From the Inside

Week 1: Scattered to Multiply

Acts 8:1,3

And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against
the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and
Samaria, except the apostles.

But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and
women and committed them to prison.

Today, we're starting off with a new series where we aim to address the misconceptions about
church and also to gain a better appreciation of why belonging to a church community matters.

Now, let me explain. The common understanding is that when you go to church, you go to a
building, and that you go to that building every Sunday.

But that's not how the early Christians understood church. The truth is, the word church is
ekklesia, which literally means assembly of the called-out ones. Church actually pertains to a
group of people and not a building. And this group of people is assembled and called by God.

That's how Jesus intended Christians to be. Before Jesus went back to heaven, after He
resurrected back to life, He told His disciples to make disciples of all nations, teaching them
everything He has commanded them. It’s as if He was saying to those who believed and trusted
Him that while He is the head, He calls them to be His hands and feet.

As a people who understand what Jesus did, it should be a joy to be part of the mission of
letting others know about His saving power and his rule. In fact, that’s exactly how the first
Christians reacted.

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down
at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked
with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]
Mark 16:19-20 (ESV)

But our being Christians and being part of the church does not necessarily guarantee us a
comfortable and worry-free life. It is even the opposite. Jesus assures his church that in this
world we will have troubles. Such was the case with the first Christians, the early church.
 Acts 8:1,3

And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against
the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and
Samaria, except the apostles.

But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and
women and committed them to prison.

1. Persecution is a reality for the Church.

And Saul approved of his execution.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem,

Before this chapter that we have read, there’s this story about a disciple named
Stephen. When He preached about the good news of Jesus, the religious elites had hard
hearts in receiving the message and so came together to stone him to death.

No matter how good our intentions may be, those to whom we preach the Gospel to
might have different views of what we are doing. For Stephen and the early church, the
authorities could not understand or accept the fact that salvation is found in Christ alone.
For all their lives they have religiously practiced rituals and ceremonies to make one
clean before the Lord. The truth is that nothing we do can ever make us perfectly clean.
Only Jesus can do that for us.

Today, for us, persecution is different. It might come through ostracism. We are cast out
because of how we behave. Sometimes, people would feel threatened that if they come
close to us, they would get burnt or judged. Sometimes, it is just unimaginable that
someone like you would preach about Jesus. Sometimes it’s just nonsense to people
that the way to get to heaven is free.

No matter where you are or what you do, persecution will always be around and it will
vary from simply being the laughing stock of jokes to outright rejection.
 2. Persecution may lead the church to scatter.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they
were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Acts 8:1

4
Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city
of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.
Acts 8:4-5 (ESV)

Now, you would think that it is bad news that the church was being persecuted. Well, it kind of
is. Their lives were on the line. Imagine, those who would laugh at you or want you to be gone
don’t just wait to see you, they come for you in your very house. Definitely, you would want to
run or hide for your dear life. After all, you cannot preach the gospel if you’re already dead.

What’s interesting when the church was persecuted was that even when they got scattered in
running and hiding for their lives, they did not leave the Gospel where they came from. They
took the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them wherever they went. The salvation and lordship of
Jesus Christ over their lives was so real and valuable that no persecution can ever stop them
from telling people about it.

Because that was the kind of resolution the early church had, they were able to take the good
news with them wherever they were scattered. In this point of view, we can see that getting
scattered is a good thing. It’s like a farmer scattering seeds on the ground and wherever the
seeds would fall, it would grow and bear fruit.

What are the instances that we get scattered? Well, after the service, we’re already going to be
scattered. Wherever you go as part of the church, bear fruit there and show Jesus. Our
Christianity and church membership does not only rest when we are here. It also does not end
after the youth service. Our Christianity and church membership is extended and realized when
we go and tell.

Can you imagine if the disciples stopped in Jerusalem only? Can you imagine if their thinking
was to show off until people come to them? Maybe we would not have heard of the gospel.
Maybe the Philippines would not be named Philippines and we would not get to know God.

We are not here to wait for people to come and see what we are doing. We come here to go
and tell others when we get scattered.
 3. When the Church gets Scattered, the places we go to get blessed.

4
Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city
of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention
to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For
unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who
were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.
Acts 8:4-8 (ESV)

One of the disciples who got scattered was a man named Philip. He went to a place called
Samaria. Samaria is a place where Jews would not want to be in because they have a history of
misunderstandings and quarrels. People from Samaria are cast out by people from Jerusalem.
They are even counted off from being part of the people of God even if the city is within Israel.

What does this tell us? When we get scattered, places and people that get counted off or left out
are also blessed. You are a blessing to the world! Look what happened to that disregarded
place. Verse 7 states that unclean spirits came out of many people. Many who were paralyzed
or lame were healed. There was much joy in that city. You might think there is nothing
significant that you can contribute wherever you are but that’s not true. As part of the body of
Christ, you are scattered to bring life to dead places. You are a salt and a light to the world.

And even when it gets tough, remember that you are not alone. You got the whole church with
you. Look at what happened to Philip in Samaria

14
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they
sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive
the Holy Spirit,
Acts 8:14-15 (ESV)

Persecutions may come and you may get scattered. But when you get scattered, you
become God’s blessing to the world and you are never alone.