Acts 8:1-8 – O The Depth!

Verse 2 speaks of the sorrow Stephen’s death caused. No doubt these devout men felt not only great personal sorrow, but also a great sense of loss to the church. Stephen had been so fearless in the cause of truth – and so powerful in reasoning from the Scriptures! But the Lord is dependent on no man. We must see the wisdom of God in bringing so much good out of this evil! When godly men die, the Lord does not.

“Saul was consenting to his death…” (v.1). Who would have thought this young man was one of God’s elect? How foolish we are to try to guess! Spread the Word of God even among those who, to us, look very unpromising candidates – there is a sovereign God in Heaven! “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they shall both be alike good” (Ecclesiastes 11:6). The future apostle to the Gentiles was among the persecutors.

This was not all. Despite the ‘havock’ (v.3) Saul caused, the Word of God was not bound. Believers went everywhere ‘preaching the word’ (v.4) – not the term normally used for public heralding by ministers, but simply ‘evangelizing’. They spoke of what they knew. Philip, however, is said to have preached or heralded forth the Word to the Samaritans. The Lord blessed both the public preaching of His ministers and the general testimony of His people as a whole. Christ’s church was not extinguished by Saul of Tarsus.

Samaria! How could the Word prosper in such a place? But had not the Lord Jesus said that His disciples would be witnesses in ‘Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth” (1:8)? Next, we have the Ethiopian eunuch. A chapter that begins with lamentation ends with the church expanding. “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans11:33). Pray to the God who sits upon the throne for your neighbours and for the preachingof the Gospel among all nations.

Questions
1. Can we ever know, in advance, who of the unconverted are God’s elect?
2. What makes us think we can?

Prayer Points
1. Pray for the salvation of those who live around you.
2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
3. Pray for family matters.