[Acts 8:1-8 (ESV)]
And Saul approved of his execution.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
Perspective Check
So, we've been talking about mission for awhile. But you're thinking... life has been hard. It's been difficult. So, because of these things, we put missions on hold. until things get better. until our lives are in order.
But the gospel doesn't tell us to take hardship lightly. God wants us to be honest to Him about our sufferings. In the psalms, David comes to God honestly about his suffering. In the gospel, we are told of a God who came through hardship personally. God is not some being far away, but rather one who has intimately experienced the human experience, including suffering.
On the other side, the gospel also gives us power during the times of hardship & suffering. Outreach, relationships, and ministry does not need to be put on hold during difficulty. While there are times for us to mourn and rest, in wisdom, putting these callings "on hold" should not be our default action. In the scriptures, we find that sufferings are used for the advancement of the kingdom. Paul's ministry was not a cakewalk. It was tough, but much fruit came of that suffering through ministry.
"Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." - 1 Peter 4:19 (ESV)
So how does this work?
For context of our passage.
"Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep." - Acts 7:54-60 (ESV)
The church loses one of it's leaders. The persecution of the church was escalating. People were suffering. But what happens... the people of the church are scattered and where they go, they preach the gospel.
Scattering
The "scattering" here is not a haphazard scattering. But rather scattering like a farmer scattering seeds. In other words, purposeful planting. Notice, that not everyone was scattered. The apostles stayed behind in Judea. Up until this point, the apostles were doing all the ministry. Suddenly, in light of all this persecution, the everyday christian goes preaching and into ministering to people. Phillip goes to Samaria. He preaches the gospel and does work in the name of Christ. (Word & Deed)
Consider how WE would have done it.
Certainly, we would not have chosen suffering. We would make a banner. We would send people out. Letting people die? Killing one of the church leaders? God is throwing a curve ball here. This is not what we think it is. God uses suffering to mobilize the church.
The main story line of the Gospel is God ins His Sovereignty using hardship to bring about good... not through ease, comfort, and strength... but hardship.
The christian path is one of hardship. It is not the easy road. Consider the apostles. Consider Paul. Consider Jesus.
Consider the case of China.
When the communists came to power, they kicked out all the foreign missionaries in 1949. The missionaries were heartbroken. They believed it was the end of the road for the church. But now there are 30-40 more Christians than in 1949. What happened? The Chinese pastors and lay people stepped up. The foreign missionaries went to various unreached Asian nations. The kingdom advanced.
Consider where Renewal came from.
We were originally part of Emmanuel. A suburbanite church. We went to church and we went home to the suburbs. No one wanted to live in the city. We saw it as a dangerous place. Then one of the deacons was murdered. A carjacking by local kids. There were people in the church who wanted to leave. It's dangerous in the city. But others said, God is doing something. Now the church has turned outwards toward the city. Now, the west philly campus' purpose and vision is to reach the city.
Application - How God can use your suffering to accomplish His mission...
1. As you come alongside fellow suffers...
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." - 2 Cor 1:3-4
When we have suffered, we can comfort others in their suffering. We have been there.
2. As the world watches the way you suffer...
C.S. Lewis was once asked the question that eventually appears on every believer’s radar screen, "Why do the righteous suffer?" His reply was, "Why not? They’re the only ones who can take it."
Believers can go through suffering and still rejoice. People who have faith in Christ are not crushed during tough times. Because we know of Jesus who went through suffering, yet it ended in glory and kingdom advancement.
Consider the family of Ed Thomas...
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