“Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4)
In this part of the narrative, Stephen had just been stoned to death for preaching about Jesus. That triggered a widespread persecution of Christians in Jerusalem. Divergent chains of events unfolded.
Devout Christians buried Stephen and mourned over him. This was a courageous act. Whoever claimed Stephen’s body would probably have been guilty by association and at risk of being stoned too. But these brothers and sisters were devout in their love for God, which means they were also devout in their love for their slain brother, Stephen.
Those devout in their love for God will have a devout love for their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Stephen’s martyrdom triggered Saul of Tarsus to become a religious policeman who went about dragging Jerusalem Christians out of their homes and into prison. This was from his early anti-Christian zeal. His zeal is commendable, but his persecuting others is not. His theology was wrong.
Wrong theology breeds wrongdoing. We know he would later become the apostle Paul. Luke must have written this account to encourage his listeners: Look, even our feared persecutor has become our respected apostle! Take heart that God is in control!
Today, Christians are still being persecuted. You may be being persecuted in some way. Take heart! Even now, God is turning the hearts of the worst persecutors to Him. We hear stories of terrorists from other worldviews repenting and turning to Jesus. God is in control still.
Those devout in their love for God will have a devout love for their brothers and sisters in Christ.
The most significant consequence of the above series of events is that the Christians in Jerusalem scattered.
They scattered to the nearby regions of Judea and Samaria for safety. And there they preached the word.
Immediately, we remember Jesus’ last word in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
It took persecution to scatter the Christians from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria and further beyond to preach the word. A comfortable status quo is the greatest threat to the mission of the Church.
It is easy to see persecution as only a bad thing. It is bad, but not only bad. What others meant for bad, God means for good. We have to always discern what God is doing in our circumstance, even when it seems bleak. Adversity is often opportunity. Opportunity to witness to Jesus.
Let us seize every opportunity, whether in prosperity or adversity, for the Gospel.
