13th Sep 26 | 04:00
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Witnesses in God’s mega plan
📖 Acts 08:01-04
10 – 15Dec2023 – *Witnesses in God’s mega plan* - _Acts 08:01-04_ - SAUL PERSECUTES THE CHURCH – _Matthew 24:14_
*_Act 8:4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word._*
The scattering of the church was not easy but painful. It involved being uprooted violently, and being driven out with haste. We can imagine how frightening this situation would have been for the church to flee from their settled circumstances to an unknown situation, with their children and their belongings.
What should have been uppermost in their minds? I would say, their safety and their wellbeing. *Whereas, when scattered because of the persecution, the church went everywhere preaching the word.* It was because they preached the word that they were persecuted in the first place.
They should have decided that they would now play it safe, for a while, and then when the heat subsides, start preaching the Gospel once again. Isn’t this how we would think? The early church did not stop preaching the word even while they were being persecuted.
We know that even today, in challenging contexts, where the church is treated violently, there are those men and women, who will not stop preaching the Gospel, whatever may be the provocation.
For most of us, our safety, security, and well-being come first and the Gospel comes later. Will we be willing to reverse this order? Will we be willing to say, I seek to lose my life for Christ and the gospel? _Mark 8:35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it._
We are saving our lives not from our temporal perspective but we are saving our lives from the perspective of eternity. In the short run, we may have to lose our lives but we are securing our lives for eternity. Which is more important and wiser?
_Matthew 10:22-23 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. (23) *When they persecute you in this city, flee to another.* For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes._
This matter of fleeing to another city because of persecution was what the Lord had said would take place. In all this, the purpose of the Lord is that the Gospel must reach every place and the elect of God from all backgrounds must come to salvation. _II Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory._
When will the end come? _Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached *in all the world as a witness* to all the nations, and then the end will come._
We would remember that the word witness in Greek is martus, pronounced as mar’-toos, from where we get the word martyr.
_Acts 11:19 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only._
The church was not only scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria but they went to far-flung places. In all these places, they shared the word of God with the Jews only. This is understandable as this was what they saw the Apostles doing in Jerusalem.
The message of being justified with God by faith in Jesus and not by the keeping of the law of Moses, was an important message for the Jews to hear and this was what the church preached everywhere. As they were doing this task of sharing the word with the Jews, the Lord was unfolding His next phase of the plan for the Gospel, which was to take the Gospel to the Gentiles.
*Persecution of the church was an integral part of the plan of God in the spread of the Gospel.* As we go through persecution, we find this statement unsettling. Persecution is ugly, torturous and traumatic. We naturally pray, asking the Lord to prevent us from being persecuted. The Lord does hear and He does protect us, but friends, let us take heart and look at what is happening in our times, from the purposes of God.
The more we are aligned with the purposes of God for our times, our prayers will change. Instead of praying and asking God to take away the persecution or protect us from being persecuted, *we will be seeking strength and courage from the Lord to undergo persecution*. We will also be asking the Lord to enable us to love and bless those who persecute us and to pray for them.
As persecution against the church increased more and more, the Gentiles were also being impacted by the Gospel. _Acts 13:46-48 Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; *but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.* (47) For so the Lord has commanded us: *'I HAVE SET YOU AS A LIGHT TO THE GENTILES, THAT YOU SHOULD BE FOR SALVATION TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.' " (48) Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.*_
```God’s salvation is reaching the ends of the earth. You and I are His witnesses (mar’-toos) in the mega plan of God.```
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