March 30, 2020

Acts 8:3-4 KJV

[3] As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. [4] Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

In the first century after Christ, Christians faced incredible persecution. They were passionate about following Christ, but doing so was not easy. There were many obstacles, including dealing with hatred from those they used to consider their own friends and brothers. In Acts 8, persecution continued to escalate, Stephen had been stoned to death, and continuing in their normal routines had become unsafe for Christians. Some Christians were imprisoned, while others ended up dying for their belief. As circumstances were unfolding differently than how they probably hoped, God had a plan and purpose in each of their lives. We can easily see throughout Scripture and history that those who were martyred for Christ had an impact for God’s eternal glory. We also are given record of those in prison having such a testimony for Christ that entire families were saved because of their influence.

In verse four, we are told that many Christians were momentarily able to escape persecution, fleeing to various places all around their known world. The Bible lets us know, “…that they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.” The Gospel was taken “every where” because Christians were forced out of their comfort zones. The persecution was out of their control, but they did not allow that to change their passion for following Christ. The methods may have changed, but the mission stayed the same! As we strive to be Christ-centered and Gospel-motivated, let the mission remain sure even as methods may change due to things beyond our control.

Eli Faulds