And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.
Acts 8:1-8 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/act.8.1-8.NIV
Saul is introduced further in this scripture. Remember that before, we’re only told that he was an accomplice during the murder of Stephen. But now, we understand that he approved of his killing. But Saul wasn’t just your ordinary accomplice. He breathed fire and brimstone as we see in this scripture (and others to come). We see a great persecution of the church being initiated at this time probably stemming from the activities of Saul and his associates. Theirs was a vendetta. Theirs was a mission to destroy the church. But during these times, the church scattered into different areas. Was it by design? Remember that most (if not all) believers were concentrated in Jerusalem. They had stayed there after the coming of the Holy Spirit on chapter 2. Some had left their homes to attend the Passover celebrations only for them to meet with Christ. In fact, this may have been the reason why they shared possessions with each other. They had left their sources of livelihoods to be dedicated to this new found faith. But when persecution broke out, they had to flee in different directions. And this led to the spread of the gospel. In the next verses we see the man Philip going to the region of Samaria where he performed signs and wonders. In verses to come we shall see other disciples move into cities and towns that had not before heard the gospel. Persecution seems to bring us closer to God’s will. Perhaps He allows it in order for us to fall back to Him for dependence and deliverance.
Life Scripts 