God's Plan Trumps All

And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Acts 8:1

I was asked the other day by a professing atheist, if God is good than how do you explain the bad things that happen? I didn’t take this opportunity to trash or attack or become overly defensive with this person. Instead, I calmly explained God’s motives and involvement in all of our actions. My calmness was not shared by my atheist friend but we did have some good dialogue nonetheless. My goal in this conversation was not to show how knowledgeable I was, but it was to point this person to Christ and His glory.

I am not naïve. I realize that there are people out there with these questions. I also realize that these people are not all atheists. There are folks sitting in churches all over the world who have these questions and concerns. My goal for this blog is to help us walk through some of these questions and see that God is sovereign overall. The Creator is in control. The creator does not react to our actions but instead He is the “I AM”. I also want to show that God’s goal is to glorify Himself. Everything was created to glorify and worship Him—see my last post. I do not claim to have it all figured out but I hope and pray that after you read this you will be closer to understanding the wonderful truths of the Word and our God. 

I now want to walk through these questions and show how they tie into the verse above. I cannot expect you to understand the context of Acts 8:1 without first looking back at Acts 7. In Acts 7 we see the rapid growth of the church was now diversifying. This was great but it also created some minor problems. The Hellenists—Greek speaking Jews—felt slighted by the Hebrews who spoke Aramaic. The language barrier between these groups created a non-intentional neglect by the Hebrews. Understanding this could create bigger problems, the Apostles decided to call everyone together and choose seven from the group to assist with the Hellenists and their needs. Stephen, being one of the seven, eagerly takes on this responsibility and God begins using him in a mighty way. Stephen used this opportunity not to just help the believers but to share the Gospel. God also empowered him to perform wonders and signs—he was the first person after the apostles to do this.

So we know Stephen was a man of God. We know Stephen was focused on one thing and one thing only—God and His Glory. Stephen boldly proclaimed the truth of Christ literally until his final breath. Stephen knew that death was imminent. Stephen was not thinking about what he deserved or what he earned while on this earth. What did Stephen say as he was dying?

And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:59-60

Are these the words of a man focused on self? Are these the words of a man who thinks he deserves better? No, these are words of a person that understands God deserves our praise. These are words of a person that understands we are all in need of a Savior. These are words of a person that understands his home is not in this world but with the Father.

I realize that some of you still may question the motives of God though. Sure, that is fine for Stephen but what about me? What about the things I am struggling with? I would answer this with the verse at the top of this post. Look at what happened as a result of Stephen’s death. We see that persecution heated up for those who followed Christ. We also see that this persecution and the death of Stephen lead to a dispersion of the believers. This dispersion allowed for the Gospel to be taken to other parts of the earth. Remember what Jesus said in Acts 1?

                But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8

The spreading of the Gospel was and is crucial. The death of Stephen allowed this to happen. I love how God works. Those who murdered Stephen had one focus—suppress the Gospel movement. They wished to stop anyone who would say that Jesus was Lord. This was their goal/mission. I can just imagine their disappointment once they realized that instead of suppressing the Gospel, God used their actions to energize the Gospel by sending out believers. They meant Stephen’s murder and the arrests of other believers for evil but God meant it for good.

                As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. Genesis 50:20

God had His providential hand working in all of this. He works all things for good. The Gospel was not suppressed. The Gospel was spread further than ever before. Stephen’s personal ministry on this earth might have been short lived but the impact of his life and subsequent death became the vehicle used—by God—to spread the good news of Christ to the ends of the earth.

I realize that knowing and trusting in God and His sovereignty is not always easy. Understanding this truth also doesn’t take away the pain of our hurting. We are human and we are going to mourn and hurt during tough times. We see this in Acts 8:2. The believers who buried Stephen lamented over his death. They mourned for the loss of their friend. They cried real tears. Does this mean they didn’t trust God? Does this mean they believed Stephen died in vain? No, they mourned for his loss knowing that a greater plan was in place. They understood that the Gospel must be shared and they knew that Stephen believed that the Gospel was worth everything, even his own life.

Please know that I understand pain is real. I understand struggles will come. I also understand that tears will be poured, but this does not change the truth that God is in control. This should be a comfort not a deterrent. No one can bring you rest and peace like our Father (Matthew 11:28-30). No one can say the right things or heal your heart like our Father (Mark 2:5-12). No one has done more for you than our Father—look to the cross (1 Peter 2:24). Trust in that and trust in His Sovereign plan.

I have included more verses below that point to God working things out for good—please know this is not an exhaustive list. I would also recommend the Book by John Piper, “Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ” http://cdn.desiringgod.org/pdf/books_bss/bss.pdf

Genesis 37 – Joseph’s brothers sold him, which eventually allowed Joseph to get to Egypt—God’s ultimate plan (see Genesis 50)

Exodus 1 – the mistreatment of Israel by the new Pharaoh—ultimately lead to the freeing of the people which showed God’s love and power over over all—including kings!

Luke 23 – the false accusations against Jesus and the freeing of Barabbas, which lead to the death of the Savior and lead to salvation for those who follow Christ

Acts 5 – the arrest of the apostles, which lead to their freeing and more souls saved

Acts 9 – Saul saved, showing that God could save the “Chief of Sinners”

Throughout the book of Acts – The countless beatings and near death experiences of Paul, this allowed God to show His power and our need for Him and Him alone. God used Paul to show that He can save anyone and use them for ultimate good and as instruments in the salvation of others.