A Gospel Impact (Part 2)

In my last post I talked about how the early church filled Jerusalem with their teaching. They faithfully and fearlessly proclaimed Christ. They were opposed by the official religious leaders, but they could not stop talking about what they had heard and seen.

Eventually, the religious leaders couldn't take it any longer and they began to persecute the believers, beginning with the martyrdom of Stephen. This led to all of the believers, except the apostles, fleeing from the city of Jerusalem (Acts 8:1).

Now think about this for a minute. These people had to leave their homes, their jobs, and possibly their families. They were runninng for their lives. Being a Christian had become a very dangerous proposition. These people were making a legitimate sacrifice for the Lord.

You would think they would have found a nice quiet, safe place to regroup and rethink their ministry strategy. You could easily imagine that many of these believers would have second thoughts. Maybe they should just keep their religion to themselves. What would you do in their situation?

Well, we are told what these believers did. "Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word (Acts 8:4)." The scattering caused by the persecution just led to the gospel being brought to new places because these believers remained faithful and fearless. Eventually, some of these believers made their way to Antioch "preaching the Lord Jesus (Acts 11:20)." The Lord blessed the faithful ministry of these believers. "And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord (Acts 11:21)."

What an amazing encouragement this is to us today. I am sure that no one reading this blog is being persecuted like the early church was. No one reading this is having their life threatened simply because they are a believer. But, many of us will be scattering around the country this summer - on vacations. Will we be faithful to preach the Lord Jesus or will we take a vacation from being a Christian?

Let's be faithful and fearless and watch the hand of the Lord work as we proclaim the Lord Jesus in whatever context we have opportunity. Today we scatter about through easy transportation opportunities, but we also have accessible communication possibilities. Maybe it is time for you to make a phone call or write an e-mail and tell someone what you have heard and seen.

A Gospel Impact

Imagine if everybody in your city knew the content of the gospel. Imagine if someone could come into town and ask anybody what the gospel was and that person could give them a clear explanation of it even if they didn't believe it. Imagine, also, that everyone in town knew where this teaching was coming from so they could tell a newcomer where they could go to hear more about the gospel.

This all seems very hard to imagine but it was true of the early church in Jerusalem. The high priest said to the apostles, "Behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching (Acts 5:28)." The high priest wasn't saying this in a complimentary way. He was opposed to what the apostles were doing. He was simply recognizing the reality. He also understood what the gospel was about. He realized that it was all about "this man," Jesus.

Now think about the apostles. All they had to spread the message was word of mouth. They had no other means of communication. And, they were in a hostile environment. The people in Jerusalem had consented to the death of Christ not too long before all of this. Additionally, the high priest and other religious leaders had told the apostles to stop spreading their message and had threatened them (Acts 4:18,21).

Yet, the apostles and other believers filled the city with the gospel. What was the key to their gospel impact? Among other things, one thing must be pointed out. When the apostles were told to stop spreading their message, they gave a simple reply. They said, "We cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard."

Think about you and me. Think of all we have seen and heard. Over and over again I have seen and heard about the transforming power of the gospel. Not only that, but I have experienced it myself. How can I not speak of what I have seen and heard? I pray that the Lord would give to me and others, not only a rejoicing heart but speaking lips that are eager to proclaim all we have heard and seen. Perhaps then the Lord will use us to fill our cities with the gospel.