When God Turns Opposition Into Opportunity

By Dean Collins

The apostle Paul clearly didn’t follow the advice of his teacher, Gamaliel. Instead, he took matters into his own hands and doubled down on trying to stop the growth of the church and its belief in the resurrection. After approving the execution of Stephen, he went house to house, ravaging the church, dragging men and women away from their families and homes, and putting them in prison.

It is worth pausing to remember that both the early church and the church today exist in a world that has been damaged by sin. It should be no surprise that even as we know Jesus is renewing and re-creating all things, that work will not be completed until he returns. Just as Jesus said would happen, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” The early church experienced extreme tribulation as Saul wreaked havoc in Jerusalem and beyond.

But consider what happened next: “those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” The martyrdom of Stephen led to a rapid expansion of the church. Along with that expansion, Jesus also confronted Saul, turning one of the church’s greatest enemies into one of its most influential evangelists! Again, Jesus said we would have trouble, but that we should take heart because he has overcome the world.

Our lack of patience and understanding about both the reality of living in a fallen world and God’s timing, which often differs from our preferences, can make acceptance a struggle on some days. But when we review the expansion of the church in the book of Acts, we see that God is always at work. The spread of the gospel throughout history has brought billions of people to faith in Jesus.

Our acceptance of Jesus as Savior and Lord brings us into life in his kingdom, which means we are now partners with Jesus in making all things new. One of the hard things for us to consider is that the growth and expansion of the church have often occurred during times of great difficulty and persecution. This does not mean that God delights in suffering or that persecution is what he desires for his people. Rather, even in a world damaged by sin, God continues to work, bringing hope out of despair and using the faithfulness of his people to carry the gospel into places it might not otherwise have reached. There will be seasons of pain and suffering before the final renewal Jesus has promised and will one day deliver. We may not always understand God’s timing or see how he is working, but the story of the early church reminds us that even in the darkest circumstances, the work of the gospel continues.

My prayer for you, for me, and for all followers of Christ is that, as we read the pages of the New Testament, we will rediscover our mission and share the love of Jesus every day through our words and actions. May we do so knowing that Jesus is with us, for us, and will one day return to finally and fully make all things right.

Father, we love you and thank you for the story of the church that we read in Acts. Today, we commit ourselves to the work of making disciples. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Acts 8:1-25; John 16:33 ESV

Photo by Pexels
To receive daily posts delivered directly to your inbox, complete the form at the bottom of our home page.