And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe . . . Acts 2:43
Awe (not to be in any way confused with aw as in “aw, shucks”) is the root of our now grossly overused and most often misapplied adjective: awesome. In the Greek, the awe of Acts 2:43 is the word phobos meaning fear, dread, terror and that which strikes terror.
When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost and Peter stood to teach in His power, the audience was, “pierced to the heart.” Peter never had time to give an invitation. Long before he could offer an, “If you have a decision to make, please come forward . . .,” men and women, couples and singles, young and old, rich and poor, well-known and unknown, from many different races and cultures cried out under great conviction, “What must we do?”
They were in awe. Quite obviously, in response to the truth of the Gospel message and the reality of their having sinned against a holy God causing the death of His only Son, Jesus, a level of fear, dread and terror confronted their consciences and pierced their hearts.
When is the last time you and I left our weekend worship service with a sense of awe – an Acts kind of awe? On the best of weeks we exit with a sense of awesome. It sounds something like, “Boy, that message was awesome. Wow, was that creative. Man, can he (as in the preacher) communicate.” We may even add, “Ouch, he stepped on my toes a little bit this weekend.” But, awe? Fear? Dread? Terror?
Romans 3:18 declares, “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Fear = phobos = awe. Lost men and women are missing the awe. They don’t get it. They love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. With eyes tightly shut to the truth of just who God is, they live in denial, not wanting to understand the desperateness of their situation. So, we pray for them to come to a knowledge of the truth. We interceede and ask the Holy Spirit to draw all men to Jesus.
That’s the lost, but what about us? What about the church? What about you and me? Have we lost the awe? Have we forgotten who God is and who and where we would be without Him? Are we living our lives in holy fear of Him, seeking to obey Him with a whole heart? Are we teaching our children to fear Him above all?
The early church was characterized by this awe. The fear of God produced some very practical and powerful results in their lives. They managed to keep priorities like prayer and family, in order, they experienced a supernatural unity amongst themselves, materialsm lost it’s dangerous grip, generosity took over, gratitude flowed freely, real joy replaced fake-it-till-you-make-it smiles and, “. . . the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Now that’s awesome!
Father, forgive us for losing sight of your Majesty, for growing casual, even apathetic. Forgive us for being sucked into life here on planet earth, for putting our own daily “to-do’s,” wants and desires ahead of what matters to You. Forgive us for not holding You in highest regard, for not standing in awe of You. Thank You for Your forgiveness. Now fill us afresh with Your Spirit. We want to know You! In Jesus name, we pray, amen.
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