Persecution Fuels Gospel Expansion

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, which was the initial spark of the Reformation. As Luther’s convictions grew stronger and his writings were more widely distributed due to the printing press, he quickly became a prominent and loud voice against certain practices of the Catholic Church. The clash between Luther and the Pope Leo X came to a head in April of 1521 when Luther was summoned to the Diet of Worms (Diet meaning a meeting of the most influential political minds which took place in the city of Worms, Germany. It still sounds strange, I know). Here, Luther was told to recant his seemingly heretical teachings or else bear the consequence of heresy, which in those days would have meant being burnt at the stake. Luther asked if he could pray about it overnight, and when he returned the next day, he uttered these famous words:

“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Holy Scriptures or by evident reason-for I can believe neither pope nor councils alone, as it is clear that they have erred repeatedly and contradicted themselves-I consider myself convicted by the testimony of Holy Scripture, which is my basis; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. Thus I cannot and will not recant, because acting against one’s conscience is neither safe nor sound. Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”

By uttering those words, Martin Luther knew that he likely just condemned himself to death, but as he rightly said, his (and our) conscious is bound to scripture.

Persecution is an inevitable outcome of living a life that is faithful to God’s truths found in scripture. Our culture is terribly confused by this, in large due to a prosperity mindset that is championed by some popular mega-church pastors will tell you that if you receive Jesus as Lord, then a mark of God’s blessing over your life is financial gain and perpetual health. They show this by pointing to their own lavish lifestyle and to select scriptures that are sadly ripped from their context and artificially wedged underneath their false gospel to prop it up as the true one. My goal is not to name bash anyone, but you likely know a few of the pastors I am talking about.

My challenge to you today is to take a close look at the unfolding narrative of Acts and discern for yourself if that claim is true. Is this what we see in the establishment of the early church? Did the Apostles flaunt their wealth or declare to the Jews that God wanted them happy, healthy, and wealthy? Is this even what we see in the early church - post Acts - who took the baton from the Apostles in the latter part of the 1st century and into the 2nd century?

So far, we have seen the excitement of the expansion of the Kingdom, and we have witnessed a lot of ‘firsts’:

Pentecost - the first permanent indwelling of the Spirit in God’s people

Miracle of tongues - the people hearing the 120 believers speaking in their own language

Peter’s first sermon - boldly proclaiming Jesus’ live, death, resurrection, and ascension

The Church - the first gathering and galvanizing of the community of believers

The first apostolic miracle - healing the lame beggar

And now, we come to the first point of persecution that results from these other ‘firsts.’

Outline & Passage

Boldness invites opposition [vv.1-7]

Opposition is met with boldness [vv.8-11]

The bold claim identified [v.12]

Acts 4:1–12 ESV

1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. 5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

I - Boldness invites opposition

Before we get into this section, I want to read a few verses that will frame our conversation:

John 15:18 ESV

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Hebrews 2:10 ESV

10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.

1 Peter 1:4–7 ESV

4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Now, with that foundation in place, let’s look closely at how the story unfolds.

The Instigators

The first responders on the scene are:

The Priests

The Captain of the Temple Guard

The Sadducees

The Priests - The Levites who were tending to the service in the Temple who would have been the ones to faithfully defend God’s honor against a seemingly heretical band of cultists and their recently crucified leader.

The Temple Guard - The police chief of the Temple, second in power to the High Priest who were exactly who you think - the police of the temple area who have apparently been ordered to take care of this rebel group.

The Sadducees - A portion of the religious leaders who didn’t believe in the resurrection (see Luke 20:27-40). They were the Jewish political elite who are wealthy materialists and who opposed Jesus and his followers for political reasons. They wanted to keep their seats of power and fundamentally disagreed with them on matters of the after life. That is why Luke mentions that they are flustered because of the claims of resurrection. Since they held the power, they were able to have Peter and John (and likely even the poor no-longer-lame beggar) imprisoned overnight since it was so late in the day and they were locking up anyway. I mean, how low can you get? The poor guy just walked for the first time in 40 years and you throw him into a tiny cell. That’s just wrong!

One would think that having the established religious leaders arresting Peter and John would have signaled that what they were preaching was nonsense and to be rejected. After all, they were the professional religious leaders. They should know better, right?

100% wrong.

Instead of the Christian movement losing steam and interest… 2,000 more people became believers (growing from 3,000 at Pentecost to 5,000 now)!

This isn’t just an underdog story. We all love those… where the small band of rebels defy the corrupt establishment and, after many trials and near-death experiences, they win the day. Those are awesome stories and I love them, but I want us to be careful how we think of this interaction. We like to think of Martin Luther in that light - the lone beacon of truth boldly standing up against the tyranny and corruption of Rome. However, that wasn’t Luther’s stance. When he nailed his 95 Thesis to the church door (which was a big bulletin board), he simply wanted to have a reasonable discussion with other academics. He wasn’t trying to overthrow the entire religious establishment. The same goes for Peter. He isn’t going to the temple with the intention to pick a fight and overthrow the authority and power of the entire Sanhedrin.

His focus wasn’t on defying those in power he opposed, it was on the proclamation of truth. Those are two entirely different mindsets.

Imprisoned and Summoned

So, these three guys had an overnight stay in prison and was brought before a council the next morning, where more people had joined the party:

Rulers

Elders

Scribes

Annas the High Priest

Caiaphas, John, & Alexander (the High Priestly family)

The rulers, elders, and scribes likely reference the collective group known as the Sanhedrin, who is the governing council of 71 Jewish leaders... kinda like a Jewish Congress. Familiar names such as Nicodemus were likely in attendance.

Annas was Caiaphas’ father-in-law. Caiaphas is the established High Priest at this time. Annas was actually removed from office by the Romans back in AD 15, and since a High Priest is supposed to hold the office for life, he was likely mentioned here because he still held a lot of sway and authority in the Jewish community. So, you have the official High Priest, the unofficial High Priest, and his family all there as well.

Then, they asked the question that I am sure Peter was just daring then to ask: “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

And boy, was he ready to answer.

II - Opposition is met with boldness

Filled with the Holy Spirit

There is a much different Peter on this side of Pentecost. Instead of acting then thinking, Peter acts and speaks from the promptings of the Spirit.

Peter addresses them cordially.

Peter begins by addressing the cordially - “Rulers of the people and elders.” That is why I warned us to not get into the underdog mentality. Scripture calls us to submit to local authority (Romans 13:1) and to pray for our leaders (1 Tim 2:1-4) , regardless of our like or dislike of who they are or what they stand for (unless the command you to act in direct opposition to scripture). Peter’s platform was the assurity of the truth concerning Jesus of Nazareth, not the shortcomings of the leaders. He also politely reminded them about why there were there. It was concerning a good deed done to a crippled man.

Remember, even the blind man from Matthew’s gospel recognized that a person, who was blind from birth, who was healed had to be an act of God, because it has never happened before, and it resulted in many praising the Lord. The same is true here. This man also had a debilitating condition from birth. Only God could restore his legs, so the outcome should result in praise and awe toward God’s miraculous deed. The key word here being should. That should have been the case for the religious leaders, but it wasn’t. Instead, it invoked fear and jealously. Fear - because a new and powerful authority threatens their own, and jealously - because it was winning the hearts of the people. Nonetheless, Peter didn’t try to stick it to the man, but rather addresses them with respect and in a way that was hopeful for their conversion.

In the Name of Jesus of Nazareth

let it be known to all of you - after Peter says what he has to say, no leader can claim ignorance. Once they hear the gospel plainly spoken, they are now without an excuse.

whom you crucified - first of all, it is Jesus of Nazareth. We are not talking about Jesus of Antioch or Jesus of Capernaum. This isn’t another dude with the same name as the Son of God. This is the man who you crucified. Again, even in front of the powerful leaders, Peter drives home their culpability.

who God raised from the dead - They are to blame, but in true form, Peter doesn’t present Jesus’ death without His resurrection. They two always go hand in hand, because man can never thwart the purposes of God. This would have further enraged the Sadducees.

It is he who healed the lame beggar - Peter brings the attention back to the person who was restored. Perhaps he wanted to circle back to the ‘good deed done’ which would force the Sanhedrin to seem even more heartless if they pushed for punishment. Perhaps. What is more likely, however, is that the complete physical restoration of the beggar is just a foreshadow of the restoration that God will bring to each one of His children. In his speech, Peter mentioned that at the end of time, God would restore all things, but as we see at the end of our passage today, Peter steers the conversation toward the nature of salvation and Jesus’ role in the salvation of mankind.

The rejected stone

Peter then turns their attention to Psalm 118, which is a psalm extolling God’s steadfast love for His people, how He is a refuge in hard times as well as the strength of their hands and the song of their hearts.

The verse he quotes is verse 22:

Psalm 118:22 ESV

22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

But, I want us to see what surrounds it, because each person present would have known it and immediately discerned Peter’s point.

Psalm 118:19–24 (ESV)

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Do you see what Peter is doing here? He is laying the groundwork from the Old Testament scriptures that Jesus is the savior of man. He is the gate of righteousness that men must enter through. He is the answer from God about who gives salvation. He is the rejected stone: The one the people hated and were opposed to. That stone is the cornerstone of salvation. It is God’s doing and is marvelous.

Again, in true Peter-eske fashion, he uses the scriptures that his audience knows and loves as a way to drive home his point. The psalmist spoke of Jesus being the way God provides salvation, and do you know what else? You are prophesied about here too. You are the rejectors of God’s way of salvation.

They would have seen it, and Peter didn’t beat around the bush. He spoke boldly and honestly, which leads up to one of the most beautiful sentences in all of scripture.

III - The Bold Claim Identified

Peter didn’t back down when he pointed the finger at the ones responsible for Jesus’ death.

And praise God, neither did he back down from the exclusive claims of salvation.

Acts 4:12 ESV

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

For the Sanhedrin, there was also only one pathway to salvation, and that was through obedience to the Law given by Yahweh - the One True God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob whom we spoke of last week. Equating Jesus with Yahweh would have been blasphemous and punishable by death. And we know that because we saw how they handled Jesus when he made the same claim.

Opposition from the Past

The Religious Leaders and the Romans were the opposition in the First Century.

Next week, we will see how this plays out, but to be honest, it isn’t severe… yet. But, as we see the story unfold through the book of Acts, it does get worse. Bold proclaimers eventually get beaten and thrown in prison more frequently. While we would love to think, from the vantage point from our comfortable 21st century lives, that the expansion of the christian message from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria was done through concerts, Billy Graham-type crusades, and backyard BBQs, but that isn’t the case. Rather, the first significant wave of expansion was due to the martyrdom of Stephen. That persecution pushed the christian community outward, not a feel-good message or experience.

Paul is stoned. Committed radicals vow not to eat until Paul is dead.

The fate of the Apostles wasn’t health and wealth:

Peter was crucified upside down in Rome

Paul was beheaded in Rome in the same year

Andrew was crucified

Thomas was run through with spears

James was reported to have been stoned and clubbed to death

And yet, these men were agents of the gospel that spread throughout the known world at that time in the face of intense Roman persecution. The Emperor Nero was famous for having christians thrown to the lions int he Roman colosseum and lighting them on fire to provide light for his dinner parties. It was vicious.

The generation after the Apostles, known as the Early Church Fathers also faced horrific persecution and martyrdom. A man by the name of Ignatius of Antioch was condemned to die in Rome. And on his way from Antioch to Rome, he wrote to many churches, warning them of heresy and encouraging them in various ways… all the while praising and making much of the name of Jesus. When he reached Rome, he was thrown to wild beasts and torn apart.

After Ignatius, a man named Tertullian famously said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.

William Tyndale was burned at the stake centuries later for translating the scriptures into the English language and we already discussed the heat Martin Luther faced.

We could be here all day talking about the expansion of God’s Kingdom through heroes like these.

Opposition today

What about today?

A study from Open Doors shows that over 245 million Christians, just this year, worldwide are facing high levels of persecution.

In countries like China, the church has to meet underground and int he middle of the night or face severe consequences from the government. Can you even wrap your head around that?

It is hard for us to understand this mentality, because we aren’t yet a nation that persecutes christians yet, though the storm clouds are gathering. And when the rain comes, the quality of our faith will be tested.

Why is this happening?

Because the carnal world hates the gospel message. It reveals sin, and most people will go to great lengths to keep that covered up, because the reality is that they love their sin.

Because the gospel message reveals that God is in control and us. We love control and we will do anything to keep it.

Because ground gained for God’s Kingdom is ground lost by the Enemy. Remember, our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual rulers. When you take a bold stand (proclaiming Christ as Lord), you are inviting opposition. Opposition from Satan will always escalate to persecution.

We are the Christian and Missionary Alliance. We are missional by definition, so let today’s scripture be a reminder to us to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world to ensure and make Christ known despite the persecution. By doing so, they are falling in line with 2,000 years of godly and faithful men and women used by God to take the gospel to the furthest recesses of our planet.

I know that you are probably thinking that I am the worst encourager on the plant, but let me gently remind you that not everything the Bible has to say is uplifting and encouraging. I want us to be prepared, so that when we do gain ground for the Kingdom, we are aware of and ready to stand our ground.

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