Text: Acts
Topic: Why God sometimes intervenes, and sometimes does not

Introduction
• Illustration: Wood's sister, who has a problem with her eyesight, is healed while praying at a revival meeting.

God offers both intervention and nonintervention.
• In the Book of Acts, both intervention and nonintervention are part of God's actions.
• In Acts, God intervened to give catalyzing miracles to the new church.
• In other situations, God chose not to intervene and stop the hardships faced by the church.

By nonintervention, God preserves human freedom.
• We are free to do wrong, as well as right.
• It is better to suffer evil than to do evil.

By nonintervention, God allows us to mature.
• Without the freedom of choice, we never develop maturity.
• After we have matured enough, God will step back and let us make decisions.

By nonintervention, God allows us to show grace.
• Jesus spoke words of grace from the cross.
• Stephen spoke words of grace as he was being stoned.
• Illustration: A victim of Serbian atrocities learns to forgive from story of Corrie ten Boom.

By nonintervention, God advances the gospel.
• The death of Stephen was part of a chain of events that established the missionary churches.
• Illustration: Woman witnesses to best friend, despite the friend's affair with her husband.
• An assassination attempt on Paul triggered events that led to the writings of Luke.

By nonintervention, God deepens our faith.
• Even after beatings and imprisonment, the apostles knew God was sovereign.
• God's power gives the strength to endure suffering.

We may never know why God doesn't intervene.
• Illustration: Wood wonders why his friend was killed in Vietnam, and why he is still here.
• We will only know the answers on the other side.