“And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” – Acts 8:1
Back in Acts chapter 1, Jesus told His followers to go tell people about Him throughout Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world. However, after a considerable amount of time had passed, the entire Christian movement was still concentrated in Jerusalem. It’s hard to blame them for this. They loved being together and their fellowship was beautiful! Then, persecution broke out. Suddenly, Jerusalem wasn’t such a comfortable place anymore. Suddenly, the followers of Jesus had no choice but to go out to Judea and Samaria.
Just like that, the command of Jesus finally began moving forward. Just like that, the Great Commission was under way. Just like that, Christians went and made disciples in Judea and Samaria. The Gospel finally began to advance throughout the world. Why? Because of persecution!
This is a powerful lesson and reminder to us. Though we’d all prefer comfort and safety, that rarely helps move the church forward. History reveals that the church thrives best and the Gospel spreads fastest whenever and wherever it is uncomfortable, unwise, and unsafe to be a Christian. Why? Because then Christians must rely on God, His Spirit, and His power rather than themselves, their resources, and their power. When we’re genuinely yielding our lives to the Spirit’s power, remarkable things happen in the world!
The simple reality is that comfort and peace are terrible temptations for churches and their members. They make it very hard to keep the main thing the main thing. After all, there are so many delightful distractions to which we quickly grow attached. So, perhaps, if we’re serious about completing the Great Commission, we need to pray for a bit less comfort and safety for believers and a bit more boldness and dependence on Holy Spirit power. Are you ready to pray like that? #FollowJesus