Acts 8:1-8 Tells of the scattering of the disciples due to the increased persecution that broke out against the church in Jerusalem that was spearheaded by Saul. Scripture says, "Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged out both men and women and put them in prison." Saul was running from God and taking an offensive stance in fighting the Lord who He was experiencing everywhere through His followers. I like verse 4 where it shows the disciples response to this hatred and persecution. Vs 4 -"Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." The word of God continued to be shared and it intensified more and more. The more they were persecuted the bolder they got. In softball terms we used to call that "bowing your back." In other words, stand your ground. Don't go backwards. Start to move forward because you have been awakened. Churches are praying for awakening wherever I go and I pray for it too. If the response from God is like this early group of believers we can probably plan on some open persecution to get us awakened to the fact it is all Jesus and nothing else. In most churches you have to almost pay Christians to go visit anyone. And to ask anyone to give their time to go and visit their neighbors and share the gospel is unheard of. But this early group of believers defied those persecuting them and shared the gospel wherever they were scattered to. In Acts 8:5-8 scripture says, "Phillip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there and 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." When the people of that city really listened to the gospel Phillip was preaching they sensed that it was from God and responded with changed lives. Oh to have that kind of awakening in modern day American churches today. For people to really listen to the Word of God being preached and know it is from God. What a great joy would fill our fellowship of faith and the gospel would spread like wildfire. All of this stemmed from Saul persecuting the church and God sending those early believers out with the message wherever they would go. On the very day Stephen was stoned was when the persecution began immediately, and the seeds of the gospel were scattered with those who were being persecuted and God did a great work through what seemed to be a negative thing.
It's kind of like the story of Johnny Appleseed. Johnny Appleseed was a real person. His real name was John Chapman, born on September 26, 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts. He actually didn't plant orchards like the stories tell, but established nurseries that grew apple trees in Pennsylvania and Ohio. He would establish the nurseries and build fences around them to keep out the animals and then get a neighbor to care for the trees. He would then come back every two or three years to tend the nursery. He was considered a Nurseryman and his desire to establish apple trees showed a pure commitment to the thing he loved the most. Seeing apples grow on the trees he had started.
The early Christians who were persecuted in Acts 8: 1-8 were like Johnny Appleseed. Their love for Jesus and the message of hope compelled them to establish believers wherever they went and many of those early believers were later followed up on by Saul, now Paul, on his missionary journeys. Just imagine, the very one who persecuted them and caused them to flee the comfort of their close fellowship with each other was the one who scattered the seed of the gospel of Jesus Christ when he was still a non-believer. God had great plans for Saul and the gospel he was rejecting was going to impact his life very soon and the world would never be the same.
This scripture compels us to take the seed of the gospel with us wherever we go, sharing the message of Christ to all who will listen. Just like the ones who listened intently to Phillip's message, those we share it with will have to respond in some way or the other because of the truth of that message.
Do you believe in the truth of God's Word?
Have you looked intently at the message it presents to you?
Do you share God's Word so others can respond to it's message?
If we are not sharing the message then they will not hear it. In Romans 10:14-15 the apostle Paul tells the roman Christians "But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, "How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news."
We have good news. Time to share it. Get the Johnny Appleseed mentality and share it wherever you go. You never know what you may get started....AWAKENING!!!
The Pilgrimage continues.....
David Warren
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