8 And Saul approved of their killing him. 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. (Acts 8:1-4)
This passage follows from the tragic killing of Stephen, the first martyr. It was tragic, it was a cause of grief to the church, and especially to those who loved Stephen. The response of the church was not to put on a fake smile and claim to praise the Lord. No:
“Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.” (v2)
Suffering is painful.
Persecution causes great grief and despair. Therefore, the church needs to be much in prayer for those who are suffering, and seeking means to be a source of encouragement to them. In the West, let’s not be those who simply rest in the relative freedom that we have; let’s use our freedom for the glory of God, and let’s also:
“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (Hebrews 13:3)
God’s purposes.
This passage also shows us that God works through the suffering of his people. Their suffering is not in vain.
Remember the promise of Jesus in Acts 1:8, “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Yet, until this persecution, everyone remained in Jerusalem. Acts 8:1: “…all except the apostles were scattered.” Later in the chapter, we find Philip in Samaria and then sharing the gospel with an Ethiopian. In Acts 11:19-20, we’re told that those who were scattered spread the word, some even to Gentiles, and the church in Antioch was formed.
So, God used the persecution to thrust the church and so progress the great commission. He hasn’t changed. Suffering, even persecution small or large, mild or severe, is in the hands of a faithful God who has a plan to gather his elect from the ends of the earth.
But, it wasn’t just the scattering to preach; in is implied (although not explicit) that God used the testimony of Stephen to awaken Saul. Those who stoned Stephen laid their cloaks at the feet of a man named Saul (Acts 7:58). And Saul gave approval (8:1). The Holy Spirit has not recorded this as a random piece of information. This is here for a reason. Saul heard the sermon from Stephen, approved his stoning, saw how he died, reacted in rage-filled persecution, and then met Jesus.
I don’t think it is stretching the point to suggest that the martyrdom of Stephen was a stepping stone on Saul’s journey to meet Christ. Let’s pray for faithfulness for our suffering church family, that they would be the means of their persecutors finding Christ.
Let’s also pray that we will stay faithful and be the means through which people are saved.
The best is yet to come 