“Unexpected Growth” – FBC Morning Light (5/16/2023)

Well, good Tuesday morning to you. Hope your week got off to a good start yesterday. Today we're reading in 2 Samuel, the first couple chapters of 2 Samuel, Acts chapter 8, and the 97th Psalm. And I want to focus on a couple of ideas in Acts chapter 8.

Persecution Scatters Believers but Spreads the Gospel

One of them has to do with the persecution of the church. There's an interesting phenomenon that happens with persecution. Now our natural inclination is to assume that persecution comes, especially widespread and severe, so that, you know, believers are martyred for their faith and so forth, that that could lead to the extermination of the church.

Well, it's an understandable fear. That's a natural fear. But, you know, Christ did promise that the gates of hell are not going to prevail against his church. So we don't have to really fear that. Now, it can happen that persecution in a given locality or area can end up pretty much eliminating the Christian witness in that area, or any effective witness.

So, for example, you think about those seven churches in the book of Revelation, and how many of those exist today? What happened to them? Well, perhaps much of the witness in that region of the world was largely eliminated in the Muslim conquest of that part of the world.

But here's what happens, though, in persecution. We see it in Acts chapter 8. It doesn't destroy the church, but it does instead foster the dissemination of the Gospel. So, in Acts 8, verse 1, it says Saul, who was consenting to the death of Stephen, got involved in a great persecution against the church at Jerusalem.

And it says, as a result of this persecution, the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the Apostles. The Apostles stayed in Jerusalem, but the believers, they scattered.

They scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Well, then what happened when they went to those places? Verse 4 says, those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word. Those who are truly believers, when persecution comes, and it's of such severity that they actually have to run, have to leave for the sake of their families and their own welfare, they take the Gospel with them.

It doesn't die when they leave. And verse 25 says the same thing, when they had testified and preached the Word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the Gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

So the Gospel just was disseminated as a result of this persecution. The other thing I wanted to point out, and so we don't necessarily have to fear the destruction of the Church with persecution. I'm not suggesting for a minute that it's something we should desire, and that we would enjoy, but what we can be confident of is that a persecution, when it comes upon the Church, won't destroy it.

Won't destroy it. All right, the other thing I want to point out in Acts chapter 8 has to do with this man, Simon, who professed to be a believer, to come to faith in Christ, and he saw that the Apostles had laid hands on people and they received the Holy Spirit.

There was some clear evidence of people receiving the Spirit. And so Simon says, give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit. Now why did he want that? Why did he want that?

For the glory of Christ? For the exaltation of Christ? No, he wanted it for his own self-aggrandizement. He wanted it so that people would know that he had some kind of spiritual power. Remember, this man had been a sorcerer.

He had been one who had evil powers, and then he made a profession of faith in Christ, and now he sees a way to maintain his popularity, but in a different field. Hmm. So he offers money to get this gift, and of course Peter replies and says, no, let your money perish with you.

He says this in verse 20. He says, your money perish with you because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money. So obviously Peter recognized Simon's selfishness, and as well his notion that, you know, just by virtue of my resources I can get what I want from God, I can get what I want from the Holy Spirit, and get the power that will make me look good and powerful and spiritual and great.

So I think the idea that we need to be aware of here is that any kind of effort at self-aggrandizement detracts from the gospel, it undermines the gospel, because the glory is shifted from Christ to the person who has this gift.

So think about that when you're responding to maybe somebody who has a great, has some good spiritual gift, they use it, maybe they have a singing voice, maybe they have a preaching ability, and maybe you see, maybe you know somebody who just seems to really get their prayers answered, you know what I mean?

And these are things you desire. Why would you desire those things? What's the purpose, what's the motive? Self or Christ. So Father, I pray that from these two little lessons in Acts chapter 8, we would on the one hand take heart, that even as we see in our own country Christian marginalization, we would not fear that in the end the Church will be eradicated.

May we have confidence in your promise and your power. And then also I pray that we wouldn't be selfish and desire great things for ourselves that we might be lifted up. May we be passionate about the exaltation of Christ above all things.

This we pray in Jesus' name, amen. All right, well listen, have a good Tuesday. I trust the Lord will bless you in it. A good day.