From the Inside

Week 1: Scattered to Multiply

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.
Acts 8:1,3

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.

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.

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.
Acts 8:1,3

Now, we are going to look at how the church thrived even when there was persecution and even when
they got scattered. In the end, we hope to also understand how we can apply what the early Christians did
in our modern-day context.

1. Persecution is a reality for the Church.

And Saul approved of his execution.

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.

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.

Today, for us, persecution is different and it may come in various forms, not necessarily to the
point of being stoned to death. 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.

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.

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.

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? Wherever you go as part of the church, bear fruit
there and show Jesus. As church, we 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.

When we get scattered, places and people that get counted off or left out are also blessed. You are
a blessing to the world! 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 WE MAY GET SCATTERED. BUT WHEN WE GET
SCATTERED, WE BECOME GOD’S BLESSING TO THE WORLD AND WE ARE NEVER
ALONE.

Discussion Questions

1. What perspective about church has been redefined to you today?

2. Are you part of a church and do you consider this church your spiritual family?

3. What persecutions do you encounter as being part of the church and how can you use these things to
bless other people?

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