We lose our job, or we are taken to court, or our character is assassinated by those we trusted most – there are so many ways others might make us feel down. When others hurt us, it is easy to feel down, but it is entirely our choice to feel out.
In Acts 8:1-5, we see the early church go through tough times. Saul, a dedicated Pharisee, approved of Stephen’s execution. The members of the church were scattered from Jerusalem. They were mourning Stephen’s murder. Saul ravaged the church by going to people’s houses and dragging them off to prison. If there was ever a time to feel down, this was it. That is what makes Acts 8:4, 5 so amazing. They were scattered, they were persecuted…and they were preaching! God said this would happen in Acts 1:8, “…you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the outermost part of the earth.” The testimony had been proclaimed in Jerusalem. Now the scattering church sowed the seed in Judea and Samaria.
When times are tough, the answer is the gospel. The gospel is the good news about Jesus, His death, and His resurrection. The good news is not just good for people who are hurting and looking for a savior. It is good news to the ones who bear the good news to their friends, family, and neighbors. If a down, but not out, group of Christians in the first century told everyone they could about Jesus, how can Christians down through the ages NOT do the same?
Jesus is the Creator, Savior, and Redeemer. He heals broken hearts and makes peace between God and us. He is the Master who calls us to eternal life. Are you satisfied with your life? Or do you have a God-sized hole in your heart that you can’t fill? Drugs, sex, rumors, politics, paychecks, and prestige cannot fill that hole. Only Jesus can make it right. And here is the most amazing thing about Jesus, He calls us to follow Him!
When we are down and out, how do we get better? By following Jesus. What does it mean to follow Jesus? It means to commit your life to Him, to live as He says, to freely confess He is the Son of God, to submit to immersion in water, and to tell others about Him.Are you feeling down and out? Then let’s sit down over an open Bible and study what Jesus has in store for us.
Photo by Joe Dudeck on Unsplash
