Restructuring The Church For Expansion During A Pandemic Of Presecution

Sermon Restructuring The Church For Expansion

Acts 8:1-8

“Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) 3 But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison.

4 But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went. 5 Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. 6 Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. 7 Many evil[a] spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.”

Introduction: Rapid growth, constant persecution and limited resources made the Apostles rethink their future and the future of the church. There are many reasons to reorganize a ministry team. In Acts 8, the apostles were realigning ministry functions and sending forth preachers and witnesses to new strategic directions. Persecution caused the leadership to adapt to changes quickly. The church must become a missionary moment. Leaders must collaborate and communicate to improve decision making, improving performance, counting the cost, and refocusing on priorities. This restructuring move would unlock the full potential of the Church in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. The Church in on the move.

Acts 8 marks the beginning of the expansion of the Church. Christ in his final charge to his disciples commanded them to wait in Jerusalem until they were endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit. They were commissioned to carry the Gospel message to Jerusalem and all Judea, then to Samaria and finally, to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the entire world. Jesus gave them the mandate and a pattern for expansion: "you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." One of greatest blessing of the church was realizing that as the Church expanded, the responsibilities of the church must be shared by all believers.

Several Greek speaking Jews had been selected to serve in the capacity of deacons. These men took care of the daily administration of the food supply and perform other needed ministry responsibilities. Two of the most outstanding deacons were Stephen and Philip. As persecution increased at Jerusalem, the church was forced to scatter, spreading the message of Christ everywhere they went. The Jewish leaders rejected the preaching of Stephen and stoned him to death. Stephen became the first martyr of the Christian faith. He exemplified his spiritual graces at the highest level. He died praying and asking forgiveness for those who falsely accused him, ejected his message, and killed him. He actions cut against the grain of every human emotion. Instead of contempt, anger, and revenge, Stephen was praying with love, compassion, and blessing. We stand spellbound at the death place of this lowly servant with the same awe we hold when we gaze on our dying Savior. In his death, Stephen manifested a supernatural grace, endurance and meekness that could only come from the power of the Holy Spirit. The persecution designed to stop the church, fueled its growth and development. The more they persecuted the Christians, the more the church grew. The fire of the Holy Spirit could not be put out. This persecution caused faithful Christian to spread to the surrounding cities, preaching the gospel wherever they went. Most of the original apostles remained at Jerusalem, but believers scattered spreading the message everywhere. The church was on the move because they restructured the ministry for expansion. Notice the ministry was shared.

1. The Ministry was Shared - Acts 8 introduces us to number of individuals involved in the movement of the church. There was Saul of Tarsus, a zealous persecutor; Philip, a deacon and faithful preacher; Simon Mangus, a clever deceiver who desired the praise of men; and an Ethiopian eunuch, a concerned seeker, who served as the minister of Finance of Ethiopia. All played an important part in the expansion of the church. In this transitional chapter, the message of Jesus Christ goes to the crossbreed Jews of Samaria, and to a gentile Ethiopian eunuch. The Church's only ambition was to be obedient to God. They were empowered by the Holy Spirit to be effective in ministry. The Holy Spirit’s power was present with them, confirming the word they preached. Philip led the charge to Samaria. Read the following verses.