Week 28—Monday Acts 8:4-8
Week 28—MONDAY
“SCATTERED . . . EXCEPT THE APOSTLES”
We pause to note something seldom noted. This: “And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Acts 8:1). That phrase, “except the apostles,” is interesting and revealing. Why was this lay group “scattered” and not the apostles? Were they more brave than the lay group? Hardly, for the lay group went out not to hide from danger, but to get into more danger through the bold preaching of the Word: “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).
Did the people who opposed the Christian movement in Jerusalem have a real discernment that the lay group were the truly dangerous ones—dangerous because their revolution was a revolution of the total life, spiritual and material? And did they see that the apostles, confining themselves to the spiritual, were thereby not dangerous to their society? For by their action to confine themselves to the spiritual, they were the Word become word. But these laymen who were a total commitment—spiritual and material—well, that was different! They challenged the spiritual and material basis of life and therefore challenged their position as rulers of the spiritual and material. They were the Word become flesh. They were in head-on conflict. So they kicked back in persecution—against these laymen. But they let the apostles alone.
A South African Dutch minister after being with me in several cities said, “You preach a very troublesome gospel. We preach a Kingdom in heaven and that doesn’t upset anything now. You preach a Kingdom on earth and that upsets everything.” The kingdom in heaven gospel left South Africa the unhappiest spot on earth. For if you don’t bring a kingdom on earth gospel, you’ll soon have a kingdom of hell on earth.
O Savior, save us from confining your gospel to certain areas of life, for if we confine it, we cripple it. And if we cripple the gospel, we are crippled ourselves. Give us, we pray, an all-out commitment to you and your kingdom. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I will not be a compartmentalized Christian; I will be a Christian unlimited.