In chapter 8 of the Book of Acts, the church in Jerusalem finds itself under intense persecution. The persecution was so intense that the believers had to flee the city altogether. Leading the charge against these early Christians was a man named Saul; a leader and gifted teacher among the sect of Jewish leaders called Pharisees. I am sure in the middle of this intense time of hardship the church wondered why God would allow such a devastating set of circumstances to come upon the young church.
However, God had great plans for the believers and the schemes of their persecutors could never derail these plans! The result of the persecution and dispersion of the Jerusalem believers was the spread of the Gospel beyond the walls of the city of Jerusalem! The entire church became an army of missionaries and evangelists as they went! One such example of this evangelistic wave is seen in the same chapter of Acts when Philip, a deacon in the Jerusalem church, shares the Gospel with an Ethiopian. The Gospel was taught and preached by the dispersed “missionaries” of the Jerusalem church. Later, Saul himself would become a follower of Christ and be known as the Apostle Paul! God truly does work in mysterious and wonderful ways!
If you may find your life in an “interesting” or “difficult” place right now, remember the story of the Jerusalem church in Acts 8. What may seem bad right now can become something wonderful in the hands of God. Keep your eyes open and look for where God is working around you. God does not waste one day or set of circumstances in our life! Exercise faith and believe God for something good even when everything around you paints a picture of defeat. God is about the business of turning hopeless situations into great victories if we will believe Him for the win. You may be surprised at the good lemonade God makes out of the lemons in your life!
Pastor James
