God the Great Equalizer

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8 (KJV)

And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. Acts 8:1 (KJV)

Acts 8:1 tells us about the first persecution of the church, calling it a great persecution. This scattered the church abroad at this time. Many Christians were tortured for their faith and even killed. Yet, in the midst of great persecution the church grew and flourished. In Acts 1:8, Jesus had told them they would go and be witnesses around the world. The persecution pushed them into going.

God is the great Equalizer. The seeds of martyrdom brought forth a great church and many souls were saved. As you read in Acts, they went from people being added to the church to the church multiplying in number. God was equalizing things and tipping the scales from the injustice perpetrated on believers to favor. He balanced things out. Although the enemy came in and tried to destroy the church, God trumped him by exponentially growing the body of Christ in the midst of hardship.

No matter what we face, God is Judge, and He gives justice and recompense. The persecution of the church, which was a terrible thing, resulted in her growth. More souls were saved in persecution than if there was no persecution at all. The terrible things we’ve been through will be more than compensated by the goodness of God. He always makes things right for His children. He will do more good for us than the enemy has done bad because God is good.