It must have been a shock when one of their most distinguished and useful leaders was stoned for preaching the gospel. But in Acts 8, we see how God uses hardship to accomplish His purposes—for the martyrdom of Stephen leads to a severe persecution against the church in Jerusalem, forcing a great dispersion of the church, resulting in widespread evangelism by the church. It’s not a truth we eagerly embrace, but the fulfillment of mission may require the disruption of comfort. We’d rather accomplish our purpose where life is easy and pain-free. But in the providence of God, we may find ourselves in situations we would not have chosen for ourselves. Will we trust Him even then, seeking to be His witnesses in every place and every circumstance? Until the persecution of Stephen, the church had been centered in Jerusalem. Jewish authorities had already been persecuting the apostles. But now the whole church is facing a hostility so intense that most of the believers had to pack their bags and leave home. The apostles remain in the city, presumably because the fire is mostly directed at Greek-speaking Jews, like Stephen. But as the persecution heats up, the Jerusalem church is in great turmoil. Some are dying, others are grieving. Some are fleeing, others are staying. But all are enduring hardship, and one man is chiefly responsible. Filled with hatred and determination, “Saul was ravaging the church,” going from house to house in order to find Jesus’ followers and drag them off to prison (v 1-3). Yet as the church scatters, the gospel advances. These early Christians did not flee as refugees, but missionaries. Wherever they went, they took the gospel with them, proclaiming the good news of Jesus in every place. We might have expected they would remain silent rather than risk further opposition. But evidently, the love of Christ so compelled them that this was impossible! (v 4). As one example, Luke tells us about Philip (see 6:5), who not only shared Christ, but crossed social and ethnic barriers to do so. As he heads for Samaria, Philip is going to a city where the people are not like him, and likely won’t even like him! Yet through his ministry, multitudes are set free from crippling diseases and Satanic oppression. “So there was much joy in that city” (5-8). The devil was also at work (v 9-25), but as the Spirit leads Philip down a lonely desert road, an African man is saved through his witness. Using God’s Word, Philip shares the good news of Christ’s sacrificial death for sinners. The eunuch believes and is baptized; then he too goes “on his way rejoicing” (v 26-40). For further meditation: