THERE’S NO STOPPING THE MISSION
Acts 8:1-4
There is a story told of a king in Africa who had a close friend with whom he grew up with. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that happens as being (positive or negative) remarking for the positive “This is good!”
One day the king and his friend went hunting, and the friend loaded and prepared the guns for the king. This day the friend had apparently loaded a weapon wrong, and when given to his friend the king, the gun blew up in the kings hand and blew his thumb off. Examining the situation, the friend remarked as usual, “this is good!” To which the king replied not for you and sent his friend to jail.
About a year later the king again went out hunting and was in a area that he knew he should not had been in, and was captured by some Cannibals and was taken to the village to be eaten. They tied him to a stake and gathered wood and placed it around the stake to make the fire for roasting. And as they came near to light the fire someone noticed his thumb was missing. Being superstitious as they were, they untied the king to let him go because they would never eat anything that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way.
As the king was returning home, he was reminded of the event that had cost him his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend, and he immediately upon his return went to his friend’s cell and said “You were right,” “It was good that my thumb was blown off.” and he proceeded to tell the friend what had just happened, and apologized to him for sending him to jail. But the friend did not respond the way the king thought a pardon man should, because instead of his friend saying thank you his friend replied “No,” “Now, This is good!” And the king wanted to know what he meant by saying “Now, this is good? How could this be good being that I sent you my friend to prison for a year?” So the friend replied, “If I had not been in jail for miss loading that gun, I would have been with you, and we both would have been eaten.” -SermonCentral Illustration
This illustrated story let’s us know that regardless of how bad things appear, we can always look for something good to happen from it.
Stephen had just been stoned, and the church again is faced with persecution but to the extreme order. They the church was being persecuted by the persecutor of persecutors, a man by the name of Saul. Who will later be renamed Paul. According to the text in verse 1 Saul consented the death of Stephen. In chapter 7 verse 58 you would find out that when they cast Stephen out of the city to stone him, the witnesses laid their garment at a young man’s feet, and that young man was Paul. You see according to the law of execution, the first persons that was allowed to toss the first stones had to be the witnesses or accusers of the one that is being stoned. And Paul was there to make sure that all things were legal according to the law.
So in the text we find a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem. And the persecution was so great that many of the followers of Christ left the city and was scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. So come with me as we witness these determine men that stayed behind as they let the religious authorities know that There is No Stopping the Mission.
First of all, verse 1 shows us that...
1. THEY WERE WILLING TO PUT THEMSELVES IN HARMS WAY (v.1)
“And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.(KJV)
The text let’s us know that many were scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, but as for the apostles, they stayed in Jerusalem. You see the reason the apostles did not leave the region was because they realized that in order for their mission to be accomplished, they had to face the opposition that stood in the way of them accomplishing the mission of the church. I know that some of you might be tired of hearing about being committed, but if you would only take a page from these men of God that was committed to the cause, you would understand the importance of being committed. These men would have done anything including to lose their lives, they would have lost it for the cause of Christ. Today we are not asked to die for the cause, but the bible does tell us in Luke 9:23 that we should “deny ourselves, and take up the cross and follow Him.” James Baldwin an Afro-American poet once wrote. “Nothing can be faced until it is changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” and how true this statement is. People are always saying that somebody aught to do something about this or that, but never realize that they can be that somebody. Our Sunday School program was about Dr. Martin Luther King and the civil rights struggle. What would have happened if Dr King would have said “somebody aught to do something” we would not be enjoying the freedom we have now. So the apostles were committed to face the opposition of the mission at hand. And everyone else had left the region to escape the persecution of the followers of Christ, but the apostles stayed there to further the mission.
Secondly, verse 2 let’s us see that...
2. THEY BURIED THEIR DEAD, AND DREW STRENGTH FROM ONE ANOTHER. (v.2)
“And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.” (KJV)
Before the apostle could continue in the mission they had to deal with the present. One of their own had just lost his life for the cause of Christ. There was a brotherly love that they had for Stephen. He was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit according to Acts chapter 6 verse 5. He was the example of a man of God. So there was a love for the man named Stephen. Before they could go on with the mission, they had to deal with their emotions and bring closure to what just happen to Stephen. You know many times we lose loved one and although we bury them we do not put closure to their departure. That is why many reenact or keep bringing up the deceased as if they had died on yesterday. I have a friend that is like that. Now I need you to understand that I am sensitive to her situation because I do not know what it is like to loose the only son, in fact he was her only child, but I cannot contribute to her imprisonment. For the longest time she would not travel a certain Parkway, not even to cross over it on another road. She often told people that she would ask his advice on certain things and so forth. Now I would have you to know that she is a good Christian woman, and love the Lord, but her trauma of losing her only son makes her act that way. And as I was talking with her and recalling what happened at his funeral, she had some supposed to be spiritually supercharged girl friends that kept telling her not to cry that he was in a better place. That is when I realized that her problem was her girlfriends, because they would not allow that mother to grieve her son’s lost and she never put closure to his death. But the apostle not only buried Stephen but they also wept greatly over him. Thus putting closure to that sad moment. So after putting themselves in harms way and burying their dead, and finding strength in one another,
Finally, verse 3,4 let’s us know that...
3. THOSE THAT WERE SCATTERED, FOUND NEW STRENGTH TO CONTINUE THE MISSION. (vv. 3,4)
“As for Saul he made havoc of the church, entering into every house and haling men and women, committed them to prison. 4. Therefore, they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word.” (KJV)
Even though many fled Jerusalem to get out of harms way. That did not cancel out the effect of the Word that they heard. I’m sure that when they got where ever they were headed, the life changing Words of Jesus Christ and His Disciples rang out in their ears. They probably remembered Jesus’ saying to Nicodemus “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” They might have heard him when He told the woman caught in adultery after He disbanded a guilty bunch of men, “Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more.” Or maybe Peter, James, and John three of the original disciples told them what Jesus said to them when He chose them. He said “Fear not; from hence forth I will make you fishers of men.” But what ever they remembered, they probably heard about the trouble that was still in and around Jerusalem and felt the burning urge of their call to continue in the faith and to spread the Word. They heard how their brothers and sisters back home was being thrown into jail. They heard how many were losing their lives to further the gospel. But most importantly they probably heard the voice of the one that was crucified on Calvary. They heard Him say “If I be lifted up, I’ll draw all men unto me.” Well in closing those that was scattered realized that He was lifted up, and everything He said surely came to pass and it move upon their hearts to deny themselves and pick up their cross where ever they were and they started once more to spread the Word.
Had you ever thought about giving up because it appears that you are on the losing side. I want you to know that when you are in Christ, you stand as a victor. When you are in Christ no weapon formed against you shall prosper. When you are in Christ you are more than a conquerer.
