The Book of Acts Chapter 18: (pt 6 of 16)

Among those Jews who believed was a man named Crispus, who was the president of the synagogue. He, along with his entire household, believed in the Lord Jesus and was baptized. Many of the Gentile Corinthians also believed in Jesus, and they were baptized as well.

“The Lord said to Paul by a vision in the night, “Do not be afraid, and do not be silent, because I am with you, and no one will assault you to harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them —Acts 18:9-11

I agree with the translators of the NASB when they render verses 9 and 10 in this way:

“And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city’” —Acts 18:9-10 (NASB)

What the Lord literally said was, “Stop being afraid, but keep right on speaking . . .” The present imperative, utilized in these two verbs, suggests that Paul should stop being afraid (in other words, he was indeed afraid) and that he should keep on preaching (which implies he was tempted to quit). Paul was afraid, and he must have been contemplating keeping silent.

Can anyone blame him for feeling this way? I know if it was me, I might consider lightning up” a little. I know that if he had been married, his wife would be nagging him to tone it down. Here’s a man who has endured more pain at this point in time than any of us will ever experience (and his sufferings are just beginning). His experiences strongly suggest that he was about to suffer even more at the hand of unbelieving Jews (and perhaps some unbelieving Gentiles as well—remember Philippi). Paul seemed to be the “lightning rod” for the opposition. There are just some people that just seem to bring the anger out of other people . . . When Paul came to town, something dramatic usually happened. And when he left, things settled down, even when he left Silas and Timothy behind. Maybe, just maybe, Paul was thinking about keeping a low profile and toning down the dogmatic way he presented Jesus as Israel’s Messiah.

If interested, you can download the entire study of The Story of Acts