And Saul approved of his execution.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison (Acts 8:1-3, ESV).
Suppose you were considering following Jesus. And suppose someone showed you that you would face intense persecution for following, would you still follow Him?
How important it is for us to answer this question honestly! When sharing the gospel (or having the gospel shared with us), we hear much about the positives (going to heaven for eternity, the Spirit of Christ indwelling us, God leading us all the way, etc.). Some even go further with their teachings to make it sound as if a Christianity that faces trials and struggle is evidence of a weak faith.
Consider some teachings that abound now:
Joel Osteen: “When you say of the Lord you are healthy, you are whole, you are free, you are blessed, you are prosperous — when you say it, God has promised He will do it… Release your faith with your words” (It’s Your Time, 2009).
Creflo Dollar: “When we pray, believing that we have already received what we are praying, God has no choice but to make our prayers come to pass. . . . It is a key to getting results as a Christian” (Understanding God’s Purpose for the Anointing, 1998).
How do these teachings line up with the notion of facing persecution? Sadly, they do not. First, telling the Lord what to do and what you expect out of your life puts you on the throne and God as subject to you. Our word moves our problems away and our prosperity nearby.
Secondly, Scripture speaks directly and clearly that following Christ will mean you will identify with Him--persecution and all.
How would you define persecution? The word is διωγμός (diogmos) which is literally defined as a chase or pursuit (usually for religious reasons). And this is what we see in Acts 8:1-3.
What started the persecution in Acts 8? The martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7:53-60). Stephen was the prototype for the upcoming office of deacon, picked with six others in Acts 6:1-7. Stephen was also a preacher “full of grace and power" (Acts 6:8) who spoke with “wisdom and the Spirit” (Acts 6:10). Since his opponents could not withstand his teaching, they stirred up lies about him, saying he had “blasphemous words against Moses and God" and “this holy place and law" (Acts 6:13-14). Stephen then recounted much of their history, casting them as the villians in line with all of the other antagonists of God's people.
You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the RIghteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it" (Acts 7:51-53).
They stone Steven, even as he forgives, knowing that Christ is standing and welcoming Him into heaven (see Acts 7:53-60). This uncorked a venom of persecution, led by a young Saul of Tarsus who “approved of his execution” (Acts 8:1).
What were the negatives and positives of this persecution?The negatives were earthly and fleshly.
Stephen was dead, causing great grief (Acts 8:2).
Saul was out to destroy the church, person-by-person, house-by-house until the virus of this sect was gone for good.
They had to leave their homes and the headquarters of the church in Jerusalem.
The positives, however, were significant. It made them scatter, yes, but they scattered and took the Word with them into Judea and Samaria. My good friend Dave Howeth noted that Acts 8:1 helped make Acts 1:8 possible. He's right: this persecution aided the Great Commission.
How should we approach the subject of persecution? Avoidance? Inevitability?
Matthew 5:10-12: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:43-45a: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”
John 15:20: “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies.”
Romans 8:35-39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 12:14: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”
2 Timothy 3:12: “All those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
Revelation 6:9-11: “When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.”
Do we love our reputation more than Christ?
Will we only follow Christ if the road is smooth?
If we knew of the persecution we would endure for Christ before we came to Christ, would Christ be worthy enough to endure?
====
How did each of the Apostles Die?
(via https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/whatever-happened-to-
the-twelve-apostles-11629558.html)
Peter and Paul: Both were martyred in Rome about 66 AD, during the persecution under Emperor Nero. Paul was beheaded. Peter was crucified upside down at his request since he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.
Andrew: He went to the “land of the man-eaters” in what is now the Soviet Union. Christians there claim him as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and Greece, where he is said to have been crucified.
Thomas: He was probably most active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India, where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder. They claim that he died there when pierced through with the spears of four soldiers.
Philip: He possibly had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul. In retaliation, the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly put to death.
Matthew: He was the tax collector, and writer of a Gospel ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some of the oldest reports say he was not martyred, while others say he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.
Bartholomew: He had widespread missionary travels attributed to him by tradition: to India with Thomas and back to Armenia, Ethiopia, and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr for the gospel.
James: He was the son of Alpheus and is one of at least three James referred to in the New Testament. There is some confusion as to which is which, but this James is reckoned to have ministered in Syria. The Jewish historian Josephus reported that he was stoned and then clubbed to death.
Simon, the Zealot: As the story goes, he ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.
Matthias: He was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. Tradition sends him to Syria with Andrew and to death by burning.
John: The only one of the apostles generally thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was the church leader in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary the mother of Jesus in his home. During Domitian’s persecution in the middle ‘90s, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. There he is credited with writing the last book of the New Testament--the Revelation. An early Latin tradition has him escaping unhurt after being cast into boiling oil in Rome.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.