June 11

1 Kings 8

Acts 7:51-8:13

Psalm 129:1-8

Proverbs 17:1

"As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' He fell to his knees, shouting, 'Lord, don't charge them with this sin!' And with that, he died."

Acts 7:59-60

"Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria."

Acts 8:1

Why do bad things had to people? Even those trying to live their lives according to Jesus' teachings? Stephen was the first person killed for his faith in Jesus. He refused to back down from what he believed and he was killed for it. This is sad for many reasons. Stephen was killed because he was doing the right thing. These people were so offended by the truth that they were willing to kill so they wouldn't have to hear it. This started a great wave of persecution which scattered the church. Many others were thrown in jail or killed because of their faith in Jesus. 

It's easy for me to wonder why these things happen but maybe the answer is in Acts 8:4 - "But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News wherever they went." Those persecuting the church tried to stop them, but the opposite ended up happening. Believers ran away to escape imprisonment or death, but they didn't run away from their mission: to share the Good News. The church scattered and so did Jesus' message. If it weren't for Stephen's death and this great wave of persecution, would the church have grown as fast as it did? What people intended for evil, God intended for good. Again we see God uses the broken and twisted actions of people, and He turns them around for His glory. The very same people who were responsible for the death and imprisonment of Christ-followers, also caused Jesus' teachings to spread and His church to grow.