Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. Acts 9:31
I remember a few of the things I learned half a century or so ago in high school, including some of the interesting details of my history courses. One of those details was a period in the history of the Roman empire called the Pax Romana. For some 200 years, the empire was not at war. During that 200 years of peace, the people could relax from all of the wars of conquest and the many battles that had shaped and built the empire. Instead of pouring all of the resources into military campaigns, the empire could devote its energies to building roads and aquaducts, providing services to the disadvantaged, supporting industries and commerce, and making the streets and public places safe for citizens to enjoy. The Pax Romana reminds me of the golden period described in today’s text when the Christians enjoyed safety, comfort, and growth. It’s a golden age we should strive for today.
Christians in many places in the world do not enjoy the safety that is ours in North America. Our right to gather as an Assembly and to function according to the Word of God is entrenched in our constitutions. Although we take this liberty for granted far too much, we should contemplate those who lack it, and gain fresh appreciation for it. Although the period of rest for the Assemblies during this period in the book of Acts was probably short, only a few years at the most, we have enjoyed this type of rest for a long time, certainly for a longer period than any of us can even remember. Without fear, we can conduct Assembly meetings, hold Gospel and children’s meetings, share Gospel tracts and calendars, and openly witness to others of what God has done for us. Let us give thanks for this.
The peaceful climate in which we as Christians and Assemblies reside makes for wonderful opportunities for building up the people of God. Our text speaks of edifying; in those early days, the work of the apostles was to teach the people because the New Testament Scriptures were not yet available. Today, we have no apostles, but we all have Bibles, and we have godly brethren, including full-time workers, who devote much of their time in teaching the saints and in building up the spiritual health of Assemblies. When it comes to edification, any lack is our own fault.
Assemblies grew and flourished during the period of our text. Christians moved outward from Jerusalem and took the Gospel, and more testimonies were planted and more Gospel was preached. Today, we are sadly seeing the opposite among many of our smaller and rural Assemblies. Gospel outreach is flagging, and aging saints are struggling to keep the little testimonies going. The opportunity to be a witness is there, but it is being stifled by population shift and by apathy. And that is sad.
God has granted us a period of rest and peace, of edification, and of Gospel outreach. Are we doing all we can to use this time for Him? -Jim MacIntosh