WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: ‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1). Meditate on this. On the run The stoning of Stephen must have been a low point for the fledgling church. As far as we know, he was the first to die for preaching the gospel. With Stephen’s death and the ensuing persecution the believers were understandably terrified. Many fled. But even though they were running away, they didn’t abandon their new faith or even try to hide it, far from it – they shared the good news wherever they went (8:4). Fear and excitement In contrast to the fear caused by persecution, the believers also experienced great excitement and joy as the Lord continued to perform great miracles through them. Philip’s activities in Samaria (8:5–8) sound very like those of Stephen back in Acts 6:8–10. It must have been a very emotional time for these first Christians. Having once experienced persecution, they never knew when these jubilant crowds might suddenly turn against them. They must have been excited by the miracles, the healings, the conversions; yet at the same time apprehensive about what might happen. I wonder how many times I have missed out on the excitement of seeing God at work in people’s lives because I have given in to the fear that they might turn against me. Stephen and Philip, on the other hand, seem to have considered that it was a risk worth taking. Respond: Ask the Lord to use you to affect the lives of others for his glory. http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-07-12