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- Hope grows from fear
Therefore, those who had been scatter went through places preaching the word.
How did the fledging Christian church flourish while surrounded by legalistic, patristic religious leaders and the most powerful pagan empire the world has ever known in the Romans? We might ask that question today with slight tweaks: How is Christianity multiplying in countries notorious for authoritarian rule and Sharia law?
Hope grows easily. Fear spreads it furthest.
How is Christianity multiplying in countries notorious for communist rule and Sharia law?
If we look at the first verse of Acts 8, we see:
Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.
This pushed many believers from the Pentecostal focus in Jersusalem throughout all of Judea, Samaria, and further (sound familiar ahem ….Commission) Philip goes to Samaria—where Jesus first reveals His Messiah-ship—and finds even more hungry souls.
At a time when believers would have bemoaned their plight at the hands of the Sadducees and Saul, God was getting these seeds of believers into the fertile ground for the faith.
Our professional lives can be like this, too.
There are innumerable stories of hardships in professional settings that work out better than the best-laid plans would have otherwise. I’m sure you have some, yourself. There is a clear allusion to everyone’s favorite verse in times of adversity:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
But let me encourage you on one thing: we culturally like to shorten this verse, “God works all things for the good.” That’s not what the verse says. God works all things for good to those who love God, those called according to His purpose.
Get your Godly love life right! He’s no genie granting wishes out of indifferent abundance; He’s looking to bless His people. Are you one of His people?
What does it look like to love God?
Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, And on His Law he meditates day and night.
Get. in. the. Word.
Today.
Meditate on His Law. What does that mean? Read the Gospels, then read the Psalms, then Proverbs, then the rest of the Old Testament, then the epistles in the New Testament. If you want to be the Psalms 1 tree, planted by streams of water, you need to be delighting (reading) in the Law and meditating (praying) regularly.
God will turn your professional failures into personal successes if you love Him. If you love Him, your heart will let Him work His biggest miracles.
Take heart. This hard time you’re wandering through can be just the thing to strengthen your hope and those around you.
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