“At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles…Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.”
Act 8:1-4
How glorious the promise of Act 1:8! It reads: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” The disciples must have rejoiced at the promise of the Spirit! Notice that to receive the Holy Spirit was to receive “power”. The Greek word for “power” is “dunamis”. Sound familiar? It’s where we get our English word “dynamite”! Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? What a power was to be bestowed upon the church when the Spirit of God was given.
Act 1:8 continues on with the result of that powerful gift: “…and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The power of the Holy Ghost would enable these men and women to be effectual witnesses unto Christ. You wonder if they imagined how God would manifest this great power in delivering His word. When dynamite blows up, it’s a pretty spectacular sight! What would be the spectacular means that God would use to accomplish this amazing task of carrying the witness of Christ throughout Judea, Samaria, and the end of the earth? I don’t know that any of the disciples saw what was coming. It was the “great persecution” of Act 8:1 that would be the catalyst for this missionary effort!
Persecution is never what we desire. Even Christ in going to the cross was said to despise the shame. (Heb 12:2) We know that He prayed in the garden that this cup of suffering would pass from Him IF it was possible. But, He didn’t stop there. He understood that much of what must be accomplished in the kingdom can’t happen any other way. He faithfully followed His request to His Father with “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Mat 26:39) The Apostle Paul by his own witness said he labored more abundantly than all the other apostles! He wasn’t boasting but merely stating a fact. He quickly gave the credit to God saying, “yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1Co 15:10) But, how would God characterize Paul’s calling at the very outset of it? The Lord said in Act 9:16, “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” It would be suffering that would the tool used effectively in Paul’s life to produce his glorious New Testament ministry!
Dear soul, don’t despise the chastening hand of the Lord. God promises that “afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Heb 12:11) Suffering in the life of the saint is evidence that God is working. He hasn’t left you alone but is very active in your life. After all, conforming fallen creatures into the image of the Son of God is going to take some work! Heb 12:10 encourages us to remember that God only afflicts His children “for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness”. The fire means our heavenly Refiner is working on us! “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” (1Pe 5:10)
Love in Christ,
Jamie