And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.
The Church Persecuted and Scattered
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
Philip in Samaria
Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city. (Acts 8:1-8)
This could've been a bad day for the Church. One of their leaders was killed by an angry mob, and the believers were forced to flee to surrounding towns. To them it may have looked as if the church were on the brink of destruction. But in the very next verse we see what really happens; God uses this persecution to spread the message of Christ to more places. What was supposed to hurt the church actually made it grow larger and stronger. God knew this in advance. Sometimes God allows things to happen that seem destructive. But rest assured that God knows what's going on and will redeem all things for his purposes.
What are some things in your life that you don't understand?
Ask God for the faith to trust him even when things don't seem good.
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