There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered
throughout the countryside. Those first Christians probably thought that what they were experiencing was a great tragedy. Stephen was martyred, they were persecuted, the believers was scattered. But God used even this tragedy for some good end. It was the persecution which broke the early church out of its Jerusalem ghetto and into the larger world. The persecution was a pebble thrown into the pond that caused the mission of the Jesus movement to ripple out. That is another example of the fact that God can use anything, even negative things, for some good end. Exhibit A is, of course, the crucifixion of Jesus. What could be more negative than that yet God used it to save the world. As we go through the troubling and difficult things in life, remember that God isn’t limited by tragedy but can transform it into triumph.
