Thriving Because Of Adversity - Philip

Philip . . . went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah. Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.

Acts 8:5-8

The church in Vietnam has grown, not just in spite of the adversity it faces daily, but in many ways because of it. From World Serve Ministries, an organization that serves suffering and persecuted Christians around the world, comes a report of amazing spiritual renewal in Communist Vietnam. Despite decades of repression and persecution, the church there is growing exponentially, from fewer than fifty-five thousand believers in 1975 to more than one million today.

A New Testament evangelist named Philip would have appreciated how that works. Philip was among the first-generation believers in Jerusalem who fled for their lives from the persecution in the city to the relative safety of the outlying areas. Like so many of those believers, Philip didn’t hide out but preached the gospel everywhere he went.

Philip created quite a stir in a city called Samaria, where people eagerly listened to his message and watched in amazement as he healed people and cast out demons in Jesus’ name. Philip learned to thrive in the midst of adversity. He didn’t focus on his own situation but on other people’s needs.

God can use any situation in life to move, mold, and shake you so that you become all that he wants you to be. No one enjoys persecution, hardship, tribulation, or heartache, but neither are we to let them quash our spirits or ruin our outlooks. We serve a God who enables us to thrive even in adversity.

God uses all kinds of means to move people from place to place. Wherever he places you—and however he chooses to place you there—never forget that he has called you to bear his message of salvation through Jesus Christ.