From Persecution to Proclamation
What looks like scattering may be God’s strategy for spreading life.
Devotional Credit: Immeasurably More by Ray Stedman
Photo Credit: Unsplash
It’s a jarring scene: persecution erupts, believers scatter, and the church appears to be reeling — yet in God’s sovereign plan, this scattering is not a setback but a strategy. Acts 8:1-4 records how the very force that tried to stamp out the church became the catalyst for its expansion. Saul, fueled by religious zeal and personal unrest, thought he was crushing a heresy. Instead, he was unknowingly helping to spread the gospel to Judea and Samaria, right in line with the Lord’s roadmap from Acts 1:8.
The early Christians driven from Jerusalem weren’t the apostles — they were everyday believers. Dr. Luke emphasizes that point. These “ordinary” followers became living vessels of the Spirit’s power, and under pressure, their spiritual gifts surfaced. Evangelism, teaching, helps, prophecy — these weren’t reserved for the church elite but were poured out among those thrust into unfamiliar places, far from comfort, close to Christ.
What the enemy meant to extinguish became the very thing God used to ignite His people’s gifts. And perhaps, as Stedman reflects, the modern church may also need to be shaken — not to destroy, but to awaken. Trials don’t always signal sin; sometimes they signify movement. Not backward into guilt, but forward into fruitfulness.
Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit
I am never caught off guard. What feels like disruption to you is often My direction. When pressure comes — unexpected, uninvited, unwanted — you may wonder if you’ve failed Me or fallen short. But look again. I am at work through every pressure point. Just as I moved the early church through persecution, I move you through difficulty — not as punishment, but as placement.
Do not fear the scattering. When I scatter, I also fill. You are not alone when you're pushed from what is familiar. I have equipped you with My presence and My gifts. These are not reserved for platforms or pulpits. They were placed within you for moments just like this — where your need presses you into My sufficiency, and your weakness uncovers My power.
You do not need ideal conditions to see My life manifested in you. You only need to yield. As I did with them, I will do with you: I will draw forth what I’ve already placed within. I will open new paths, often through broken ground. You’ll see Me move not despite the pressure, but because of it. Trust Me. I am not subtracting; I am multiplying.
Scripture References: Acts 8:1–4, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Romans 8:28, 1 Corinthians 12:4–11
Real-Life Analogy
It’s like packing a tube of travel toothpaste into a tightly stuffed carry-on bag. You squeeze and twist to make it fit, and suddenly — it bursts. Not out of defect, but because of pressure. And even the small bit inside becomes evident to everyone around. What was once hidden is now spread.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, I trust that You are never surprised by what feels like upheaval to me. When pressure comes, I rest in the confidence that You are not punishing me, but positioning me. Thank You for the spiritual gifts You’ve already placed within me — gifts I would likely never uncover without being pressed into unfamiliar territory. I believe You are expressing Christ’s life through me, not in ease, but in every challenge. I rejoice that even through trial, You’re expanding what You began, and I yield to You as Your life flows through mine.