Contemplative Bible Reading

Acts 8:4 (Revised Standard Version)

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.

Now this is making the best of a bad situation. These people were really scattered. Saul and others were chasing them down to kill them. They had lots of motivation to scatter far, wide, and quickly.

This was a bad situation, but what other kind of situation is there on this earth? This is a sinful world with plenty of bad to go around. Sure, as a middle-class, educated American with a cush government job, I have plenty of things going in my life that are good. Still, I live in a sinful, that means full-of-sin, world. I see plenty of jealousy, back stabbing, and hate each day (and that is just at the coffee shop on the way in to work).

I may not be scattered physically although I have been close enough to the end of the world to see it clearly. I may be scattered mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I may, no I often, struggle with these things each day in my life. What am I going to do when I am scattered?

These people in Acts 8 went about preaching the word. What does it mean to go about preaching the word? The obvious answer is to stand on a raised object, speak loudly, and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

There are other ways to go about. I think that phrase says it – go about your life as a follower of Christ. Be a Christian every day.

What else would I do with my time and energy? What else would I do but go about preaching the word? I don’t have a good answer for that. That seems to be the only answer.