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Acts 8:1 "And Saul was consenting to [Stephen's] death. And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles."

 

Everything was happening so quickly in Acts! In our lives and in history, sometimes it seems like nothing is happening (I think of the Radiohead lyric "talking to my girlfriend and waiting for something to happen.... I wish, I wish, I wish that something would happen"). But then other times it feels like everything is happening, everywhere, all at once. These are God's movements in history. There is always something happening, we just do not always see it. I think the "everything, everywhere" times are when God is rousing His power, and so the usually hidden wickedness becomes more exposed and its instigators more desperate. Even those times, though, leave us waiting for something to happen, some resolution to all of the turmoil.

 

When we join Acts today, Stephen was just stoned to death, the first martyr; Saul was there, consenting to Stephen's killing; a great persecution has arisen; most of Jesus' followers have scattered to safer places; and the apostles have stayed put in Jerusalem, facing the storm. This is all taking place very soon after Jesus' death, Resurrection, and Ascension. There is an awful lot going on and much more to come! One can easily see how the early disciples would have thought that Jesus was preparing the world for his imminent return, and yet we here we are 2,000 years later.

 

For all of our desire for something to happen, it is impossible to predict God's timing,. All we can do is what the apostles did: stay steady and strong through everything. They did not leave Jerusalem. They knew they were part of the plan, and they kept doing what they had to do, where they had to do it. Their faith and perseverance is how God made happen what He intended to happen - He began His Church, He spread His word, He prepared humanity for the next 2000+ years He knew were coming.

 

God always continues to act in history. He is always preparing us and leading us. There is always something happening!