted Saul into their fold : some of them had been victims of his reign of terror and saw loved ones killed by this same man yet he was in their midst a transformed person. 

   Paul went on to become a major player in the growth and strength of the church .Thank God for the acceptance despite the fear . It is human to be afraid . It is part of our survival mechanism. 

  It is important to always have a mature believer we can always turn to in times of fear , we can draw victorious  faith from their wealth of experience ,that was the role of Barnabas to the church. His timely intervention led to the church experiencing peace and growth. Acts9:27-31. We should not allow fear stop us from starting a relationship, business, ministry but trust the lord to see us through and he will .

Prayer : Heavenly father forgive me of my sins against you I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation I receive him as lord and saviour and receive the Holy Ghost and power for extraordinary progress in Jesus name.

+2348035536911 , +2348098536911 email michaelbensonajayi@gmail.com

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