Thursday April 3, 2014

Read Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 7:59-8:4
When I’m confronted with evil or injustice, a regular occurrence in this world, I often think back to Acts 7:59-8:4.

To understand why, we need to go back to Matthew 28:18-20. The Lord Jesus Christ has arisen from the tomb and has met the disciples at the Mountain in Galilee. He gave them the charge for the church, a charge we call the Great Commission. The key phrase in this charge is ‘all nations’. The church was established to bring the Lordship of Christ to all nations. God’s plan from Genesis 1 is to fill the world with His greatness, His Lordship and His rule.

Yet as we turn to Acts 7:59 we see that Stephen has been mercilessly martyred and persecution against the church violently erupts.

Why is all this important? Up to Acts 8 we see that the Apostles and disciples had no desire to move outward from Jerusalem. They had the Great Commission given to them but there appears to be no movement to include ‘all nations’. When the persecution comes the disciples are forcibly scattered abroad to Judea and Samaria. Compare this to Acts 1:8 and you’ll see that we are well on the way, finally, to getting out to the nations!

How does that relate to the providence of God and mankind’s free- will? Saul and his Sanhedrin friends choose freely to persecute the young church. They chose to attack and murder Stephen. They chose to attack and decimate the church. But God had other plans. It was through this persecution that the church spread out and began to the take the gospel to ‘all nations’.

God in his providence declared that the nations shall hear the good news. When the church failed to act He sent or allowed persecution against the church. Unimaginable good flowed out of this attack for from it the church began to grow and thrive.

Justin Martyr said, "The more we are persecuted, the more do others in ever increasing numbers embrace the faith and become worshippers of God through the name of Jesus" (Dialogue with Trypho 110). We can only stand in awe of God that He in His providence and sovereignty could ordain such wonderful things without being the cause or originator of the heinous sins committed against the church.

Witness Moment
Have bad or hard times come upon you? Has life fallen apart at the seams? Rejoice and praise God because it’s in these times that you can show the world the God you worship and adore. If you fall apart at the first sign of trouble and curse God when life gets tough, you will be presenting a pathetic god to the world, the kind of god that no one wants to worship. But if they see you standing strong through the storm and praising God, they’ll see a God deserving of our adoration and worship and praise.

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1. What was good or positive about the persecution of the church in Acts 8?
2. What was negative or ‘bad’ about it?
3. Do you think God was just/right in allowing the church to be persecuted? Explain clearly your answer.
4. How could you answer the charge that we should not worship a God who allows his church to be persecuted?

Prayer:
Having read today’s passages, jot down 2 points for each type of prayer.
Adoration:

Confess:

Thanks:

Supplication:

• Praise God that he is sovereign and that he can and does use all things for His plan. Praise the Lord that His plan is in full swing and cannot be thwarted by anyone or anything.
• Pray for the work of Student Life across Australia. Pray that each campus would have students/staff who love Jesus and who are willing to make disciples of all nations. Pray that the staff at Student Life would have adequate support and provision for all their needs.