Acts 8:4

Acts 8:4 - Those who had been scattered preached the Word wherever they went.

What the devil meant for harm, God turned around and used for good. The early church was under a lot of persecution. People were being beaten, thrown into prison and even killed. It did not look good. Christians were being scattered to outlying towns and villages to avoid persecution. It may have looked like the enemy was getting the upper hand, but God had a plan.
God always has a plan. As the Christians were scattered they preached the gospel. Wherever they went, God went with them and the message of Christ spread. Now, just to keep it straight, God was not the one causing the persecution. He does not want harm to come to His children.

We, however, live in a fallen world. Because of the choices of man, sin entered into the world and now bad things will happen. God does not cause them to happen, but He will make good come out of them for all those who Love Him.

If you trust in Him, God will take all of the bad things in your life and bring good out of them. Sometimes this is hard to remember, especially when we are going through the hard times, but it is the truth and we need to hold onto it. Jesus tells us that we will face hard times because we are in the world, but then He reminds us that He has overcome the world.

So, the next time that you are going through something difficult, don’t let it get you down. Instead, do like these early Christians and find a way to continue your message of spreading the gospel. Look for the good to come out of every situation.

Luke 23:34a

Luke 23:34a – Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

        It was right in the middle of persecution. While these men were mocking Him, ridiculing Him, beating Him and ultimately killing Him, Jesus could look past it and see the broken, hurting people inside. It was for these very men that Jesus was enduring the cross. As they were nailing Him to the cross Jesus saw them through the eyes of Love and had compassion for them.

        Jesus told us we are to Love our enemies and right here we see Him doing exactly that. This prayer Jesus prayed really shows His heart and the heart of God for us. It still amazes me how God could look through all of the sin in our lives and Love us. Each one of us has sinned, we have all fallen short, but God still sees us as His children.

        Think about when someone wrongs you or does something to hurt you. First of all it doesn't feel good, sometimes it hurts physically, but mostly emotionally. And second, you want to protect yourself from it ever happening again. God is not like that. He does feel the pain every time we sin, but once we receive His forgiveness He never holds it against us again.
        As we look at Jesus example of forgiveness to those who were killing Him, we can know that He will forgive us for all we've done. Go to God; receive forgiveness for all you've done and allow Jesus to make your heart pure. Don’t wait another day to come to Him; know that He will not condemn you. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Acts 8:4

Acts 8:4 - Those who had scattered preached the Word wherever they went.

This was a time of great persecution for the early believers. Stephen had just given up his life for the cause. He was just the first. Saul (who had been there at Stephens death) was determined to put an end to all who called on the name of Jesus. Some he put to death, many were thrown into jail. As Saul went from town to town persecuting the Christians he was scattering them. Often when they heard he was coming they would disperse and leave before he arrived. Through Saul, Satan was trying to break up the early church.

Even though this was a hard time and Satan meant it for harm, God still used it for good. As the believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria they continued to preach the Word. Even though they were facing persecution and possible death they would not keep quiet. They could not help but share the message of Jesus and tell His story.

What are you facing today? Are you being persecuted or ridiculed because of your faith? While there is still heavy persecution in some parts of the world, most of us just face peer pressure and the fear of man. We are talking about persecution, but ask yourself this: “Do those around me even know that I am a Christian?” These early Christians faced death for sharing the gospel, yet they still would not keep quiet. They still preached Jesus in word and deed. And it wasn’t just in church, they preached wherever they went.

We often speak of wanting to see the power manifest now as it did in the early church, but we won’t get off our butts and share Jesus with those around us. We are too afraid of what people may think. Our Nation is currently in a place where we have freedom to speak what we want and we need to take advantage of it. If you want to see our society change for the better it is time to do something about it. As Jesus told us, “Go and make disciples!” It is time for us as the church and as individuals to step up in the boldness of the Spirit and take the world for God. We need to preach the Word wherever we go.