The Dispersion of the Church
MEMORY VERSE
"Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever the went." (Acts 8:4)
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever seen those Magic Eye pictures? You know, the ones that look like a bunch of jagged colors but when you stare at them in a certain way, a picture will supposedly leap out at you in 3-D? I never could see the picture; in fact, staring at it just gave me a headache. But other people would swear that right in front of me - in the midst of a bunch of chaos - was an incredible picture. I have to say it's still hard for me to believe.
Sometimes our lives will look like those pictures: Completely random, jagged edges, and totally incomprehensible. But the Bible is very clear about the fact that even when things seem totally out of control, God has his firm hand on history. God is able to work every circumstance for his purposes and his glory - at all times. In Acts8:1-8 we see the early church face a huge wave of persecution. It looks bleak for the fledgling body of believers as they're scattered everywhere. But this period of turmoil would serve to spread the gospel faster than anything else in the book of Acts.
Even when we believe nothing can be done, God can still do whatever he wishes in order to fix the situation. As we think about God's sovereignty this week, watch how God brings a perfect plan to fruition out of what looks like complete chaos.
MEMORY VERSE
"Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever the went." (Acts 8:4)
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever seen those Magic Eye pictures? You know, the ones that look like a bunch of jagged colors but when you stare at them in a certain way, a picture will supposedly leap out at you in 3-D? I never could see the picture; in fact, staring at it just gave me a headache. But other people would swear that right in front of me - in the midst of a bunch of chaos - was an incredible picture. I have to say it's still hard for me to believe.
Sometimes our lives will look like those pictures: Completely random, jagged edges, and totally incomprehensible. But the Bible is very clear about the fact that even when things seem totally out of control, God has his firm hand on history. God is able to work every circumstance for his purposes and his glory - at all times. In Acts8:1-8 we see the early church face a huge wave of persecution. It looks bleak for the fledgling body of believers as they're scattered everywhere. But this period of turmoil would serve to spread the gospel faster than anything else in the book of Acts.
Even when we believe nothing can be done, God can still do whatever he wishes in order to fix the situation. As we think about God's sovereignty this week, watch how God brings a perfect plan to fruition out of what looks like complete chaos.
1 comment:
If I only had words for how true this is RIGHT NOW!!
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