Jesus work in persecution
- Mark Lauterbach
- Mar 15, 2008
- Series: Home page
There is no place for the fear driven heart in the church. God does not speak in our fears. He has given example after example of his ability to turn the worst circumstances into an advance of the Gospel into the world and into our hearts.
Acts 8 is one such story. The religious leaders, enraged at the Gospel of grace, drag Stephen to the edge of the city to stone him unto death. The whole community moves into mob violence. They persecute the church.
They think that they will drive the church into weakness - scatter the believers here and there - demoralize them and intimidate them. But as they strike the church, Luke tells us they scatter them like seed. Rather than diluting their effectiveness, they multiply their fruitfulness. Each believer, driven from home and security, becomes seed of the Good News, telling others about Jesus as they flee for their lives.
God turns their most violent attack into an advance. But the advance is to new people, to places unexpected. God sends the scattered to outsiders. The Gospel takes new ground.
Philip, one of the seven, walks to the northwest of Jerusalem. The Samaritans, an outcaste religious mixture of Judaism and paganism, hear the message of Jesus and see his power - they believe. Their own religious power broker, Simon, is awed by the glory of Jesus and believes. God welcomes half-breeds into the church by grace alone. The apostles go to confirm this work of grace and the Spirit comes to make visible the invisible reality of existing union with Christ.
A former pagan, a eunuch, drawn to the true God of Judaism, but forbidden to enter the temple because of his maimed body - this man is being sought by Christ. He is reading Isaiah 53 as he journeys home to Ethiopia. God sends Philip to him and he hears about Jesus and believes.
Persecution cannot stop the continuing work of Christ. All authority is his. He will lay siege to the gates of hell, rescue his people, form his church - and the gates will not be able to stand against him.
At Grace Church in San Diego, we look to the certain triumph of Christ in building his church in the face of opposition.