Suffering in the early church (and still for the church today) was not only a means of delivering the gospel - it was a means of spreading the gospel.
For the first few years of its visible existence, the church stayed in Jerusalem. The church reached out, but only locally or to those who traveled to them. In order to accomplish Jesus' command to reach the ends of the earth, it would mean some would have to leave, some would have to go, and some would have to move. We see the church releasing missionaries in Acts 13, but before this, God used persecution as the driving force: "And Saul approved of his (Stephen's) execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and there were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles". (Acts 8:1) God used seemingly negative circumstances to spread the church, with those who left Jerusalem starting the church in Antioch (Acts 11:19). This means that when God moves us from here, when we are scattered, He does so with a larger picture in view.
We're committed to sending/releasing some to plant churches here and overseas. We are committed to sending out pastors who will equip other churches. And we are committed to the belief that when God scatters any of our faithful families, He's doing it to grow His church and extend its reach. So in this, we rejoice (even though it stinks a little bit).
The above was excerpted and adapted from a sermon by Pastor Jordan, entitled "The Flourishing of the Church: Built to Last." You can read or listen to the whole thing here!
