The Gospel Advances, Pt 2

Persecution at times is isolated but often it begins with a flashpoint and
then spreads through mob rule. This is what our passage before us describes. The death of
Stephen is the beginning of intense persecution for the Church in Jerusalem. But that is not the
real story. The real story is that as the people fled this persecution, they fled with the gospel on
their lips. This passage shows us that the way the gospel truly advances is not through gimmicks
or power-events but through faithful men and women who believe that the gospel is the only
means of salvation and life and they therefore say that to those they evangelize.