If you're walking through pain, loss, setbacks, or opposition, and wondering what God could possibly do with it, this message is for you.
Acts 3-8 shows us that what looks like defeat can become the very place God moves you and His purposes forward. In the Called to Gather series, A Study Through the Book of Acts, Lead Pastor Ben Miller walks through Acts chapter 3 through Acts 8 as the Gospel advances, people are healed and saved, believers grow in boldness, and opposition intensifies.
Acts 1:8 promises that the Holy Spirit would empower Jesus’ followers to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth...and not just for that day as we've been learning.
Then Acts 8:1 shows an unexpected fulfillment. Persecution scatters the believers into Judea and Samaria. The opposition did not stop the mission of God. It accelerated it.
NOTHING WILL STOP THE PLANS & PURPOSES OF GOD IN OUR LIVES.
ACTS 3-4: BOLDNESS IN OPPOSITION Peter and John encounter a man unable to walk, and in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, he is healed. The same Peter who once denied knowing Jesus now stands before the religious council with supernatural confidence. When commanded to stop speaking about Jesus, they answer: “We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20 Then the Church prays for greater boldness. Acts 4:29-31 says they are filled with the Holy Spirit and preach the Word of God boldly.
ACTS 5: REJOICING IN SUFFERING The apostles are arrested, miraculously released, and sent right back to preach. Later they are flogged and again ordered to stop speaking in Jesus’ name. Acts 5:40-42 says they leave rejoicing and continue teaching and preaching every day. They learned how to rejoice even when following Jesus cost them something.
ACTS 6-8: OPPOSITION CANNOT STOP GOD Stephen, full of God’s grace and power, performs signs and wonders and speaks with wisdom through the Holy Spirit. False accusations lead to his arrest. In Acts 7, Stephen boldly proclaims the truth and becomes the first martyr of the early Church. Even as he is being killed, he asks Jesus not to hold their sin against them. Standing nearby is a young man named Saul.
Then Acts 8:1 says persecution scatters the believers throughout Judea and Samaria, exactly where Jesus said His witnesses would go. What was intended to stop the Church actually moved the mission forward. GOD REDEEMS WHAT LOOKS LOST The early Church did not put its hope in avoiding every trial. Their hope was in a God who could take even suffering and work it into His purposes.
Romans 8:28 reminds us that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
James 1:2 tells us to see trouble as an opportunity for great joy.
Pastor Ben also shares about a season that once felt wasted. Years later, God gave him a different perspective and showed him that He had been working even in the loss. • Can I see the places God has already redeemed in my story? • Can I trust Him with the places He has not redeemed yet?
Faith says: • I trust Him with my past. • I trust Him with my present. • I trust Him with my future.
In light of Silver Rail Elementary School...the tragedy, trauma, death, pain, and loss our Bend and Central Oregon community has carried in recent weeks, Pastor Ben closes by praying that God would heal, save, redeem, and give us faith to trust Him even in what we cannot yet see and understand. There is NO moment God cannot REDEEM.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Nothing will stop the plans and purposes of God. Opposition, suffering, setbacks, and loss do not get the final word. In Christ, no season is wasted. God can take what looks like defeat and redeem it for His purposes and glory.
CALL TO ACTION: • Where have I already seen God redeem my story? • What am I still struggling to trust Him with? • Can I believe that even this will not be wasted?
Pray: “God, I trust You with my past, present, and future. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Give me boldness to follow You, and redeem every part of my story for Your purposes and glory.”
