Sermon Tone Analysis

“Church On The Move”

“Scattered Seed Saves Nations”

Acts 8

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

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

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,

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.

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…

David Guzik says...

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…

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.

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…

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

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

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

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.