A young man left his home for a far-off land to preach the Gospel. While there he inspired another young man to take up his Bible and preach the Word. Tragically, the young missionary went home and abandoned the faith. However, the young man that he inspired to preach, now entering middle age, is still preaching. Praise the Lord.
Some will go and then stop. Others will go and never stop going – it is the Gospel that moves them!
I would say that the evangelist Philip was probably present when the mob stoned Stephen to death (Acts 7:59-60).
It was the event that set two powerful forces, which would eventually collide, into motion. Firstly, it inspired Saul of Tarsus to systematically persecute the church, and secondly, because of that persecution, it started a wave of evangelism beyond Jerusalem.
The forced move of Christians beyond their massive home church in Jerusalem meant a forced move of the Gospel. The gospel was successfully spread among the Samaritans; especially by Philip.
No church wants persecution. But we must expect it as an inevitable consequence of preaching Christ. Where the gospel brings the “the peace of God which transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7) to the hearts of believers, it also incites hostility in the hearts of unbelievers. Jesus said:
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10:34).
The Gospel has cut the world into two groups—Christians and non-Christians. The divide becomes immediately apparent when Christians, because of their love for lost souls, preach salvation through Christ.
When we preach the Gospel and it is rejected, we move on to the next person. The Gospel moves when we do!
In fact, it is incumbent upon all of us to “preach Jesus where we can.” We have no idea who might be waiting for us to introduce them to Jesus.
John Staiger
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