Acts 8
God Uses All Things for His Glory!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 13.
Can God use evil for good?
Acts 8 starts with Saul, the Pharisee who oversaw Stephen’s murder, ravaging the Christians in Jerusalem. We read in Acts 8:1-3, “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. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.”
What good could come from a development like this?
My favorite Old Testament story is the story of the patriarch Joseph, found in Genesis 37-50. The story concludes in Genesis 50:19-20, with Joseph talking to his brothers, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
I love this story and the many stories in the Old Testament that proclaim the same thread of truth—God uses real people with real faith in real history to bring about His great plans. God is sovereign. God is faithful and true! God can use anyone for plans that are far greater than any of us can understand in the moment. The key is for you to live with a faith perspective as you go about your day.
Do you trust God to work it all out even if you don’t understand what is going on? That trust must become your way of life.
The good that came from Acts 8 was a great expansion of the church out of Jerusalem. It was a time of great growth, and it happened quickly.
Seize the moment and be patient as God is working all things together for His glory! Don’t panic! God is with us… Pray!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.