Scattered, But Spreading!

This morning as I asked the Lord where I should read, a couple of verses from Acts popped into my mind.  Here are the verses - Acts 8:1-5 NIV:

[1] "And Saul approved of their killing him (Stephen).

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. [2] Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. [3] But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

[4] Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. [5] Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there."

As I read these verses, my mind immediately saw the parallels in the scattering of the early church, and what has happened in large part, to the world-wide church.  We have been scattered, each to his own home, house, apartment or flat.  We have been forcefully separated, and while we are not suffering an actual persecution for our faith (at least openly and actively because of the virus), we are seeing a deep impact on the Body of Christ world-wide. 

I am not going to reflect on this whole persecution theme, although it is worth thinking about, instead I want to focus on the church's reaction to this scattering.  Looking at verse 4 above, we see that the church didn't forget the Gospel, the Good News, in the midst of their scattering and struggle.  Instead they embraced the opportunity to become evangelists! 

Isn't that an interesting reaction to being threatened for their faith?  Rather than sheltering and hiding they actually take this opportunity to proclaim the very beliefs for which they were being persecuted.  For them, the Gospel became not just something they lived, but now something they actively proclaimed!  Wow!  One could argue effectively that this persecution really caused the explosion of Christianity, it certainly produced the church's greatest evangelist of the time, Paul. The other fact that is clear is the church was never the same once the persecution broke out, and the believers were scattered.  I think it was made better, as they turned to the Lord to guide them and direct them.

This makes me think about our present situation in a new light.  Am I using this opportunity to advance the Gospel?  Am I embracing this time as a time to learn to live the Good News?  Am I turning more towards the Lord, depending on Him, or am I turning to myself?  Do I see God using this time to change the make-up of the church?  Do I see this as an opportunity for change, or more as a set-back?  Am I taking the Word with me into my home, into my life, as I am separated from the rest of the church?  Do I have within me the belief, knowledge and capabilities to effectively proclaim the Gospel and advance the Kingdom of God?

Lots of questions to think about!  I do believe that we are at a turning point in the life of the Body of Christ, the Church here on earth!  I believe that we need to each look at our lives, and see how we are living out this scattered life!  Like what happened in the early church, this change could be the beginning of a great outpouring and multiplication, and for that to occur, we each must become bearers of the Gospel!

Lord, strengthen us! Lord, help us!  Lord, protect and direct us!

Amen!

May the Lord bless you this day, in the place where you have been scattered to.  May He give you strength and encouragement in Him, through the power of His Holy Spirit.

Sam