On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. . . . Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
Acts 8:1, 4
Stephen was martyred. This apparently set off a tidal wave of persecution with a man named Saul leading the way. But this pursuit would have the opposite effect than what was desired. Instead of ending this upstart movement of Jesus-followers, it only emboldened them.
Gamaliel’s warning turned out to be true. Unlike false movements of the past that had fallen apart after the leader died, the message of Christ would only gain steam. The Gospel would go forth. The bold witness of the Body of Christ would take the message of salvation available for all people, both Jew and Gentile, both near and far. There was wonderful fellowship among the believers, but the persecution had also started and led to their scattering.
Saul/Paul could be credited as both the main persecutor of Christians before his conversion and the preeminent evangelist of the Gospel after being saved. Pre-conversion, he worked to “destroy the church” and “dragged off both men and women and put them in prison” (Acts 8:3). After conversion, Luke described Paul’s witness at the end of Acts as one that “proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance” (28:31).
The effective witness of Paul and other men like Peter, John, Philip, Barnabas, Silas, and Timothy took the Gospel throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. Women of God were also mentioned in Acts, such as Dorcas, Lydia, and Priscilla.
For two thousand years since, the truth of God’s Word has been spread to the ends of the earth. It has been a long road, and it has taken much time to get the Bible into the hands of the common man. Barriers such as illiteracy, bad theology, geography, lack of translation, opposition from other religions, war, famine, disease, and so on have held back the advance. But faith coupled with modern technology has accelerated the spread of the Gospel like never before.
Persecution continues in many regions, but so does evangelism and discipleship. I can personally attest to this truth in the countries where I have traveled that are resistant to the Gospel. Persecution breeds strong faith and boldness. Even when persecution wins for a season, those who flee just plant the seeds of Christ in the areas where they settle next.
Today, the majority of the people groups in existence have a Christian witness. We can only speculate if the remaining ethnic groups have to all hear at the same point in time. And so, we press on until Jesus returns. We need to be found faithfully carrying out God’s will for our lives until our heaven-going or His Second Coming.