Acts 18:9-10, English Standard Version

“And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”

For many Christians, when we think about the original disciples of Christ and the Apostles and the work and the persecution that they faced, it can seem as though they are almost superhuman. No matter what they faced they never stopped serving Jesus, and Paul was no exception. Paul was a warrior for Christ and helped to spread the gospel across the Roman world. But we must remember that Paul was a human being no different than you and me.

When he was in Philippi he was beaten, and even though he was seeing some very positive things happening in Corinth, he also saw the very real resistance of much of the Jewish leadership. He would have certainly been afraid that what happened to him in Philippi (he was arrested and beaten) was going to happen again in Corinth. Later in his life when he wrote his first letter to the believers in Corinth stated in 1 Corinthians 2:3 “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling.” 

The Lord knew his heart and he responded to Paul in a very direct way. The Lord told Paul that no one would harm him and that he was to continue preaching. He also told him a very interesting detail when He said, “I have many people in this city.” The key word here is the Greek word “Eimi” and is a verb meaning to be, to exist, and to happen, all of which imply a future tense. The Lord was telling Paul that there was going to be a great harvest coming to Corinth. This would have been a great encouragement to Paul because he believed that what the Lord said was going to happen. Paul would spend approximately another 18 months in Corinth preaching the Word of the Lord, more time than he spent in any other city during his time as an apostle.

Sometimes when we are working for the Lord, we may also feel discouraged and afraid. We may feel alone, and we may even start to wonder if the work that we are doing is really having an impact. If you are reading this today and those thoughts are going through your mind, then I feel led to speak these words over you, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you.” The Lord sees your heart and He knows how you feel. He will never leave you nor forsake you and at the right time you will see the harvest!