New Wineskins
How is God using tragedy to propel the gospel forward?
1 And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scatteredthroughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Acts 8:1-4
It was the darkest day for the early church. The church in Jerusalem was scattered, Stephen (a prominent leader) was dead, and Saul was systematically destroying the church. All was lost, or was it?
God is sovereign over all. He cannot be stopped. His purposes cannot be thwarted. In Acts 1:8 Jesus commanded his disciples to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. In Acts 1-7, the church was only in one place: Jerusalem. They had not made it to Judea, Samaria, or the ends of the earth.
All of that changed with the persecution of the church. Because of persecution, “those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” Over the next few chapters, the gospel spreads specifically to Judea and Samaria. In Acts 13, the gospel leaps to the ends of the earth. God redeemed tragedy to propel His gospel forward.
You don’t have to look far to see tragedy in the world today. From famine, war, trafficking, disease to death, heartache, loneliness and despair, our world is brimming over with tragedy. We live in dark days. But God is sovereign over all. He cannot be stopped. His purposes cannot be thwarted. Take heart, Christian. God is using even tragedy to propel His gospel forward.
How has God redeemed tragedy in your own life?
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