I suspect that not many of us will be famous men or women. Our labors will go largely unnoticed, and our names will likely not live on beyond our families. Oh, but may God use us in mighty ways. May we be “some men” and “some women” who preach the word and see large numbers turn to the Lord. May we be faithful, fruitful, and forgotten, while our Lord is lifted high.
Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
Acts 11:19-21
Stephen was martyred, the church was scattered, and circumstances seemed pretty bad. Yet, even in the midst of persecution, the early church went out and preached the gospel wherever they went. And you would think that God would highlight the lives of these brave Christians who went out preaching the word boldly in the face of opposition. We’d know their stories, and our children would be named after them. They’d be venerated and their fame would spread through the church. But God doesn’t do that. Instead, we get this sentence: “But some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene…” That’s it. No fancy titles, no family lineage, not even a name. Just some men preaching the gospel, and a great number believe. And in an odd way, I find this incredibly encouraging.
Faithful Without Fame
Here are men who are faithful. And they are faithful for God’s sake alone. They didn’t get fame. No biographies of those men exist. But still they were faithful.
