'As For God His Way Is Perfect'

by George Prasher, Manchester, England | Category: New Testament Churches Of God | Apr 1999

'As for God, his way is perfect', we read in Psalm 18:30. But at times we find it very hard to understand the way He is leading us. As when the Israelites had been delivered from Egypt and were marching towards the wilderness. They found themselves trapped with the Red Sea before them and the Egyptian army in hot pursuit from behind. Had they been misled? Were they so soon to lose their brief freedom? Not at all. As another Psalmist explained:

Thy way was in the sea,

And thy footpaths in the great waters,

And thy footsteps were not known (77:19).

Israel passed safely through the sea, and when the enemy tried to follow they were swallowed up by the water.

Yes, God's way is perfect - always! It is seen again in the story of the first Church of God in Jerusalem. We have already traced its rapid growth despite all the Jewish leadership could do to hinder. By the time of Acts chapter 7 the Church numbered many thousands. In addition to the apostles there were teachers and preachers of a very high calibre among them, such as Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, full of grace and power. Like the apostles, he was gifted to work great wonders and signs among the people.

Doubtless at this point the apostles little realized the plan God had in mind. For He had brought together this vast Church in Jerusalem so that the direct witness of the apostles to the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus could be known by thousands. There in Jerusalem they saw God working with power. There they learned the great mysteries of the kingdom of God. But God planned to disperse many of the disciples in that Church of God far and wide. As though He had built up a great reservoir of disciples and enriched them with the finest spiritual experience in the knowledge of Christ. They loved their Lord and fearlessly witnessed for Him. They were rooted and grounded in the principles of the Faith. Then, just as a reservoir is breached and the waters stream out to the surrounding country, the Church of God in Jerusalem was laid waste, and thousands of refugee disciples were scattered through Judaea, Samaria, Galilee and north into Phoenicia, and Syria, and even beyond into Cyprus and North Africa. 'As for God, his way is perfect'. The scattered disciples went everywhere preaching the word. By this means the gospel was further spread and in due course other churches of God established.

The crisis broke when Stephen was arrested by the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem and accused of speaking against the Temple and the Law. When we read his brilliant speech of defence in Acts chapter 7 we marvel at its scope and power. The impact was dramatic, stirring such resentment in the hearers that they stopped their ears, rushed on Stephen, dragged him out of the city and stoned him. As we read in Acts chapter 7:60:

They stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

We draw fresh inspiration today as we think of Stephen's martyrdom, his noble example in the spirit of His Master.

'And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem' (Acts 8:1); about this Paul later wrote to the Galatians 'I persecuted the church of God, and made havoc of it' (1:13). He became the arch-enemy of the disciples and afterwards testified:

I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this I also did in Jerusalem: and I both shut up many of the saints in prisons... and when they were put to death, I gave my vote against them (Acts 26:9,10).

Had God forgotten the Church in Jerusalem? Did He not care about their sufferings? 'As for God, his way is perfect'. For every injury, pain or loss there will be rich, eternal compensation; but by their joyful endurance of suffering for His Name's sake the influence of their witness has greatly increased.

So the divine purpose in multiplying churches of God was developed. We read of dedicated disciples such as Ananias in Damascus, Dorcas in Joppa, Aeneas in Lydda and others in Sharon. But special interest centred on the work of Philip in Samaria. For Jews traditionally had no dealings with Samaritans, yet Philip, constrained by the Holy Spirit, went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. Many responded to the message with joy when they saw the signs and wonders which Philip did. Philip's preaching was directed to making disciples in fulfilment of the Lord's command. He had in view the planting of churches of God in which disciples might be taught to give effect to the teaching of the Lord Jesus. So he preached the good tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result disciples were baptized and a new Church of God was added to the expanding kingdom.

The apostles had remained at the base in Jerusalem despite all the perils of the persecution. They must have watched with awe as they saw God's deep plans unfolding, and news came back to Jerusalem of the spread of God's work through those scattered abroad. When they heard of Philip's work in Samaria they sent Peter and John to have fellowship in this outreach. How remarkable for them to see the ancient barrier broken down, Jew and Samaritan now cordially sharing in the knowledge of salvation and united in service in churches of God. As the two apostles returned to Jerusalem they took the opportunity of preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.

This personal link through the apostles between Jerusalem and Samaria was typical of the development of churches of God in those times. New Testament churches of God were not independent units. They were deeply conscious of being part of a larger whole - 'each several building, fitly framed together', growing 'into a holy temple in the Lord', as it is described in Ephesians 2:22.

'As for God, his way is perfect'. The apostles must have marvelled when God worked for the conversion of the vicious persecutor, Saul of Tarsus. What had appeared to be a tragic persecution of Christian disciples was now seen to be a co-ordinated plan by the Holy Spirit for the growth of the kingdom of God. Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus was a notable turning point in the history of the work of God. The persecution died down for the time being, and we read the lovely comment:

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied (Acts 9:31).

From this time forward churches of God multiplied as the work of God took on a wider dimension, which will be further explored in succeeding articles.

George Prasher, Manchester, England | Apr 1999
New Testament Churches Of God