The Persecuted Church Acts 8:1-5
Notes
Transcript
Introduction: The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, abbreviated as IDOP, is an observance within the Christian calendar in which congregations pray for Christians who are persecuted for their faith. It falls on the first Sunday of November, within the liturgical period of All hallow tide, which is dedicated to remembering the martyrs and saints of Christianity. The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church is observed by many Christian denominations, with over 100,000 congregations participating worldwide. Congregations focus on "praying for individuals, families, churches, or countries where Christians are facing persecution."
Worldwide persecution of Christians has increased in the last century.
The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church originated in the 20th century to raise awareness of the increasing violence, torture, death, "worship restrictions, public humiliation, and social isolation" that some Christians face in atheistic and non-christian nations such as in North Korea, as well as in South Asia and the Middle East; the observance was spearheaded by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the World Evangelical Alliance, and the Southern Baptist Convention. It has since been observed in many Christian denominations.
The November observance has been supported by many Non-Government Organizations that champion human rights for Christians, including Voice of the Martyrs, Open Doors, and International Christian Concern. Victims of persecution, including believers and missionaries, have also advocated to spread the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.
So what exactly is persecution and how does that differ from tribulation?
Well, Persecution: According to the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary is: Harassment and suffering which people and institutions inflict upon others for being different in their faith, world-view, culture, or race. Persecution seeks to intimidate, silence, punish, or even to kill people.
And -
Tribulation: Generally refers to the suffering and anguish of the people of God. According to the NT, tribulations are an expected reality among the followers of Christ. This suffering and anguish increases as the days draw nearer to the last days. Which is the idea behind the great tribulation. A constant squeezing and war against the children of God.
So let’s take a look at when persecution actually started in the church.
1 Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 Some devout men buried Stephen, and made loud lamentation over him.
3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.
4 Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.
5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them.
Transitional Sentence: Even though the church has been persecuted since the beginning, the church has continued on and continues to grow, so that in the end, We Win!
Persecution begins -
a. Jesus says Go Matthew 28:19 They stay - church grows in Jerusalem.
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
Eventually they Go - They had scatter to different regions and most were martyred for their faith. Here what is believed to have happened to the original apostles.
James the Greater: (Son of Zebedee) Killed by the sword in Jerusalem by King Herod. (beheaded)
James the lesser: Martyred Unknown method
Peter: Crucified, upside down, in Rome under persecution of Emperor Nero
John: Natural causes in Ephesus
Bartholomew: Beheaded
Simon the Zealot: Sawn in Half in Persia
Paul: Killed by the sword - beheaded under Emperor Nero
Andrew: Crucified on an X-shaped cross in Greece
Thomas: Martyred in India (Spear)
Philip: Method of death unknown, Asia Minor (Turkey)
Matthew: Some say stabbed to death in Ethiopia
Matthias: Burned to death in Syria
So that’s what eventually happens to them but how did it all begin?
b. The persecution begins with the Apostles as the Jewish leaders throw them in prison. Acts 4:1-3 says:
1 As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.
Yes they were speaking to the people. They were telling others about Jesus. They were boldly proclaiming the truth about Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord. Their punishment at the time; a warning not to speak of this man to anyone else. Right… like that will happen.
A bit later the Apostles were imprisoned but released by an Angel and told to continue preaching the gospel message. Eventually an Pharisee named Gamaliel said this: Acts 5:38-39
38 “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown;
39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”
And so some persecution begins. As the word of God continued to spread one of the new deacons of the Jerusalem church was arguing about the gospel with some Jewish men. The men induced others to bring false testimony about Stephen before the Sanhedrin. During Stephen’s defense the whole group was incensed and they drove him out of the building and the city where they stoned him to death.
c. As Stephen was being stoned there was a young man named Saul there who witnessed the events. Saul was in agreement with putting him to death and on that day a great persecution begins. It was a great persecution because up to this point only the Apostles who were found preaching in Jesus’ name were being arrested. But now, now Saul was going house to house and throwing everyone into prison. Saul was determined to destroy the church. This is persecution. This scattered the members of the church all over the region. This carried the gospel beyond Jerusalem.
So that is the beginning of persecution for the Church according to the book of Acts.
2. But what has happened since then? What kind of Persecution has the church suffered through History?
a. Well, we know the persecution of the church began shortly after it started in Jerusalem. Persecution of the church has continued ever since.
The form of the persecution and the reason for it changes depending upon who is doing the persecuting.
As Christianity spread through the Roman empire and beyond
b. Rome became a primary persecutor of the church. The primary reason for Rome persecuting the church was religion. Rome was a pantheistic nation that worshipped all sorts of gods. However there was the cult of the Emperor. The Emperor wanted to be worshipped as a god along with all the others. When Romans wanted Christians to bow down to the Emperor they wouldn’t. This devotion to Christ Jesus was displeasing to the Emperor and so Christians were killed in various ways for sport in the coliseum. This went on for hundreds of years in various degrees depending upon the Emperor until Christianity was named the state religion of the Roman empire around 580 AD.
As Christianity impacted more people persecution continued. Unfortunately Christians throughout history have persecuted other Christians too. Doctrine and theology have changed causing splits in the church. Catholics persecuted protestant reformers as heretics trying to keep the true faith unchanged.
Unfortunately Christians have persecuted people from other religions too. The great crusades were the attempts of Christians to regain land taken over by Islamic nations.
Currently Islamic oppression is the number one reason for persecution on a global scale. According to Islamic law it is illegal to change your religion from Islam.
c. Those who change their religion are persecuted and actually incur a death sentence. This causes many to have to leave everything behind and flee for their lives. Those who are Christian in an Islamic state are regularly hunted down and killed, especially if they are believed to be proselytizing Muslim believers to become Christian. And then in some countries it’s just illegal to be Christian.
The fact that Christians are persecuted is in no way a surprise. Jesus told His disciples: John 15:18-21
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21 “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.
Those who are of the world do not know the Father; and they hate those who do know Him. But don’t give up hope. If you know the end of the story you know that we win. The world will not overcome Christ Jesus for He has already overcome the world.
The one thing to remember whether you are being persecuted or not is to keep your eyes on Jesus. One of the best ways to remember Him is to gather around the table with brothers and sisters in Christ and partake of the bread and wine of the new covenant. This one simple but powerful celebration brings all the children of God together. There are no barriers for the children of God, we are all joined together by one Spirit and one baptism. Jesus told us Himself that we must partake of His flesh and blood to have a part in Him: John 6:54-56
54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
55 “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.
56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
So let’s prepare ourselves now to gather at the table and partake of the communion meal. To partake of the flesh and blood of our Lord and Savior.
This morning I will serve each of you from here at the table starting with the Elders. You may stay here at the platform, sit in the front pew or return to your seat. The Elders will be available here in the front if you would like one of them to pray with you. As you are ready partake of the elements, feel free to do so you do not need to wait for everyone else.
Paul told the Church of Corinth that each person must judge themselves for sin prior to taking the meal so that you will take it in an appropriate manner. So take a minute or two and talk to the Lord so that you will not be judged by Him as you partake in the elements of the meal.
3. Communion
Matthew 26:26-28 says:
26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you;
28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
Break and bless the bread. Pour a cup and bless it.
As you are ready come forward and receive the elements.
4. Now that you have joined together with your brothers and sisters all over the globe let’s take a look at what persecution looks now.
a. An organization called Open Doors keeps watch over the world and puts out an annual list of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. Does anyone know the top ten countries for the persecution of Christians? Let’s take a look:
Let’s look at the country, why there is persecution, where the country is located and the majority religion of the country.
10. Afghanistan - Islamic oppression - Asia - Islam
9. Iran - Islamic oppression - Asia - Islam
8. Sudan - Islamic oppression - Africa - Islam
7. Pakistan - Islamic oppression - Asia - Islam
6. Nigeria - Islamic oppression - Africa -Islam
5. Yemen - Islamic oppression - Asia - Islam
4. Eritrea - Dictatorial paranoia - Africa - Islam
3. Libya - Islamic oppression - Africa - Islam
2. Somalia - Islamic oppression - Africa - Islam
1. North Korea - Communist oppression - Asia - Agnosticism
Worldwide 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted
1 in 5 Christians in Africa are persecuted
2 in 5 in Asia are persecuted.
These numbers include 4, 998 Christians who have been murdered
14, 766 Churches and Christian properties that were attacked and
4,125 Christians who were detained.
That’s the Christian side of persecution. In some countries it’s the Buddhists or Hindus who do the persecuting or who are being persecuted. Religious persecution isn’t just about Christianity, however, Christians do walk in the light and the darkness wants to destroy the light. John 3:20 says:
20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
And so the darkness tries to extinguish the light.
b. So what about persecution here in the U.S.
According to the definition persecution is: Harassment and suffering which people and institutions inflict upon others for being different in their faith, world-view, culture, or race. Persecution seeks to intimidate, silence, punish, or even to kill people.
Christians in the U.S. are being harassed and they are suffering for their faith. In the U.S. murder and imprisonment have not become common but it will come to that.
How many of you remember Jack Phillips, the baker who won’t make obscene cakes because of his faith. What about Coach Joe Kennedy who was fired for praying before a game. These are only two examples, there are many others. The thing about most persecution is that it is seldom about what we do; it’s mostly about what we won’t do. We won’t bow down to the demands of darkness or the idols the darkness worships.
The question is, how are you going to respond when it reaches your doorstep? Remember what Jesus said: Matthew 5:11-12
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
c. One last thing. For those of you who are N.Y. residents. On the ballot this year is an Amendment to the state Constitution. I am not going to tell you how to vote but I want to make sure each of you educates yourself about this particular amendment. As written for the ballot it appears to be a good thing but if you dig deeper and look you may find that it is a way to actually increase the states ability to persecute Christians.
So please educate yourselves about this amendment. Pray and think about how you will vote. It could make a big difference. (Pass out the paper)
Exit: So, Jesus was persecuted while He walked this earth spreading the good news about the Kingdom of God. The persecution of the church began shortly after the day of Pentecost when Peter preached the first sermon and thousands put their faith in Christ Jesus. Now, after almost 2,000 years darkness is still trying to extinguish the light.
But every time someone turns their heart to Christ Jesus a little more light shines in the world. We can not shrink back because of persecution or because we might get persecuted along the way. Just accept the fact that you will be persecuted in some way. That’s why we need all the armor that God has given us as His children.
Oh yeah and remember one other thing. In the end - We WIN!
So, if you are here today and you do not believe in Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior now is the time to join the winning side. It isn’t hard. Accept the fact that you are a sinner who needs saving. Ask Christ Jesus to forgive you of your sins and put your faith in Him. Repent of your sins and turn away from them and walk in the newness of life that comes when you become a child of God.
Pray for those in the congregation- because of the coming persecution and
Pray for the persecuted church.
Here’s a song to remind you about who you are and what’s going to happen.
We Win - Mercy Me!!!
