“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Therefore, those who had been scattered went about, proclaiming the good news of the Word.” Acts 8:1, 4
The two anglers cast their lines into the blue crystalline water. The weights upon their fishing lines broke the glittering surface with a small splash and a satisfying plop that echoed back to them off the water’s surface. The bait upon their lines followed their weights, slowly drifting down into the watery depths, it’s mere presence enough to do what the fishermen desired. Yet even though their lines and bait were identical, the fishing poles they held in their hands were not to be compared. One held a state of the art top-dollar rig. The rod was the latest Kast-King model, made of a light-flex carbon fiber material with anodized line rings and machined stainless steel reel seat. It was adorned with the latest Penn 4-bearing, 2 speed CNC machined reel. The other angler though, held just the opposite in his small hands. It was a simple Snoopy rod and reel combo from Zebco, fresh off the shelf at Wal-Mart for a mere $25. You see, the two anglers are a father and his young son. And even though they are using much different equipment with much different skill levels, their end game is the same, to simply catch a fish. And what would you think if I were to tell you that in my hypothetical scenario above, the young boy with the simple, unsophisticated Snoopy rod and reel, was indeed the first to catch a fish?
The book of Acts is known as possibly the most missionary centric book in all the Bible. And rightfully so as we see in it the dawn of the Christian church and the spread of the gospel to countless souls within distant lands, including the previously forgotten Gentile peoples. But how it became so missionary centric is curious indeed. We see the Jerusalem-based church start out thriving and growing but it quickly ran into obstacles, not withstanding one of those reasons was that Jesus himself told them not to stay solely in Jerusalem but to go into Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) And to spur a complacent church on in His command, we see Jesus raise up, of all things, violent persecution of believers that will scatter them afar. And as they are scattered we see them perform the simple act that all Christians are called to do, tell the world around them of the good news of Jesus Christ.
The word scatter found in Acts 8:1 and 8:4 is unusual. We picture the word scatter today as being somehow random and without point and purpose. But the Greek root of the word used here more specifically means to scatter with a point, like sowing flower seed in a very specific flowerbed to see flowers bloom only in that specified area. And so, due to violent persecution, we see the world’s first missionary force sent out here in Acts chapter 8. But pause here and notice just how and who was sent out. You see, the church did not know this intense persecution was coming and so duly trained up hundreds of ordained, seminary educated missionaries, pastors, and evangelists. In fact it was quite the opposite. They found themselves being threatened with intense violence and even death at the hands of Saul and his evil Pharisaical brigade. As a result, Christ-followers fled for their lives in the night with their most valued possessions…their family, some clothes, and the good news of Jesus Christ. You see, they were in a sense accidental missionaries as they were driven out of their homes and into foreign lands with a single message overflowing from their hearts, Jesus Christ saves sinners.
Today, it is no accident that you are where you are. You might discount or explain away your geographical locale to a haphazard business transfer, a random family decision, or even a simple desire of your heart, but folks, there are no accidents or coincidences in the kingdom of God concerning His children. You see, sometimes God puts you somewhere because He wants you to be there. But sometimes He puts you somewhere because He wants to be there. You see, you have been beautifully scattered by the hand of the Lord to the exact spot where your feet fall today. Just as the early church in Acts 8, you have been carefully introduced into your environment to do some fishing…fishing of men that is. And folks, it doesn’t matter what type of reel or bait you have at your disposal, when the Holy Spirit of God is involved in your fishing, He does the wondrous work, not you.
I encourage you today to embrace wherever the Lord has placed you and to see yourself as God’s accidental missionary there. You don’t need a seminary degree, an ordination certificate, or years of experience as an international missionary. Simply tell those around you of the hope you have found in Jesus Christ. Tell them that unrighteous sin eternally separates everyone from a perfectly righteous God. But tell them God has good news for them. God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to this planet to be born of a virgin, live a perfect sinless life, die on a cross as the prefect sacrifice, and then be raised to life three days later to forever defeat the death penalty our sin carries. And folks, eternal salvation in Jesus is this simple…whoever faithfully calls on the name of Jesus Christ to save them from the death penalty of their sin will be saved and united with God eternally in Heaven. It’s instant, it’s free, and it’s eternal. But just as if I were to offer you a gift, you must receive it and open it in order for the gift to be properly used. Today, be an accidental missionary wherever you are and share the gift of Jesus with whomever God places in your path. Even if all you’ve got is a cheap Snoopy rod and reel, cast it with confidence knowing that God is really the One doing the fishing.
Bendiciones a ustedes ~ Dan
“And He said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19
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