May 7th, 2026
Scripture – “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”
Acts 8:2-4 NIV
Observation – Act 2:42-47 records, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Everything was going great and then we read in Acts 8:2-4 that a great persecution broke out against the church, some were scattered and they preached the word wherever they went.
Application – As Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” Jesus gathered 12 disciples to himself, he taught them and performed miracles. They had a lot of wonderful times together and from the disciples perspective many terrifying times. Ultimately Jesus is arrested, tortured and killed on the cross. He comes back from the dead and spends 40 days with his disciples. He ascends to heaven, the Holy Spirit fills the believers and then we read about what happens in the book of Acts. Why does this occur? Why do we get to enjoy great days which are followed by terrible days, which are followed by mundane days which are followed by more great days which are followed by terrible days. What is the purpose of all of this and why do we look back on many (not all) of these terrible days and see how God worked through them for his glory. It appears to be all about people coming to know Jesus, so they can enter into the kingdom of God and understand that they were made for more, for a relationship with the Creator of the universe.
Prayer – Lord, your ways are higher that our ways, when trouble and persecution come, give us wisdom to know you are on the move. Amen.
What are you doing? Do it better 