God At Work In Every Situation – Scattered Part 4

In this series we seek to look back at one of the pivotal moments in the history of the church and see what lessons we can learn from it for our current circumstances. We will discover that what might seem as difficult or even tragic circumstances can be great catalysts for the mission of God.

I wonder if like me you are wondering what the legacy of the Covid-19 crisis of 2020 is going to be?

In the fourth and final part of our scattered series today we go full circle as Paul recounts his story and includes the death of Stephen (which we looked at in the first part of the series) and we shall discover that God has been at work in every situation.

Twenty five years after the stoning of Stephen, Paul (who was one of Jesus’ first followers and before his encounter with Jesus persecuted Christians and the church) is arrested in Jerusalem and gives a passionate speech in his defence. We can find that speech in the New Testament book of Acts which is the story of the first churches and the growth and expansion of the movement of Jesus. Today we are looking at Chapter 22 verses 1 to 21 and you can find it here.

Part of Stephen’s legacy was Paul. And Paul’s legacy was even more immense – he started churches all over the place and was a key player in the spread of Christianity.

What do we want our legacy to be? Wouldn’t we want to be a part of what God can and is doing in this season? What part are we going to play in that?

To find out more about Next Steps at Andover Baptist Church check out the NextSteps web page.

Questions to reflect on in your small group or on your own:

  1. Can you think of a legacy that you have been left…something that someone else said or did that has built something into your life or meant something significant or that has changed you in some way?
  2. What legacy do you want to leave?
  3. When Paul (then known as Saul) watched what happened to Stephen way back in Acts chapter 8 what seeds do you think we sown into him?
  4. How difficult would it have been for Stephen to have trusted God knowing he wouldn’t see the legacy he had left?
  5. What was Stephen’s legacy?
  6. What strikes you about this section of Paul’s speech in Acts chapter 22? How amazing is it that the story of Stephen and Paul and the scattering of the church has come full circle?
  7. What next steps can you be taking to ensure the legacy that you leave behind is significant and worthwhile?

Listen to the full talk on our podcast below…

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