A Divine Detour (12 of 13)
When God Changes Your Course
Series: Unleashed
Jeff Lynn
Acts 8:26-40
August 1, 2010
TEXT: Acts 8:1-8, 25
INTRODUCTION
Our goal throughout this series was to see how the early church was unleashed to the extent that it became viral; infectious, contagious.
Also, while this narrative of Acts is not meant to be "prescriptive" it is definitely "descriptive" of what the Lord longs to do through us as a body of believers; a template, if you will.
Over and over we have seen that as the church has been unleashed, it faced resistance.
Of course the disciples knew that based upon what Jesus said when He stated that He would build His church but it would face resistance from the gates of Hell.
The LAST thing the enemy wants is for the church to advance.
Over the last few weeks we've seen the following:
External opposition (Verbal threats)
Internal corruption (Ananias and Sapphira)
External persecution (Flogging)
Internal distraction (Hellenistic widows neglected)
Execution (Stephen being stoned to death)
Great persecution and scattering.
And you would think that would stop them. But those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
Interesting that the word "scattered" in verse 1 comes from the Greek word for "seed."
Perhaps you've heard the phrase, "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church."
The North African Christian writer and apologist Tertullian, addressing the rulers of the Roman Empire said,
Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to the dust…The more you mow us down the more we grow; the seed is the blood of Christians.
Tertullian
c.160-225 AD
So, instead of the stoning of Stephen stifling the growth of the gospel, it ignited it.
And noticed WHERE they were scattered: throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.
You'll remember that Jesus told his apostles that they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the e ...
When God Changes Your Course
Series: Unleashed
Jeff Lynn
Acts 8:26-40
August 1, 2010
TEXT: Acts 8:1-8, 25
INTRODUCTION
Our goal throughout this series was to see how the early church was unleashed to the extent that it became viral; infectious, contagious.
Also, while this narrative of Acts is not meant to be "prescriptive" it is definitely "descriptive" of what the Lord longs to do through us as a body of believers; a template, if you will.
Over and over we have seen that as the church has been unleashed, it faced resistance.
Of course the disciples knew that based upon what Jesus said when He stated that He would build His church but it would face resistance from the gates of Hell.
The LAST thing the enemy wants is for the church to advance.
Over the last few weeks we've seen the following:
External opposition (Verbal threats)
Internal corruption (Ananias and Sapphira)
External persecution (Flogging)
Internal distraction (Hellenistic widows neglected)
Execution (Stephen being stoned to death)
Great persecution and scattering.
And you would think that would stop them. But those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
Interesting that the word "scattered" in verse 1 comes from the Greek word for "seed."
Perhaps you've heard the phrase, "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church."
The North African Christian writer and apologist Tertullian, addressing the rulers of the Roman Empire said,
Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to the dust…The more you mow us down the more we grow; the seed is the blood of Christians.
Tertullian
c.160-225 AD
So, instead of the stoning of Stephen stifling the growth of the gospel, it ignited it.
And noticed WHERE they were scattered: throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.
You'll remember that Jesus told his apostles that they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the e ...
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