Scattered

Acts 8:2–8

“Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.“

The persecution of one led to the same for many. The scattering of the earliest followers of Christ because of persecution, however, led to the spreading of the Gospel, instead of fear, those who were scattered preached the Word wherever they went (v. 4) like seeds dispersed by the wind, reaching the places the LORD commissioned the disciples to “therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19)”, and they did become His “witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8),” like the Apostle Philip (v. 5). It even appeared as if it is the actions of Christianity’s detractors that hastened its expansion. Of course we can only speculate what could have been, but we do not need to speculate what God has made clear about Himself, that He is sovereign and He takes into account the free will of humanity for His purposes. We learned this from the beginning, the first book of Scripture and the forefather, Joseph: ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them (Gen 50:17–21).” The Apostle Paul, this erstwhile persecutor of the early Church at the death of St. Stephen, when he himself turned around on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, assures us as well “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).” God is simply sovereign and indeed if our purposes or activities are only of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, no one will be able to stop us and will only find themselves fighting against God (Acts 5:39). The rise of the Christian faith in the First Century is testament to God’s unimaginable power, the same power responsible for the resurrection, that is why, as an historian, eminent British New Testament scholar NT Wright notes “I cannot explain the rise of early Christianity unless Jesus rose again, leaving an empty tomb behind Him.” God’s sovereign power is still with us today, no doubt about it and whatever we experience good and bad in our eyes, God has orchestrated for His purposes, He is good, and so we can trust Him. A final important note from today’s passages is that the Gospel brings joy (v. 8), indeed salvation does, and so as we share God’s message of love and hope, we bring joy into the lives of others, the presence of the Father and His power and the indwelling of His Spirit through trusting in the work of His Son, Jesus Christ, because honor and majesty surround God, strength and joy fill His dwelling (I Chron 6:27).”