“The Fears of a HouseChurchPlanter”
"Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked. The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God." (Acts 10:4closeActs 10:4 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. (ESV) closeActs 10:4closeActs 10:4 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. (ESV) 4 And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. (ESV) )
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.
What makes you afraid? What causes the greatest fears in people- the things they say to themselves or the things which others say to them? What does fear do to a person? Cornelius was a soldier; he had certainly faced many fears; but he knew he was no match for this Angel.
What would you do if you felt God was calling you to do something? Have you ever felt God was talking to you? What would those you know, say if you told them that God had told you to do something? Why would God take the time to talk to us? Does God need us to accomplish His purpose?
Did you see what had God taken note of regarding Cornelius (his prayers and his gifts to the poor)? Why are these things important to God? How much value do churches as an institution place on praying & giving gifts to poor people? Most people pray; what do you think might have set Cornelius’ prayer life apart in God’s mind? Do you think Cornelius experienced other unusual things in his life or was this the only incident?
What could you do that perhaps might make your prayer life, more like Cornelius’ prayer life? How about giving gifts to the poor- what is something simple, concrete, that you could do this week to give a gift to a poor person? What has kept you from giving gifts to poor people? What needs to change about your attitude regarding poor people?
Cornelius’ story has been recorded in Scripture; literally billions of people have learned about God’s work in his life. Do you have a story about God working in your life that you could share with other people? How might this be a blessing to them & encourage them to grow in their faith? How do you feel when you do something for someone else?
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. May we also, walk in both the fear of the LORD and the comfort of the Holy Spirit; for this is when His Church will grow. Amen?
Jim Buckman
