“Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied” (Acts 9:31).
Throughout the scriptures, the word “peace” is used to indicate a spirit of tranquility and freedom from either inward or outward disturbance. And the word is used to indicate peace with God, peace with our fellowman, and personal peace.
In this passage, Luke ties together some interesting benefits of peace. As a result of this peace, the churches mentioned here “were edified,” meaning their knowledge of God’s way increased.
As well, these churches experienced growth as a result of their “fear of the Lord” and of their receiving the “comfort of the Holy Spirit.” This “fear” came as a result of their learning about God, and this “comfort” came as a result of their realizing they were doing what God commanded.
So, our spiritual success is really centered around edification or knowledge. The more we learn from scripture, the better equipped we are to develop into the kind of wholesome, spiritually minded individual God wants us to be.
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