This time we will work through Acts 8 as we read of the continuing assault upon the early church by those desiring to destroy her, and we will see how God uses that which appears “bad” and yet sovereignly turns it for “good”. We will also see how certain qualities of an object or subject assist us in identifying it.
Take for example, Thanksgiving. I recall on the farm that even if I did not have a calendar to identify the day, there would yet be no mistaking it due to certain qualities or characteristics that accompanied it. Grandma baking several pumpkin pies instead of just one, a big turkey unthawing for a few days in the fridge, the supply of lefse and brown and serve buns increased substantially, and the taking of inventory of sufficient table and chair placement for the large gathering to occur, and to make sure we correctly assessed who sat at the “adult” table and who sat at the “kids” table (by the way, I think I was in my 20’s before I ever made that transition!). Even apart from a calendar, by these very identifiable characteristics and activities you knew that it was soon Thanksgiving!
In similar fashion, Acts 8 identifies several qualities or characteristics of the Gospel, and we will take a deeper look at these characteristics and observe why they were important then and as important now.
Pastor Flaa
