Today we are reading Acts 8. In this chapter we read about the events immediately following the martyrdom of Stephen. The believers are persecuted. The keyword for this chapter is “di-a-spei-ro”. The definition is “to scatter”. As a result of the intense persecution, the Christians flee Jerusalem to the smaller villages of Judea and Samaria. You would expect that as these people fled their homes they would be down-trodden and defeated by their homeless and impoverished condition. On the contrary! Luke records, “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”
The very thing which had caused their suffering (the Gospel) consumed them and they shared it everywhere they went. The result of their preaching is described in verse 8, “So there was much joy in that city.” This is the amazing reality of persecution—the church grows! What persecution have you endured for your faith? How did it impact you? May God increase in you your zeal and boldness to tell everyone about Jesus! Pastor Tim