The Word of God Spread
So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:7
This week’s number one film in the UK is Sex and the City 2. I’d love at this point to tell you a little about what the film is about, but the truth is that I haven’t got a clue. Whilst I often go to the cinema and usually know what films are about, I pride myself on my ignorance when it comes to SATC2. Pretty much every review has panned this film and said that it is catastrophically bad, even by the standards of Sex and the City. Yet cinema goers are still heading down to their local multiplexes in their droves to see this film. It defies any logical explanation.
Some would say that the growth of the early church similarly defied any logical explanation. Already in the first five chapters of Acts we have seen Christians getting into trouble with the authorities about their faith, ending up in prison, and facing the Sanhedrin. The early Christians were in no doubt at all that they could face the death sentence if the Sanhedrin saw fit. They continued to proclaim Christ even louder though, and more and more people followed them. We’ve also seen that sin was to be found even in the early church with the lies of Ananias and Sapphira which led to their deaths in chapter five. This did not put people off joining the growing numbers of Christians. Earlier in chapter six of Acts we also saw divisions starting to appear in the Church. Yet still it grew.
All of this goes to show that even when God’s work is done by weak sinners like the apostles, and like you and me, miracles can still follow. Even when the Church is imperfect and struggling to take care of its own affairs, God still uses it to bring people to faith. Even if we think we’re weak and inadequate for spreading the gospel, God will work through us. When we struggle to find the words to write, or think our talks are weak, or our written words are naff, God can still make miracles happen. Why? Because whilst God uses us all, ultimately it is him that transforms peoples lives. He brings people to the Church. He leads them to the foot of the cross. He convicts them of their sin. And it is Jesus who saves souls, not us. Give thanks today that God can work through us and use us even though we are weak. Pray also that the Church will grow and expand in the coming years through God’s goodness rather than through our efforts.
Page header image from Dmitry Valberg @flickr under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 licence.
