Growing Under Persecution
Notes
Transcript
This chapter marks another turning point.
Jerusalem, which has dominated the story up to this point, begins to settle into the background, illustrating the truth that opportunity ignored is opportunity lost.
The church there continues, but the explosive days of apostolic miracles and exponential growth fade.
Paul wrote that the gospel came “to the Jew first” and then “to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16).
The murder of Stephen almost surely fixed a point of the gospel’s final rejection by the Jewish leaders, and God’s design for the gospel to move out into new territory began.
Persecution (vv 1b-3)
Persecution (vv 1b-3)
The persecution the church had faced up to this point had been directed at the apostles and their associates who were proclaiming the risen Jesus.
Peter and John had encountered opposition from the Jewish authorities, and Stephen had died a martyr’s death.
As of yet, however, no persecution had been aimed at the members of the church.
That was to change quickly.
The Leader of the Persecution of the members of the early Church
The Leader of the Persecution of the members of the early Church
That persecution, detonated by the murder of Stephen, was led by a Hellenist Jew named Saul of Tarsus.
He was a brilliant student of the revered rabbi Gamaliel, “advancing in Judaism beyond many of his contemporaries among his countrymen, being more extremely zealous for his ancestral traditions” Gal. 1:14
14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.
His own testimony was that he was “a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless” Phil. 3:5–6
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
His commitment and zeal were turned toward the elimination of the church.
After his conversion He is the one that would face the heaviest persecution. 2 Cor 11:23-31
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.
24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;
26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;
27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.
28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.
Paul was warned about this at his conversion in Acts 9:16
16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
Saul had a deep hate for believers and was very zealous in persecuting them. Gal 1:13
13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.
He was fulling Jesus prediction about persecution. John 16:2
2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.
The effects of Saul’s persecution were devastating.
The word Lumainomai which means ravaging appears only here in the New Testament.
It means “to destroy,” “to ruin,” or “to damage.”
In extrabiblical writings, it was used to describe the destruction of a city.
The persecution resulted in the scattering of the church.
But God used the wrath of men for His gospel purposes.
Preaching (vv 4-7)
Preaching (vv 4-7)
It was not just the Apostles that were spreading the word.
Every member of the church was involved in evangelism.
Every Christian is called to spread the word, through how we live, what we say, to how we treat others.
The First Missionary
The First Missionary
In verse 5, the Holy Spirit focuses on one man as an example of faithful evangelism.
Philip, the first missionary named in Scripture, becomes the key figure for the rest of the chapter.
This is not the apostle Philip, who would have stayed in Jerusalem, but one of the seven chosen to serve the needs of the Hellenist widows Acts 6:5.
Like Stephen, his faithfulness to that task led God to use him in a wider ministry Matt. 25:23
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
Although Paul later instructed Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5), Philip is the only man in Scripture actually given the title “evangelist” Acts 21:8
8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
That is a fitting honor in light of his pioneering work in spreading the gospel.
Philip took the gospel to the people the Jews did not like.
Samaria was the Capitol of the Northern Kingdom.
It was conquered by the Assyrians.
They used it to relocate people from other countries that they conquered and by doing this the blood lines of the Jews still living there became mixed with other races and as a result the Jews looked at the Samaritan's as half breeds.
The Gospel is universal and ment for all people.
The Holy Spirit had prepared their hearts to respond to Philip’s message.
As a result, his preaching resulted in a wholesale spiritual awakening, as the multitudes with one accord were giving attention to what was said by him.
The signs which Philip was performing authenticated him as a true messenger of God.
Productivity (v 8:8)
Productivity (v 8:8)
The powerful miracles and preaching of Philip resulted, as it had in Jerusalem, in the salvation of many Samaritans.
But as true biblical preaching inevitably does, it produced another vastly different response.
Some accepted the gospel, believing and reacting with much rejoicing.
They were the true believers, the wheat.
Their joy came not just from physical deliverance from diseases, or spiritual deliverance from demons, but from complete deliverance from sin through the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Others, however, were false believers, or tares.
