"Scattered Seed Saves Nations"

A couple weeks ago I was killing a little time on TikTok and I saw a video that almost blew me away… He said, “When the pain of the current reality is greater than the fear of change, that’s when men change.”

When you become so unhappy, or dissatisfied with where you are and what’s going on that the uncertainty of something else doesn’t seem to matter as much…THAT’S WHEN YOU PURSUE CHANGE.

The last words that Luke records Jesus saying in the book of Acts is in Acts 1:8

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

He gave the disciples a plan.

1. Get endued with power!

2. Be witnesses starting in Jerusalem, then Judea, Samaria, and finally the entire world.

But, if you look at Acts 4:32-35

Acts 4:32–35 ESV

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

it seems like maybe they had started getting comfortable.

I’m not saying there weren’t problems. There were obviously problems. Peter and John had been arrested a couple times, but both times they were either released, or broke out of jail by an angel…

Come on somebody, Imagine your testimony of God’s goodness is, “He sent an angel to break me out of jail.”

Sure Ananias and Saphira were struck down for lying to God, but, there’s a life lesson there!

Unfortunately, It would seem that comfort was starting to set in. We can continue reading and see that growth was still happening. People were still receiving their miracles. People were still getting saved. Needs were still being met.

BUT ALL OF THIS WAS STILL IS IT’S FIRST PHASE OF THE PLAN.

The disciples and the apostles were still in Jerusalem!

Jesus laid the plan out… Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the REST OF THE WORLD!

But today as we get into chapter 8 of the book of Acts we are somewhere around 5 years into the plan…AND THE CHURCH HASN’T LEFT JERUSALEM IN ANY SIGNIFICANT MANNER.

These first 5ish years were a time of building, growing, and discipling new believers. Preparing the church for what’s next!

Yes, things are getting done, BUT GOD HAD BIGGER PLANS!!!

A few weeks ago I preached, from Acts 6 and 7 on The Necessity of Servanthood.

Specifically, I talked about a man named Stephen who was chosen among the Hellenistic Jews to be a deacon, or diakonis which literally means servant.

To keep it short and simple, Stephen was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He was. A man that was getting things done. Acts 6:8 says,

Acts 6:8 ESV

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

Let me tell you, when you are getting things done, you will get peoples attention.

Unfortunately, sometimes the attention you get won’t lead to greater blessing and prosperity. Sometimes the attention leads to persecution, hardship, imprisonment, and maybe even death.

That’s what happened to Stephen! He was brought before the council, falsely accused, and stoned!

Why was he stoned?

He was stoned for his unwavering conviction that Jesus was the Son of God.

He was stoned for rightfully accusing the people of executing the sinless Son of God.

He was stoned for pointing out the ongoing sin of the people.

IN SHORT, HE WAS STONED BECAUSE HE WAS A TRUTH BEARER.

HE WAS STONED BECAUSE PEOPLE MOST OFTEN DON’T LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT THEIR SHORTCOMINGS.

PEOPLE TYPICALLY DON’T MIND STAYING IN THE QUAGMIRE AND STENCH THAT THEY HAVE CREATED FOR THEMSELVES!!!

UNFORTUNATELY, TOO OFTEN WE GET USED TO IT!

The church of the first few years following Jesus’ ascension was probably pretty comfortable, BUT THEY COULDN’T AFFORD TO STAY COMFORTABLE.

THEY COULDN’T AFFORD TO REMAIN IN THE FIRST STEP OF THE PLAN!!!

THERE WAS MORE, AND THROUGH HARDSHIP THE CHURCH WOULD BE SCATTERED TO CONTINUE ACCOMPLISHING GOD’S PLAN FOR CREATION.

Acts 8:1–4 ESV

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. 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. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

They were comfortable no more.

Immediately following the death of Stephen, Rather beginning with the EXECUTION of Stephen it says that “there arose a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem.”

We know that one of the foremost leaders in this persecution was a man named Saul of Tarsus.

He was such an imminent threat against the church and against Christians that in the next chapter, following Saul’s incident on the road to Damascus, a man named Ananias is visited by The Lord in a vision. Acts 9:11-14

Later, Paul would describe himself like this…

Acts 22:4 ESV

I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,

Galatians 1:13 ESV

For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.

1 Timothy 1:15 ESV

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

David Guzik says...

Acts 1. The Church Is Persecuted and Scatters (1)

Consenting describes Saul’s attitude, but the English translation probably isn’t strong enough. The idea behind the ancient Greek word suneudokeo is “to approve, to be pleased with.” Some people are reluctant persecutors, but Saul wasn’t one of these; he took pleasure in attacking Christians

He was a driving force in trying to keep the Christian church from “STEALING FAITHFUL JEWS AWAY FROM WHAT HE BELIEVED GOD WANTED FOR AND FROM THEM.”

SO, this man named Saul who would later be known by his roman name Paul, is a major driving force that is causing the people of the Church to scatter beyond their comfort zone.

This man who himself would later talk about how vehemently he persecuted the church and would describe himself as the chief of all sinners, would drive folks away from the center of what was the beginning of a brand new faith. A faith that was the one way to Heaven.

What seemed to be hardship was actually the fuel that would lead to even greater growth.

When I read these first few verses in Acts 8:1-4 I see this word that pops out…

Acts 8:1–4 ESV

SCATTER

2 ANCIENT GREEK WORDS FOR “SCATTER”.

One “to make something disappear”

Two “to plant or sow”

SCATTER SEEDS

Everything that lives, lives for at least one main purpose. That purpose is to reproduce.

Genesis 1:28 ESV

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

When we give our lives to Jesus that primary purpose still exists. We are to go forth AND MULTIPLY.

But as Christians our greatest purpose is to multiply the kingdom of God. That means that everyone that calls on the name of the Lord has the purpose of reproducing themselves. BEING WITNESSES in the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!!!

How do we do that?

WE SCATTER SEED…

Matthew 13:1–9 ESV

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Too often we worry about who will hear or respond, BUT OUR ONLY JOB IS TO SCATTER SEED!

We have to be good stewards of what God has supplied us with.

There will be birds, rocky soil, thorny patches, and plowed and ready ground where you will see immediate results.

That’s always exciting. It’s fun and it feels rewarding to see someone instantly turn from everything and get on fire for Jesus.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE ONES THAT TAKE TIME!?!?!?

WHAT ABOUT THE ONES THAT YOU SOW INTO, BUT NOTHING HAPPENS??!?! OR AT LEAST THAT’S THE WAY IT SEEMS

1 Corinthians 3:6–9 ESV

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

Seed doesn’t do any good locked up, bagged up, stuck in a warehouse.

John 12:24 ESV

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Sometimes the scattering takes us to hard places!!!!

Acts 8:5–13 ESV

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 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. 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. So there was much joy in that city. But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.

From Acts 8:1 to Acts 8:5 the plan of God went from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria.

HOW?

It happened because the wind blew. It happened because situations arose that forced them to get out of their comfort zones and move beyond their fear.

Now they are in new places, facing new challenges.

Maybe some rocky soil, maybe some thorns, and most certainly some hard paths where the enemy would definitely take the seed before it could even get a root hold.

Those who were scattered went about preaching the Word…

THEY WERE SCATTERING SEED!!!

A man named Phillip was preaching and signs were being done.

People were being saved.

People were being delivered.

People were being healed.

People were experiencing a new kind of joy.

As Simon continued preaching, he encounters a man named Simon.

Simon was a magician by practice, and not the entertaining kind that have cool sleight of hand tricks.

Simon was the kind of magician that was operating in a different kind of power. He had people believing in him because of the things he did.

He was leading people in a bad direction.

But the beauty and the power of the Gospel is that it is stronger than all of the forces of evil!!

It is powerful to save, deliver, heal, give us joy, and promises us an eternity that is better than anything we can imagine!!

We see that while people were believing and following Simon, when Phillip began preaching the good news, minds were changed, AND PEOPLE WERE BAPTIZED!!!!

Acts 8:14–17 ESV

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

The revival was so great, that when word got back to the apostles in Jerusalem, they sent Peter and John to check it out.

Peter and John laid hands in them and they received, (WERE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT).

Acts 8:26 ESV

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.

TELL THE REST OF THE STORY!!!

Just as quickly as the story begins with Phillip being led by an angel to the Eunuch, he is taken away by the Spirit of God.

Acts 8:39 ESV

And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.

WE DON’T ALWAYS GET TO GO, OR STAY, WHERE WE WANT.

We have to trust the will of God

Later Paul would deal with a similar but different incident.

Acts 16:6–7 ESV

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

Paul wanted to go one place, but God led him somewhere else. The result??? A church was born in Philippi.

You remember the story of Jonah and the Big Fish…

The Key is going where God says, and doing what God wants.

What may be one of my top 10 favorite stories in the Bible starts in Genesis 12:1-4

Genesis 12:1–4 ESV

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

Romans 4:3–6 ESV

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:

It is one of my top 10 favorite because of the principle it serves. It teaches us that trusting God comes above all else.

It is more important than our comfort and more important than our security.

Phillip was led to the desert where he ministered to a servant, and was taken just as quickly by the Spirit of God.

Paul was led a different direction than he wanted to go.

Jonah had to be delivered where God wanted him to be by a big fish…ONLY AFTER HE HAD TO SPEND 3 DAYS IN THE BELLY OF THE FISH

Abraham would go on to be called the Father of Faith. Through him and his SEED, a nation was born, 2 covenants were given, AND THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD WOULD BE BORN, LIVE A SINLESS LIFE, DIE A DEATH HE DIDN’T DESERVE, RISE FROM THE DEAD, AND ESTABLISH THE GREATEST MOVEMENT THAT HAS EVER EXISTED.

MORE THAN JUST A MOVEMENT BUT AN ESTABLISHMENT THAT PREACHES GOOD NEWS, LOVE, AND LIFE FOREVERMORE TO ALL THAT WOULD BELIEVE AND CALL ON THE NAME OF JESUS.

Where is God calling you today?

What has God established in your heart to accomplish?

Who does He have waiting on you to be obedient?

Kristi, the kids, and I are in a similar place. We are being led to go and scatter seed somewhere else....

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