This Is the Way: A 30-Day Journey Through the Book of ActsSample

The Hard Way

By Dr. Irini Fambro

“A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. . . . But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.” —Acts 8:1, 4

Growing up as an Egyptian girl in Alabama, I learned how to handle hard moments. Awkward, foreign moments are my specialty, but it’s the hard ones that can leave scars. The friends who rejected me, the cultural aspects of myself that I hid, the guy whose mother didn’t want him to date a brown girl. Hard. Not the hardest I would face, but it was my hard ... the one I knew and was familiar with.

There are two kinds of hard: the hard that unfolds from our choices and the hard that just happens. Both are part of being human. We go through them as a child (hard), sibling (hard), spouse (harder), parent (harder), friend (kinda hard), and leader (definitely hard).

Jesus even told us life would be hard when He said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33 NIV).

The first church—the very first one ever—encountered dreadfully hard circumstances. They weren’t debating over how loud the music was being played or how to grow small groups. They were being hunted down and killed for following Jesus. They didn’t get a few years to work out the kinks as a start-up church. They hadn’t even established meeting times, started a building project, or preached a sermon series. Jesus left, and they encountered the Holy Spirit and started a church. It was all so new, so different . . . so hard.

They grieved.
They waited.
They encountered.
They were threatened.
They were killed.

HARD.

They didn’t do anything to make it hard—it was thrust upon them and forced them to make difficult choices. At the beginning of Acts 8, the church scattered because they were being persecuted. They were led out of their homes in Jerusalem—out of the familiar into the unfamiliar—and into Judea and Samaria. Jesus knew the hard places were coming: “And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8b). But He didn’t leave them powerless! He told them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8a). The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ gift to the Church—to you and me—so we don’t have to encounter the hard places and face hard choices alone. He is with us!

Hard places offer us opportunities to:

1. Choose
In difficult times, the Holy Spirit helps us make the right decisions. As the New Testament church scattered because of persecution, people had a choice. While in the unfamiliar, unexpected, undeserved places, they chose to preach the “Good News about Jesus wherever they went” (Acts 8:4). They preached instead of posting about it on social media. They talked about the good news instead of texting their friends about all the bad news. They saw their options and didn’t simmer over what was out of their control. Their response in the hard places was more powerful than the evil of the persecution.

2. Partner
God desires for us to partner with Him in the hard places, not the enemy. In Acts 8 while Philip is preaching in Samaria, he is also being persecuted, driven from his home, and thrust into the unfamiliar by people who voted and worshiped differently than him. Philip had an opportunity. He could partner with the enemy and see the Samaritans as his opponents, or he could partner with God and see the Samaritans as eager, hungry people in need of a Savior. Philip chose the opportunity to partner with God in the unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and unexpected hard place, and because of his choice, more people heard the good news and believed in Jesus.

3. Learn
God wants us to learn while we’re in the hard places. Enduring extreme hardships, Philip preached amid persecution. Samaria had been a town he’d avoided his whole life, so how could God’s good news reach these people? Philip learned that God could reach the unreachable when he chose to partner with Him and preach the gospel in an unfamiliar and hostile place. Acts 8:6–8 says, “Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.”

Yes, life is hard, but Jesus didn’t just say in John 16:33 (NIV) that it would be hard; He also promised us peace: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” With this promise in mind, what will you choose to do in hard places? Who will you choose? Who will you partner with in those hard circumstances? How will you let the hard places stretch you? Are you willing to learn from these moments? Your hard place is an opportunity for a hard choice, but you can rest knowing your hard choice will be a powerful choice when you partner with God.

Prayer

(Take a moment and think of a hard circumstance you’re facing right now. Turn your hands up and pray this prayer over your difficult situation.)

Holy Spirit, You’re the answer Jesus gave to me for all of life’s circumstances, even the hard ones. You sustain me in the hard places. Lead me through so I don’t get stuck in them. Guard my choices, and help me to partner with You, Lord, and not the enemy. Help me to learn and not to grow stagnant through my lack of understanding. I give my hard places to You. May I become more like You and never be the same because of them. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activation

• Reflect on the hard moments you’ve faced recently—whether a result of your own choices or simply life circumstances. Acknowledge how difficult they were and ask yourself: “Where is the opportunity in this hard place? What will I choose to do?” Write down ways you can turn your current challenge into an opportunity to reflect God’s love.
• Reflect on Acts 8 and how Philip chose to partner with God in a hostile environment. Now consider a current challenge—how can you partner with God in it? Write a prayer or declaration, aligning yourself with God’s plan rather than the negativity around you.

For Further Study

Acts 8; Acts 1–2; John 14; John 16

Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me?