Great! But…
Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. Acts 11:19,20
Read Acts 1:1-8
The congregation of Jerusalem preferred to remain together. In Acts 2 we read how blessed they were as a church. They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers (Acts 2:42). Amazing! How great! These are the characteristics of a healthy church. Pray often that these four characteristics may also be present in your congregation. But as amazing as this was, the church of Jerusalem forgot their missionary calling. And this was contrary to the command of their heavenly King!
Then we read in Acts 11:19 that they were scattered abroad and persecuted. The death of Stephen was as if a great stone was cast into perfectly still water. The congregation experienced persecution, so many fled from Jerusalem and made their way to Phenice, Cyprus and Antioch. As a result, the Word of the Lord Jesus spoken in Matthew 12:34 became true: Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. At first they spoke only to the Jews, but when some of them made their way to Antioch they also preached Christ to the Greeks. Though our version says that they preached, the original actually says that they evangelized. They were doing the work of an evangelist! What was the content of their message? The Lord Jesus! They declared why He had come and what He had done to save sinners from destruction. In this way the Word of God was sown.
Thought: God’s Word is the good seed of the Gospel.
Psalter 358: 1,3 (based on Psalm 126) When in His might the Lord Arose to set us free, And Zion was restored From her captivity, In transports then of joy and mirth We praised the Lord of all the earth. Again refresh us, Lord, With Thy reviving love, And be Thy blessing poured In mercy from above; By grace revive our hearts again, As streams refreshed by copious rain.