Mims Chapel Church 

Lesson 11 • Second Week

MORE PERSECUTION
OF THE CHURCH

Background Reading                   Devotional Reading
Matthew 5:10-12, 22; John             2 Corinthians 4:8; 12:10
15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12;
1 Peter 3:14; Revelation 2:10

Central Verse
"And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church at Jerusalem: and they were all scat­tered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles."
Acts 8:1, KJV

"Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all believers except the Apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria."
Acts 8:1, NLT


Key Terms
Subversive—A systematic attempt to overthrow or undermine a govern­ment or political system by people working from within.

Atheistic—Non-belief in the existence of God or any gods; one who sub­scribes to or advocates atheism.
Pluralistic—A state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain and develop their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization.

Introduction

Stephen, one of the first seven deacons, had been stoned to death for preaching the Gospel. He was a man full of the Holy Spirit and was used mightily by the Lord. Saul was a young man who stood around and held the coats of some of the leaders who stoned Stephen. He agreed with the stoning of Stephen, for he believed that the Apostles and Stephen were preaching and teaching a false doctrine. Sometimes, people have strong convictions, such as Saul's, but they can be wrong. Because Saul thought he was right, he went to the authorities and got credentials to bring in all the men and women he could find who were professing this Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They imprisoned and killed as many as they could. These early believers were beaten, tarred and feathered, sawed asunder, and subjected to whatever terrible punishment their persecutors could find to hurt and harm them.

Christian persecution is one of the most significant human rights issues happening in our time. It has been reported that over 260 million Christians are living in places where they experience high levels of persecution. There are many places where faith in Jesus Christ is forbidden. But some men and women chose to suffer affliction and live under persecution rather than defile themselves by living in sin.

Discussion

Jesus shared with His disciples that they would be persecuted for His name's sake, but it put them in a place where they would be blessed. It would have been easy for the disciples to deny Jesus Christ, but they loved Him dearly, and He said that if they loved Him, they would keep His com­mandments. The believer must come to the place where he can truthfully say, "I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world can offer me." The early believers accepted an entirely different way of life but clung to their salva­tion. They didn't know if they would live or die from day to day, but they decided to stand for Jesus and righteousness.

When people don't understand something, they rebel against it. The Church had always honored God, but when Jesus came and they were told that He was the Son of God, they wouldn't believe it. They felt that if He was God's Son, He should have come through the King's house, not to a poor family in Bethlehem, so the masses of the people thought He was an imposter. So, the Jewish and the Roman authorities persecuted Him and His disciples. Jesus' predictions of persecution were fulfilled, but they only strengthened the believers' resolve and faith.

Jesus' words prepared His followers for their trials after He left them. He told them that in this world they would have many tribulations. Still, they
could take courage, because He had overcome the world (John 16:33). The Jewish authorities frequently arrested and imprisoned the disciples for preaching the Gospel. Still, despite threats and beatings, the Apostles re­fused to stop. They preached boldly and told the authorities, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).

After Stephen, one of the first deacons, gave a powerful testimony before the Sanhedrin and stirred up the Jewish Leaders, this testimony led to him being stoned, causing many believers to be scattered through Judea and Samaria. After Christianity spread beyond Jewish territories, the Roman authorities began to see the believers as a threat to their social and religious order.

The main reason the believers were persecuted was that they refused to worship Roman gods and the emperor. This was seen as subversive and atheistic. The Apostles also claimed that Jesus was the only way to salva­tion, which challenged the pluralistic religious landscape of the Roman Em­pire. Their moral and ethical teaching was so different from Roman culture that it caused great hostility. The Roman community did not agree with the Holiness teaching of the believers, and they were not willing to abide by it.

Saul, the young man who held the coats of the men who stoned Stephen, seemed to be the leader of the Church's intense, severe, and widespread persecution. Men and women were put in prison, beaten, and even put to death. But what was meant for harm, God turned it around and used it for good. This persecution was the start of the great missionary work of the Church. Many believers were scattered abroad and went everywhere preaching the Gospel.

Conclusion

Persecution caused several things to happen with the Church. It caused Phil­ip to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, and God confirmed the Word with miraculous signs and wonders. Additionally, many Samaritans received the Word of God, believed in Jesus, were healed and delivered from evil spirits, and were baptized in water. They experienced salvation, the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit, and the power of the Kingdom of God. After Peter and John came to Samaria, they prayed, and the Samaritans received the bap­tism of the Holy Ghost with the sign of speaking in tongues and prophesying.

The power of God was so mighty that a man who lived in the city, named Simon, who was a sorcerer, got converted. This caused great wonder in the
town. Simon got saved, was baptized, and began to work with Philip. After seeing the power of God, he wanted what Philip and the believers had, but God rejected him, because his heart was not right. He was still wicked and thought he could buy the power he saw, but Peter told him to pray that God would forgive him.

Questions

Why was the believer persecuted?
Who persecuted them?
How were they persecuted?
What good came out of the persecution?

Essential Thought- "Persecutions and tribulations give hope, and hope exalts and leads to Holy Ghost power."

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