And then...

​Everything that we encounter in life leads to a response.  With that in mind, these responses can be both good and bad.  But no matter the case, something happens.  So it is with matters pertaining to the church.  For centuries, the church has been placed in countless moments where there has been an opportunity to respond or react to all sorts of things.  One example comes to us from Acts chapter 8.  Acts chapter 7 ends with the persecution of the Apostle Stephen.  Such a trying time for the movement of the early church.  Then, chapter 8 introduces us to a man named Saul.  A man who was there at the stoning of Stephen and a man who was determined to end the movement of the early church.  So how did the church respond?  How did they respond to Saul giving approval to the execution of Stephen and his full commitment to dragging off God-fearing men and women to prison?  Acts 8:4-5 says this from the ESV, “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.”  The early believers were scattered because of the great persecution that was taking place, but they still stayed on point.  They continued to live out the mission that they were commissioned to do.  How about you?  How would you respond?  My hope, for all of us, is that we would stay on task.  That we would continue to live out the mission that we were commissioned for.
 
Think about it.  Pray about it.  God bless.

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