"Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word." (v.4)
Saul hated Christians. He did all he could to hurt the cause of Christ when he launched his intense persecution of the early followers of Jesus. But when they fled Jerusalem to escape persecution, they proclaimed the gospel everywhere they went. This caused the church to grow more rapidly, the opposite of what Saul intended.
The statement that they preached the word is misleading; the Greek expression does not necessarily mean more than shared the good news. We shouldn’t think then that those who left Jerusalem left as formal preachers. Most were “accidental missionaries” who talked about Jesus wherever they went.
Therefore, we can be just like these early Christians. We can share the good news of what Jesus has done in our lives. Most people don’t come to Jesus through a professional preacher or an evangelist; they come to Jesus through people just like us. C.S. Spurgeon wrote, “In every church where there is really the power of the Spirit of God, the Lord will cause it to be spread abroad, more or less. He never means that a church should be like a nut shut up in a shell; nor like ointment enclosed in a box. The precious perfume of the gospel must be poured forth to sweeten the air.”
For centuries, Christians have been hated and viciously opposed in many nations. But persecution has not destroyed Christianity. Even under the most dire circumstances it has not only survived but continues to grow, and forces of hell itself has not nor will not overcome it!
The Truth: "I also say to you that you are Peter, "And upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18)
