Feed Your FaithSample

Acts 8:1-4 NIV

1 And Saul approved of their killing him. 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 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.

Opposition = Opportunity

I like to say that opposition is a prophetic indicator that opportunity is on its way. 

As the church was beginning to form in Acts, there was a variety of persecution they faced. However, it was the trouble they encountered that actually helped to spread the gospel. When the early Church was encountering opposition, there was also an opportunity for Kingdom advancement.

Trouble Reveals Who We Really Are

I've found that trouble is a mirror - it reveals who I am. I don't know how strong my faith is until I encounter a difficult situation. When the early church went through trouble, the gospel didn't grow weaker; instead, it gained strength.

No matter what you're facing today, hidden inside that difficulty is an opportunity for God to come through in some miraculous way. Don't be discouraged when you face trying times. Don't be disheartened when you walk through crisis; instead, lean into the Lord and look for the opportunity for God to show Himself strong to you.

When the early church was scattered, God used that scattering as an opportunity to spread the gospel to areas that it had never been. Those who had opposed the gospel must have thought that because of their persecution, they had extinguished the threat of the early church, but instead, it grew in power. Wherever the people were scattered, it became their new mission field.

It can be difficult to know why we're going through pain or why we're experiencing some of the circumstances that we're wading through, but God is faithful and will use what the enemy meant for evil and work it for our good!