Acts 8:4

‘those who were scattered abroad
went around preaching the word’
(Acts 8:4)

Before this chapter, Jesus’ growing band of ‘disciples’(Acts 1:15, cf. 2:41-47, 4:4, 5:14, 6:1-7) had stayed largely in ‘Jerusalem’(Acts 6:7). Their principal meeting place, it seems, had been part of the ‘“temple’’(Acts 5:20&25) known as ‘Solomon’s porch’(Acts 5:12, cf. 3:11). This mega venue was apparently capable of holding more than ‘five thousand’(Acts 4:4) people, although the apostles ministered in smaller ‘home’(Acts 5:42) settings as well, and they perhaps continued to use their earlier ‘upper room’(Acts 1:13, cf. Luke 22:12ff.?) for some things.

However, as no doubt these early believers knew, the foundational ‘eleven disciples’(Matthew 28:16) had received a commission to go and ‘“make disciples of all nations”’(Matthew 28:19ff.), only ‘“beginning at Jerusalem”’(Luke 24:47), their mission field being even ‘“to the uttermost parts of the earth”’(Acts 1:8)! Perhaps some from way beyond ‘“Judea”’(Acts 2:9ff.), visitors at ‘Pentecost’(Acts 2:1ff.), had already begun to prepare the ground, like Jesus Himself earlier in ‘Samaria’(John 4:7ff., cf. Acts 1:8) and elsewhere. However, widespread dissemination of the ‘good news concerning God’s Kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ’(Acts 8:12) was yet to take place.

Interestingly, the stimulus to get things moving was a ‘great persecution… in Jerusalem’(Acts 8:1) mentioned at the start of this chapter, which broke out following the martyrdom of ‘Stephen’(Acts 7:59), and ‘scattered’ this growing band of disciples ‘except the apostles’(Acts 8:1) ‘far’(Acts 11:19ff.) and wide. We should note that it’s a recurrent theme throughout scripture that God permits ‘“evil”’(Genesis 50:20) some free rein, which He then re-engineers for ‘good’(Romans 8:28) purposes, in line with ‘the progress’(Philippians 1:12, cf. John 19:10ff.) of His eternal plan.

So here we see that happening, and can observe how God’s Holy Spirit oversees the advancing narrative, which is especially evident in this book of Acts. Later in this chapter we see the Holy ‘Spirit’(Acts 8:29) directing the scattered ‘Philip’(Acts 8:5ff.), a man ‘full of the Holy Spirit’(Acts 6:3ff.), to share ‘about Jesus’(Acts 8:35) in various places, including to someone from ‘Ethiopia’(Acts 8:27ff.) who was travelling back home. No doubt many other believers continued to be ‘filled with the Holy Spirit, and… spoke the word of God with boldness’(Acts 4:31) too, wherever they ‘were scattered’, by God’s ‘hand’(Acts 11:21), with the message similarly seeded to further Ethiopias beyond.

Obviously scattering through persecution isn’t the only way this works though, albeit a remarkably common way in scripture and throughout history more generally. Similarly, other superficially unfavourable circumstances, like an illness or disability, can be repurposed by God to further ‘the Good News’(Galatians 4:13) too. Thankfully, many other neutral or even favourable things, like blessed times of ‘peace’(Acts 9:31), can also be used by God to facilitate the growth of His Kingdom, in strength, numbers, and geographical spread. Through such trials and blessings, God’s ‘Holy Spirit’(Acts 13:2; 16:6ff.) mysteriously directs His people, both collectively and as individuals, in all manner of means, under His guiding hand, through providential circumstance and ‘spiritual wisdom’(Colossians 1:9ff., cf. James 1:5) granted in response fasting and prayer etc.

Importantly, once ‘scattered’ we’re to arrive, ‘preaching the word’. Obviously we’re not all anointed preachers, but it’s of note that the ‘twelve’(Acts 6:2) ‘apostles’(Acts 8:1) who’d specifically been set aside for ‘“the ministry of the word”’(Acts 6:4) at this time, were not amongst those scattered. Rather we see Philip, who’d been set aside to ‘“serve”’(Acts 6:2ff.) in practical, caring roles in Jerusalem, transformed into an ‘evangelist’(Acts 21:8). Moreover, even if we’re not gifted as ‘evangelists’(Ephesians 4:11), we’re all called to be ‘“salt”’(Matthew 5:13; Colossians 4:6) and ‘“light”’(Matthew 5:14-16, cf. Philippians 2:15-16) in the world, which will include things like being ‘ready’(1 Peter 3:15) to explain our faith, especially to ‘“people”’(Acts 18:10, cf. 17:18-34) who seem primed ‘to listen’(Acts 16:14, cf. 8:28ff.), in whatever ‘marketplace’(Acts 17:17) or equivalent we find ourselves. We can all be preachers and ‘teachers’(Hebrews 5:12) in that sense, ready to bring this form of ‘grace’(Ephesians 4:29) to those with ‘“ears to hear”’(Luke 8:8).

So we can all do this, with the confident expectation that some will respond, because it’s God who goes before us to prepare such ears, guides us too them, and it’s ‘God’(1 Corinthians 3:6) who kindles any response. And we might be surprised who He’s preparing, like ‘a young man named Saul’(Acts 7:58, cf. 8:1, 9:1ff., 13:2ff.), ‘also called Paul’(Acts 13:9)! After his dramatic conversion, we find Paul ‘preaching God’s Kingdom and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ’(Acts 28:31) right to the end of this book, and writing the next thirteen! So, as ‘ambassadors’(2 Corinthians 5:20ff.) with him, let’s share this ‘word’ in ‘every place’(2 Corinthians 2:14) in which we find ourselves ‘“sown”’(Matthew 13:23).

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