Acts 8:1 And Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 God-fearing men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
This was Saul’s big chance! Now was his golden opportunity to SQUASH this ridiculous cult before it could possibly threaten the safety of all the Jews in Israel. Signs and wonders? Miracles! Unthinkable! These people must have been faking things somehow. And swearing that their leader Jesus had been raised from the dead??? Anathema! And so Saul went on his way, totally unaware that God was using him for His own purposes.
Today is Ascension Sunday. When Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, he told his disciples, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8) Shortly after Jesus ascended, Pentecost came and the Holy Spirit descended on 120 of Jesus’ followers as they were praying together. This should have been the signal for the disciples to start going out from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. But the disciples were still meeting together in Jerusalem; none of them had yet ventured out of their comfort zones.
When I was growing up on a Midwestern farm, we used to raise pigs out in the field. Sometimes we would have to move a large number of pigs from one hog pasture to another. We would open a gate widely and then begin driving the pigs toward the open gate hole. We were trying to get the pigs to go to a new field with fresh clover and alfalfa, but the pigs weren’t interested! They were fine in their old pasture, just fine, thank you! and had no interest in moving. At that point, three of us holding long wooden gates would have to begin herding the pigs toward the open gate hole. We would literally have to make a temporary pen with the gates we were holding, moving closer and closer to the gate hole so that the pigs were forced to go through. Amazingly enough, many of those pigs had to be BACKED through the gate hole! Well, this is what God was doing with those early Christians. Jesus had given them a command and they had failed to follow it on their own. Now God was forcing them to flee to the very places they had been avoiding. Ironically, once the Christians reached those new places, wonderful things began to happen. It was only after the persecution stirred up by Saul that Philip went down to Samaria or that Peter went to Joppa. Had the disciples remained in Jerusalem, they would never have seen the miracles God had prepared.
Today there are many churches who are struggling to decide whether or not to open back up for regular services. I feel each congregation needs to pray about that decision and to take all reasonable precautions. But what if God is trying to get Christians OUT of the church buildings and INTO the world? It’s true that the Bible advises us in Hebrews 10:25 not to “forsake the meeting of yourselves together;” but what if God wants more small discipleship groups and fewer big showy programs? What if God has not been impressed with worship bands and slick singing groups but is rather trying to get Christians to worship Him “in spirit and in truth?” One missionary of our acquaintance told me that one of the most impressive worship services she ever attended was one in which the Christians had to WHISPER the words of the hymns for fear of being overheard and reported to the police in that country. When we insist on big programs and Christian superstars, are we really honoring God or merely entertaining ourselves in the name of worship?
The question each of us must answer for ourselves is this: What does God want from me in this particular set of circumstances? Is God trying to get me out of my comfort zone? Am I trying to hang onto the salt shaker while God is trying to get me out???
PRAYER: Father God, this morning, we confess that we want to be comfortable! We want things to go on just the way they have in the past and WE DON’T LIKE CHANGE! But Father, you are the One who has called us to be light and salt. Help us to go out and share the hope that you have given us because of what Jesus has done for us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment