“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews.”
Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 3:5, “a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,” With all the talk of Jesus calling his own sheep and gathering them together, the very concept of scattering seems counter-Christian if you will. We are supposed to spread the good news and see numbers added to the Kingdom daily just like in Acts. The “all in one accord” phrase comes to mind and we can only achieve this while we are together. In Psalms 1:3 it tells us that we should be like the tree planted by the streams of living water. Planted not scattered or am I missing something?
However, Ecclesiastes 3:1 tells us that, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Every activity? Yes, even the scattering. The church, as a result of Stephen being stoned, experienced a time of great persecution and thus was scattered abroad. Paul went to Tarsus, a place off the coast of modern day Spain while some traveled to Greece and other places. They spread the word of God and story of Jesus to Jews first, and then to the Gentiles.
Being scattered from a comfortable place is never fun. When we watch a movie at night the cats seem to find that comfortable place on the blankets and never move until they have to. We are like this in many ways. We don’t want to move because we are comfortable where we are. There is not a lot of guesswork to our lives and we become complacent. Complacent in our faith and in our behaviors. The persecuted Jews had to move or suffer great persecution and maybe even death. They had to move.
Does your life look and feel like a scattered bunch of coins all over the ground? Nothing is easy and everything seems lost and the place you find comfort has been moved also? You have been forced to live a different reality than you were used to and things are not fun at all. I can tell you that the Lord has a purpose, even in the middle of the scattering. Just like Solomon wrote, there is a time to be scattered and time to gather.
Today, look up and stop fighting for what you had before. If the Lord has been scattering you, you are fighting in vain. Instead, remind yourself and others how the Lord has never left you nor forsaken you. No matter where He is leading you, you will bless His holy name. You see, those scattered Christians, who were persecuted because of the death of Stephen, paved the way for one of the greatest men of the Bible, Paul the apostle. The Lord may be using you to plant the seeds that one day will sprout into a great revival. There is a scattering coming soon on the horizon! Sign me up!
Let It Go 
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