From Execution to Evangelism

Over the course of the past few weeks, one story that keeps coming to my mind is the story of Stephen and his martyrdom.

 

Because of Stephen’s spiritual power and grace, he was put to death.  Up to that point in Acts 6, the church had grown and flourished in Jerusalem.  Up to that point, the church had not moved outside of Jerusalem.  The power of God was evident, and according to Acts 2, 4 and

5 the fellowship kept growing as lost people were saved. 

 

You’ll recall that God had called the church to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world.  Up to that point in Acts 5, the church had not gone to Judea and Samaria – let alone the uttermost parts of the world.  What could God do to cause the Gospel to begin to spread out into the world?  What would cause these believers, intoxicated with spiritual joy and fellowship in a wonderful assembly of believers, to move outside of Jerusalem.

 

The first thing that happened was for some sweet little widows to complain about not being served as well as the other sweet little group of widows.  The last thing the church leaders want to do is to ignore the sweet little widows in the church, so the apostles had the people nominate a group of men.  The apostles then confirmed the men, and these men began administrating the offerings and meals for ministries – including waiting tables of the sweet little widows. 

 

Later in Acts 6 one of those appointed men rose to great spiritual power.  Stephen rose to such power, that the well entrenched, established religious leaders were jealous.  Those leaders became so jealous that they were arresting and executing this great young church leader by the end of Acts 7.  These religious leaders – led by one named Saul – drug Stephen into the street and brutally murdered him.

 

Can you say “church trial and temptation”?  How would a group of Christians feel when one of their bright young leaders was brutally murdered?  How would GABC feel if myself, or one of our bright young spiritual leaders, deacons, or teachers, were dragged into Elberta Rd. and beaten to death?  What would the funeral be like?  What if the authorities ignored our cry for law enforcement?  What would the next worship service be like…?  It would be nice if those Christians could even ponder the questions, except they HAD NO TIME TO PONDER!!  Paul increased and elevated the persecution of Christians to such a degree that believers were run out of town.

 

Children were snatched up at night by parents who had to run from their tormentors.  Men had to run without even being able to kiss their wives or see their children in order to hid for a time.

Families were run out of town with just the clothes on their backs.

Only the key church leaders stayed to hold down the fort, but many other Christians were forced to run with little to no notice.

 

Now…can anyone imagine something worse than this happening to us at GABC?  I daresay that we cannot.  In fact, I would suggest that GABC has never experienced trial that is anywhere close to this.  How horrible these persecutions were…and yet…by Acts 8 Samaria was beginning to see converts.  Believers from Jerusalem, running for their lives, preached as they went and Samaritans were saved.

 

By Acts 8:26 Philip, who is running for his life, encounters an Ethiopian Eunuch (Ethiopia is in North Africa).  Philip wins this Eunuch to Christ, and this politically connected leader takes Jesus back to North Africa. 

 

Here is the bottom line.  It was the horrible and terrible experience of Stephen’s execution, and the ensuing persecutions, that enabled the Gospel to be spread in a way that had never been seen…and may never be seen again. 

 

Can God take a church’s very difficult experiences, which upsets a lot of people, and see great things done in His Kingdom?

 

YOU BETTER BELIEVE HE CAN!  LET’S PRAY THAT WE KEEP IN STEP WITH GOD.