Persecution Causes the Word to Spread

Transcript

GR 1598
03/27/11
Persecution Causes the Word to Spread
Acts 8:1-8
Gil Rugh

We'll be going to Acts 8 in our Bibles. Often we as believers think and it’s probably the desire of all of our heart if we're honest, that God would use us. And often in that context we are hoping He will use us by making us influential, successful, put us in positions of honor, power or influence, maybe even give us lots of money, those things that would give us leverage in the world. And we think it would make us more effective in representing Jesus Christ. And God does use some whom He has blessed in some of those ways. But we need to remind ourselves, God's methods are not our methods and we spend sometimes too much time thinking how effective we would be for the Lord if I changed my approach.

Come back to Isaiah 55. And the chapter opens up with a gracious invitation to come and receive the salvation that is found in God that He graciously bestows as a gift upon all who come to Him. Ho everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. You who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come; buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Jump down to verse 6, seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man His thoughts, and let him return to the Lord. And He will have compassion on him and to our God for He will abundantly pardon. Now note this, for My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor is your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth. It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

God's methods are not man's methods and God's ways are not man's ways. Very simply, God uses His word to supernaturally accomplish His purposes. He does not have to have the mighty, the powerful, the influential, and the prosperous. That's the way the world thinks and those are the people the world looks to—those who are successful. There is no reason to interview those who have not made a lot of money; we want to hear what the billionaires have to say. We're not even interested in the millionaires anymore. What do the billionaires have to say? Or what do those people in positions of power and influence have to say? We think, if only we had more believers in those kinds of positions, think of what could be done for the Lord. How often have you thought, if the Lord would only save that person, what an impact that would make? And then we are reminded, My ways are not your ways, My word always accomplishes what I intend. It's not so much the person; it's the word of God. God uses people but they are simply instruments conveying the word which accomplishes God's purposes.

Come over to I Corinthians 1, another very familiar passage. Verse 26, God's ways are considered foolish by the world's standards, to have His Son come to earth, be rejected, suffer and die the awful death of crucifixion as the way of providing salvation for sinful people, as Paul makes clear in chapter 1 of this letter. The world sees this as foolishness. Verse 26, for consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble. He doesn't say not any as we've noted, but that's not the general plan. The call of God to salvation has really drawn the average person. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and despised God has chosen. Note three times in verses 27-28 the emphasis is on God has chosen, God has chosen, God has chosen. The things which are not so that He may nullify the things that are. Why does He do it this way? So that no man may boast before God. When all is said and done, all the honor, all the glory goes to God as he'll write a little bit later to the Corinthians. We have the treasure of the word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ in these earthen vessels so all the glory will be given to God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption so that just as it is written, let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.

In all of this He uses weak, unimportant people generally speaking, who are not people of power and wealth and influence in the world and the world system. But He does this so He gets all the glory. He uses things that the world would not think are usable—weakness, suffering, persecution, difficulties, and trials as Paul writes later to the Corinthians. He came to realize that when I am weak, then I am strong because in my weakness God uses me to bring glory to Himself. And what greater power and strength could I have to be an instrument that brings glory to God. So when I am weak, I am strong.

Come back to Acts 8. That's the kind of situation we're coming to in the relatively early history of the church. Stephen, a man gifted by God, a man greatly used in his relatively short life to make a dramatic impact in the ministry of the early church has suffered a great injustice, a miscarriage of justice, a mockery of a trial. Before he even went to trial, the judges who are also the jury are already set in their opposition to him. He has died a terrible death, been murdered, and stoned to death. His family, his friends, the early church had to be stunned at this turn of events. There has been suffering up to this point on occasion, but now we've crossed a major line. One of their numbers has died the death of stoning. What good could come of this? Just shows the wretchedness of sinful men, and it does. But it shows you the sovereign hand of God in choosing to use the most miserable of circumstances, the most painful of situations to accomplish His purposes and to expand the impact and ministry of the gospel.

Really the suffering and death of Stephen is going to result in the gospel being carried to places that the Jews had not imagined to this point. We're talking about the Jewish believers who make up the church, had not yet understood and definitely did not understand how God would do it.

When we come to Acts 8 we come to the second major division in the book of Acts. Back up to Acts 1:8, this sets the general outline of the book. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be My witnesses. Wow, the power of God indwelling them so they can be witnesses for Him. And they will be witnesses in Jerusalem, that's the first seven chapters of the book of Acts. When we come to chapter 8, we come to the second major division of the book. You shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, that's going to cover chapters 8-12. And even to the remotest parts of the earth, beyond the confines of Palestine, even the general region, beyond now to the Gentiles, even carried across to Europe. The gospel is going to spread. You know from the perspective of looking back over history as we read it in the book of Acts as the history of what has happened, we can appreciate the overall impact. But you know these people living through it, the early church, the believers, and the family of Stephen to accept that this is part of the sovereign plan of God. How often we say, I can see no good that can come out of this, I don't see any way the Lord would use this, this is a catastrophe. There are no such events in the plan of God for us as His people. You understand that. There are no overwhelming catastrophes. I'm not minimizing the pain and suffering that comes into our lives. I mean, the death that Stephen died was awful and the impact on his family and friends and the church family was great. But it's not a catastrophe. Everything is under control. God simply used the sinful rebellion of men to elevate Stephen to his heavenly home and carry out His plan to carry the gospel to a lost and dying world.

And even as we come back to Acts 8, we as God's people today need to remember that. In the good times and in what we would call the bad times God is sovereign and He is working His purposes. They couldn't understand at this point how significant the death of Stephen was, the impact it would be having and how God would use it. The immediate impact is horrible. Acts 8 opens up, and Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. You know a reminder that the work of God is not dependent on a man or men, on people. God in His mercy and grace uses people. We are privileged to be instruments of His grace and His servants in our functioning. But you know what? If the Lord doesn't come, all of us will pass off the scene. But the work of the Lord will go on as it has for millenniums. That's an encouragement, isn't it? What would the church be now that a man like Stephen is gone? It will be what God intends it to be. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My word will not pass away, Jesus said in Matthew 24. The word of God is eternal, that goes on. We are instruments that God uses, but when we pass off the scene, the work of God continues on. We are testimonies to that. Our forefathers, parents, grandparents, we go back and can study the history of the church after the book of Acts and individuals so greatly used of God. They pass off the scene and here we are by the grace of God, a church around the world, a testimony to God's work. So Stephen dies and God's intentions are to move the church out from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the world.

We were introduced to Saul in Acts 7:58, where when they are stoning Stephen, the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 8:1, Saul was in hearty agreement. He'll be mentioned again in verse 3. Three times in these verses. Who would have thought that the leading instigator here, the one drawn to the attention as being at the forefront in this death of Stephen is the very man who will be the key instrument in carrying the gospel to an extent that the early church did not understand.

Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. He's not just a passive observer; he's just not inclined that way. He fully supported the action. Later on in Acts 22 after Saul's conversion and he gives his testimony, he'll refer to that fact, that he was here giving his approval. This will become even clearer when we get down to verse 3 when it is Saul who will take the leadership role in attempting to wipe out the early church and put a stop to the preaching of the gospel. Who would have thought that day you know how easy it would be to be filled with the resentment and hatred of Saul as you see him there giving hearty approval to the stoning of the godly Stephen, as family and friends to see him then lead a persecution. You would say, if anyone deserves the judgment of God in hell it would be this man, he'll get what he deserves. And little would you know. Sometimes you hear Christians say in a difficult time supposedly as God's representatives calling down the wrath of God on people. You know, these things are in God's hands. We ought to follow the godly example of Stephen in Acts 7:60 who in his final words asked God to forgive those who were stoning him. And God will and in His plan Saul will be the instrument.

Verse 1 continues, on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem. That's the only church there is at this point, there is one church, and it’s the church at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the apostles. You know earlier a man named Gamaliel had counseled the Sanhedrin. Come back to Acts 5. Verse 33 is a result of the testimony of Peter and the apostles. The Jewish leadership is cut to the heart, and they intend to kill, verse 33, the apostles. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by the people stood up in the council. This same council that is leading the way in the death of Stephen. And warned them. Verse 35, men of Israel, take care what you purpose to do to these men. Then he gives an example of a formal leader who rose up and got 400 followers but he was killed and that movement came to nothing. Then there was another man, Judas of Galilee, verse 37, and his actions came to nothing. Then he warned them, verse 38, so in the present case I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone. For if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. Or else you may even be found to be fighting against God.

The Jewish leaders have already been guilty in the execution of the leadership of these people. Christ has died. Gamaliel says, now let's see, His followers will dissipate over time. Be careful. If God is in this, you don't want to be found to be fighting against God. Isn't it interesting, when we get over to Acts 22, Paul will tell us that he studied under this very Gamaliel. And yet what Gamaliel has said has been true here. We don't know that Gamaliel ever became a saved man, but Saul who studied under him did.

But the momentum has changed. This caution, this reserve has been thrown to the wind and now there is an overt, aggressive response against the early church. And Saul will take the lead. And back in Acts 8:1, the persecution began against the church in Jerusalem and the result is they are scattered outside of Jerusalem, the expanded region. Judea is that region in which Jerusalem is found. And then Samaria is that region on the west side of the Jordan between Judea and Galilee, the region of Galilee up by the Sea of Galilee. So Samaria is that region. So you see they have moved out from the city of Jerusalem to surrounding regions and even further, going north into Samaria. In line with Acts 1:8, you will receive power and you'll be witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. And little did they understand that they would be doing that because they would be persecuted and driven out of the city. Scattered.

The apostles remain in Jerusalem. When we studied the gift of apostleship in connection with our study in Romans, we noted that the apostles, part of their gift was to provide the leadership for the church. And so the leadership for the church as it expands out will remain in Jerusalem, focused in the apostles.

Come over to Acts 15 as an example of this. Further north in Antioch, men came there, Acts 15 opens up, and some men came down from Judea. Now we're going north but you always go down from Jerusalem in the region of Judea no matter where you are going. So don't get confused, you are going north here but you're going down from Judea. And they began teaching the brethren, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. And Paul and Barnabas opposed this teaching. And there is dissension in the church at Antioch. So what do they do? They journey to Jerusalem, verse 2. Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders there. So you see the leadership and final authority for the church at this time is centered in Jerusalem. And that is recognized, and that keeps the church united in apostolic authority and apostolic doctrine. So the final word on the acceptance of this doctrine or the rejection of it will rest with the apostles who remain centered.

So rather than the apostles getting scattered out, which would make it hard then to get a resolution to these kinds of issues, they remain centered in the plan of God to Jerusalem. So when these issues come up in outlying churches as they are planted, there is a place where the apostles are together as a group and can keep the church from become fragmented with differing doctrines. It will still be a battle, but that's the plan of God here, why the apostles are able to stay in this persecution. No other answer, but it's the plan of God.

In this, what about Stephen? The persecution, well some, verse 2, reminds us of what happens. Some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him. We are reminded it's been a terrible blow to believers, to the church that a man of godly character and reputation has experienced such a death. And so there is great mourning over his death, it's a loss. A grief to the believers even knowing Stephen saw heaven opened, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. So they don't have to weep for him in the sense that it has been a terrible loss for him, but it is a loss for them. It is great grief to see a godly man die in this way. And a reminder, there was great sorrow as these are godly men who are lamenting over him. Even for us, we know loved ones go to glory if they are believers upon death, it doesn't change the fact there is sorrow, there is grief. We don't grieve as those who have no hope, but we do grieve. We don't cease being human. We look forward to the day when separation will be over, but there is great lamentation made over him.

That just is a brief statement and we move on because the book of Acts is concerned to move the history of the church along. We don't park; we don't stop because the work of God is going on. So verse 3 picks up, but Saul began ravaging the church. I mean, this is not the end; this is the beginning of an intense persecution like nothing the church has seen. It's going to be so severe that believers are driven out from Jerusalem. You understand what this would be, it would be like all of a sudden a persecution breaks out in our city and you have to leave the city and move out and away, and even out of the county. And there is not a lot of time because you'll see what's happening here.

Verse 3, he began ravaging the church, that's a strong word. It's used to refer to a wild beast tearing apart another animal. In Galatians 1:13 Paul himself in giving his testimony to the Galatians said his goal was to destroy the church. So it is a concentrated strong action. This same word is used in other contexts of a military action which is to destroy the enemy. So when we say Saul began ravaging the church, he is attempting to tear it apart, to destroy it and bring it to an end. And we won't take the time to look at Paul's repeated testimony, later we'll come to it in the book of Acts and then in a number of his letters—I Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, I Timothy Paul refers to the fact that he was a persecutor of the church.

And note what this goes to, entering house after house and dragging off men and women, he would put them into prison. That's why I say the impact is immediate and great. I mean, what do you do? You tell your family to gather up any belongings you can quickly and we have to leave. That means you are not going to your job tomorrow, it means you are leaving your house. Why? Because Saul's men may be coming and breaking down the door before the night is over. They may be here tomorrow. And men and women alike, Saul is showing no mercy. What do you do? Who is going to take care of the kids if Mom and Dad get hauled off? Do you think Saul is concerned about that?

So we read these and it's easy to read it and say, yes, that was terrible. You understand you try to read this and try to think what it would be like there. It throws lives into turmoil. What do you do if you have to leave town tonight or early tomorrow? I mean, everything I can take I gather and I go. And who do we know somewhere out of town that we might go and see if we can stay with? But I have to be careful because if they are not believers Paul's persecution is going to be reaching out to other areas. So I just can't go and stay with a friend that I met at work and we've maintained a friendship because now I'm a believer and I'm on the run.

And so it seems like everything has come apart. A church that had been experiencing such blessing. Come back to Acts 2:41, on the Day of Pentecost those who had received his word were baptized, that day there were added about 3,000 souls. Down in verse 47, the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. Acts 4:4, many of those who heard the message believed, the number of the men came to be about 5,000. Over in Acts 5:14, all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women were constantly added to their number. Acts 6:7, the word of God kept on spreading, the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem. A great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. The impact is so much that even unbelieving Jews have been impressed. Back in Acts 4:21, the Sanhedrin would have liked to have meted out greater punishment, but verse 21 says all they did was threaten them. And they let them go on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened. In Acts 5:13, none of the rest of the people dared to associate with them; however the people held them in high esteem. Acts 5:26, the captain went along with the officers, proceeded to bring them back, the apostles, without violence. They were afraid of the people that they might be stoned. It seemed like people were being saved, even those who haven't believed are holding believers in high honor and respect and amazement.

And then it's like the wheels have come off. You come to Acts 7, you have Stephen get stoned and all of a sudden the church in Jerusalem is shattered, broken into pieces. And people that made up the church, the believers, are scattering for their lives. What has happened? Some people say we want the church to be like the church in the early chapters of Acts. Well think about that before you say it. I mean, there was the blessing of God but that was followed rather quickly by shattering persecution.

When I was in China, I've shared with you before the believers there said they always kept a little bag by the door because you never knew when they were going to come for you as a believer. Did these believers have a bag by the door? I don't know. Some say, I want to have the church like the days of Acts. Pack your little bag by the door; you may have to leave tonight.

Is it out of control? What happened? What have we done wrong? Maybe Stephen shouldn't have said what he said. Things were going so well and the blessing of God was upon us. You understand now with the church being shattered the blessing of God is upon them. It wouldn't look like it if you were there, they are scattering for their lives. But the blessing of God is upon them. This is part of God's plan and God's purpose. So in that sense it's not a catastrophe, its part of the work of God.

Verse 4, therefore those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. So you see the contrast. Verse 3, Paul is ravaging the church, tearing it apart, attempting to destroy it, and dragging them off to prison, men and women alike. No mercy being shown here. Therefore those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. So in one sense everything has changed, in another nothing has changed. What were they to be doing in Jerusalem? In the good times? When the people held them in high esteem? When people were being saved in great numbers? They were to be preaching the word faithfully. What are they to be doing now? The church has been shattered by persecution. Preach the word wherever you go. And that becomes the emphasis, a focus throughout the rest of the chapter 8. They were scattered and went about preaching the word. Verse 5, Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. Come down to verse 12, but when they had believed, Philip, preaching the good news. Down to verse 25, so when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of God and were preaching the gospel to many villages. Down in verse 35, Philip opened his mouth and began from this scripture. He preached Jesus to him. Verse 40, Philip found himself at Azotus; he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities.

Follow the ministry of Philip and what is going on with those who are scattered. Verse 4, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. We're going to pick up with one of those—Philip. But this is what those who were scattered........... Why did God scatter them? To do what He said they would do. You will receive Power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem. But now the church is torn apart in Jerusalem. So what do we do? Did you hear Me? You will be My witnesses. So now you are in Judea and Samaria. Be My witnesses. And soon they'll be driven to the uttermost parts of the earth. What are they to do? Be My witnesses. You know we can't take our eyes off the ball, so to speak. What are we to do? What are we to be at the church in the good times and bad times? Well, people don't want to hear the word so we have evangelical churches all over doing all kinds of silly, goofy things. But when people are breaking down the doors to come and hear the word, are honoring you as a believer and respecting you it seems, for your testimony, give them the word. And when they hate you for it and don't want anything to do with the church and are making life difficult for you, what do we do? Be His witnesses. And so that is what is going on here.

Therefore those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. You know God's ways are not our ways. I would have thought, Lord, Stephen was a godly man. You used him mightily, he not only preached the word with power, and he did miracles. Couldn't you have just told him, go to Samaria? Couldn't you have just had prophets in the church at Jerusalem? You have the apostles there couldn't you have just sent an angel? And so Peter and John could have stood up and said the Lord appeared to us and half the church is to move out to other places and wanted to give you time to prepare and go do that. That's the way I would have done it. Some of you could get jobs in other places. Why don't you begin to look for another job in another place and move out? Wouldn't that have been better than having Stephen stoned to death? Have families torn apart? Husbands and wives hauled off to prison? I mean, this just isn't the way we would do it. My ways are not your ways, says the Lord. And so that's why we obey Him and I can't always understand. Why do you do it this way? Why did this pain, this difficulty come into our lives? Lord, we were trying to be faithful, we were trying to serve you, it seemed out lives were making an impact, our testimonies were faithful. Now this has come and it has just upset our family, it has upset our testimony. I don't know why the Lord does it, I don't have any answer. People come and say, why would the Lord do this? I have to tell them, I don't know. I'm not God. I can sympathize, I can empathize, but I can't say why God did that. So here, but His purposes, as we look back are being accomplished.

Verse 5, Philip went down; we're going to pick up the ministry of Philip. He went down to the city of Samaria and began to proclaim Christ to them. Come back to Acts 6:5, the church was to select men, verse 3, from among you. Seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom who are godly men to be put in charge of the necessary task. So verse 5, the statement found approval and the church at Jerusalem chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit. We just saw the death of him in chapter 7. And Philip. So here is a man who is full of the Spirit and of wisdom and he is being used of the Lord now. Stephen had to die in the plan of God; Philip will go on with a ministry to other places.

Come back to Acts 8. He is going to Samaria. Samaria is not an easy place to go to. Philip is a Jew. Remember the woman at the well in John 4, the Samaritan woman? And when Jesus asked her to give Him a drink of water, she couldn't believe a Jew would even talk to a Samaritan. And then we're told there in John 4:9 that the Jews and Samaritans have no dealings with one another. In fact the normal way for Jews because to go from Judea, Jerusalem which was in Judea, up to Galilee, the shortest way and easiest way was to go through Samaria. But the Jews, if time permitted and it was possible, they would go out around the other side of the Jordan and up to avoid Samaria. The Samaritans are mixed blood Jews.

We don't have time to go back to the Old Testament, but in II Kings 17 you have the fall of the northern kingdom, the northern ten tribes are taken into captivity by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. And what the Assyrians did was deport Jews out of the land. That was their practice, when they conquered an area they would deport large numbers of the people out of their homeland, less chance of rebellion. Resettle them in a strange area and then bring people from another part of their kingdom that they had conquered and repopulate the area. What happens is these Jews that are left in the land by the Assyrians and the incoming non-Jews that are resettled in the land by the Assyrians intermarried. And of course that becomes a problem for the Jews; they become mixed in with non-Jewish blood. And with this and if you read the account there you find out that the religions get mixed. And so they claim to be worshiping God but they also maintain their worship of their other gods. And what happens is the Samaritans over time develop their own religion, their own religious center at Mt. Gerizim. Remember the Samaritan woman said, the Jews say that you should worship in Jerusalem but we worship at this mount. You have now, even though they are not Gentiles, they are mixed blood Jews and not accepted as Jews.

Here goes Philip to the Samaritans. What a strange way. But where are you going to go? Well the Spirit of God directs him into Samaria, not one of the places the Jews would have thought of going to evangelize. But it's part of the plan of God. They haven't thought of carrying the gospel beyond Judaism at this point. They go to Samaria.

He is proclaiming Christ to them. Interesting, you come to the Samaritans and you proclaim the Jewish Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One to them. You know its one thing to proclaim that Jesus is the Christ to the Jews, but you'll note the Samaritans didn't even accept any of the Old Testament scriptures except the first five books of Moses. They accepted the first five books of Moses, the Pentateuch as scripture. The rest of the Jewish Old Testament they rejected. But here in the plan of God He sends Philip to the Samaritans and preached Christ to them.

And amazingly, the crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip. The gospel rejected by the Jews, represented by their leaders is now carried to the despised Samaritans and they in the sovereign plan of God have receptiveness. They are hearing the message of Christ and it is being validated with signs, miracles, because here is a new message to a new people. And just like Stephen back in Acts 6 we're told that he was preaching with power and doing miracles and signs. So these coming out from Jerusalem are really functioning as apostolic representatives with the apostolic gospel, the gospel entrusted to the apostles. Now they come out and proclaim it to the Samaritans and they are hearing, that message is being confirmed by miracles. In the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them; shouting with a loud voice and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

And we talked about the fact God's intention here is to validate the message. Why would the Samaritans believe this message? It is God's intention to save them now and He gives them confirmation that the message of the Christ, the Messiah of Israel who was crucified and raised from the dead is true, is confirmed in Philip's ministry with mighty miracles. And so you see God moves out. He could have performed a mighty miracle before Israel. The stones that were thrown at Stephen could have dissipated, could have failed in killing him. Later that will happen to Paul when he is stoned. He gets up and is fine. God could have done a mighty miracle there. Stephen was a man who had done miracles. What a powerful demonstration it would have been if he had just waved his hands and the stones had just stopped in midair. That might have been the way I would have done it, just have Stephen stand there and have those stones being thrown with all their might. And remember they even took off their robes to throw them harder. He could have just put up his hands and those stones could have just hung in the air. I would have had those stones do a u-turn that would have been a miracle. God's ways are not mine and when people do something mean or cruel to us or our family we often spend time thinking about what we would like to happen to them. We don't sometimes voice it but we sometimes think about it, don't we?

But that's not the way God did it. But here He sends Philip off to those dirty old Samaritans that Jews don't have anything to do with. And prepares them to receive the gospel and validates it for them. The Jews have had their time, they have had the message validated with miracles through the ministry of Christ, through the ministry of the apostles and Stephen and others like him. They have rejected it. Their opportunity is passing; it is really past even though the gospel will continue to be preached in Jerusalem. But the ministry here, the signs have come and it's going out beyond that.

There was much rejoicing in that city, verse 8. The grace of God has brought salvation to the Samaritans. And up through chapter 12 we will be focusing on this, moving to Judea and Samaria. But we'll get an inkling in this because even in this region, in Judea, we're going to get the Gentiles brought under the sound of the gospel with salvation occurring. That will prepare the way for chapter 13 where the focal point of the gospel will then be on the areas that are Gentile fully through the ministry of the Apostle Paul.

Just a reminder to us. In our difficulties, we may not suffer the same kind of persecution, but the principal is the same. We keep our focus on what God says it must be as His church, as His people individually. I don't know what trials God may bring into my life and your life, our life as a church. Some of them are physical trials; some of them are financial trials, a variety. Persecution may come, your job, you may be dealt with unfairly because people have a bias against you because of your faith. We don't know, but we have the confidence in knowing that God is in control. I may not be able to understand, humanly speaking, why He chose to do it this way. I mean, Stephen was being a great testimony for Him as it was. Why would God do it this way? That's where I trust Him. We walk by faith and not by sight. I want to trust Him every step of the way and I want to prepare myself every day to be living a life trusting Him so that if in His plan there are greater trials for me, it has become the pattern of my life just to trust Him and to remind myself I am to be a witness for Him in whatever situation He chooses to place me, in whatever circumstance He places me, whatever trials He brings into my life. And as I submit to Him and His purposes, then His will is accomplished in my life and through my life. And what am I? I am a slave of the living God and He is the sovereign Lord. And what great comfort is that. Nothing is out of control. The death of Stephen, not out of God's control; the persecution and shattering of the church, everything is under control. You can't take much with you, how you are going to live, what you are going to do, what are these poor believers going to do that are in prison. Everything is under control. I don't know what the next step is all the time but God does and so I can trust Him.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the history of the church in these early days. Lord, lessons for us as your church and your people today. What a comfort it is to be reminded that you are a sovereign God. Everything is always under your control and we are your people. The greatest tragedies, the most severe pain, the greatest trials do not frustrate your purpose and plans for us. They are part of your work in our lives; you use them for our good and your glory. And it is good for us to be reminded. Thank you, Lord that 2,000 years later the church hasn't been shattered and broken into pieces, it has been expanded and we in a part of the world unknown to these early believers now can be testimonies of your grace and the greatness of your salvation. Lord, may in our daily walk we keep our eyes focused upon you, live with gratitude that you are working your purposes in our lives individually and in the lives of our church. May that be true in the week before us. We pray in Christ's name, amen.