Tag: Persecution

Bible Chapter 8:1-8 passages in the book of Acts

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Welcome to the next section of Bible 8:1-8 passages. Let’s dive into Acts chapter 8.

Saul Persecutes the Church
Acts 8:1 Now Saul was consenting to his [Stephen’s] death.
At that time, a great persecution arose against the church, which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him. 3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

After the 120 who gathered in the upper room were immersed/baptized in the fiery Holy Spirit, hundreds upon hundreds of people were miraculously coming into the kingdom. All the things that Jesus told them would happen when He rose up to heaven were happening! This was a marvelous time to be part of what God was doing and the spirit of unity was strong within the body of Christ. Inevitably, we hear of persecution beginning with the arrest of James and John when they offered healing to the lame man at the temple gate. Next, Stephen was arrested and stoned to death, even though he was ministering to so many people and teaching with authority. God used this persecution to His advantage.

Christ Is Preached in Samaria
4 Therefore, those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.

See how God caused the believers to scatter? He wanted the good news of Messiah to spread to all the world, not stagnate in Jerusalem. He is still scattering and shifting His people around to where we are needed. It is a privilege to be part of this new era in the LORD, heaven coming down to earth; the veil between the two thinning as we speak!

The following is what Jesus taught not long before Acts 8 occurred:

Matthew 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

Saul didn’t know it yet, but the Lord was using him in spite of himself. The one who was holding the coats of those stoning Stephen became the one the Lord used to reach multitudes of people in the name of Jesus the Messiah. Paul’s letters in the New Testament are still drawing, encouraging, teaching and training people today.

God is able to use everything for His glorious plans, even our enemies. Let us pray for those who treat us badly. Let us pray for and speak blessing over those our hearts want to condemn. As I said in my book, Musings Along Life’s Journey, If I don’t pray for them, they will be damned. The eternity of hell is so horrid, I don’t want even my worst enemy to go there! I will be speaking about my book at Smithville Baptist Church in Adams, NY in April if you are able to attend. Here is the “Save the Date” card.

What Will You Say?

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Hebrews 13:3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

The January 2021 issue of The Voice of the Martyrs magazine begins with this question on the front cover: What Will You Say? It also poses other questions. How will you respond to your accusers? What will you do when you’re called before judges? Mosque confrontation? These are all situations our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world are facing, which we may also face sooner than we think. Maybe you already have!

A few months ago, I ordered Petr Jasek’s book Imprisoned With Isis Faith in the face of evil from VOM. This prayer bracelet came with the book. The bracelet sends you to http://www.icommittopray.com Along with VOM’s prayer calendar, which you can find at https://secure.persecution.com/newsletter_feature.aspx, it helps me remember to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ as the Apostle Paul wrote so much about.

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

One of the stories in this issue: Iran: Summoned by Security officials. This brother’s boldness surprised the official interviewing, and he wanted to understand who was leading so many muslims to Christ.

“Shahrokh gave the official and inspired response. ‘You cannot stop the work of God,’ he said. ‘If a person has a dream of Jesus or [if] God directly reveals Himself in a vision and draws them to Himself, or if he has seen a miracle of Christ and follows after Him, then no one is at fault here. You cannot block the divine methods God uses to meet human beings. You can close Christian social activities and house groups or put Christian workers in prison, but you cannot stop people seeing dreams or visions. You cannot put Jesus Christ in prison. You cannot stop the work of the Holy Spirit. He is at work, and in different ways He reveals the truth to people. Can you change the hearts and inner lives of people where the Lord dwells?'”

Voice of the Martyrs January 2021 page 7

Philippians 1:13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.

Think about this: Paul was a special prisoner. The palace guards changed every few hours, watching Paul closely. He had many opportunities to share the Gospel with them, and many came to believe because his attitude of joy and love that flowed out of him were amazing! Our contemporaries find the same thing happens when they get put in prison for their faith. People question their Godly attitude, share Bibles, Bible studies spring up… The Voice of the Martyrs is valuable for hearing testimonies of faith under pressure. It’s an excellent resource for praying for our brothers & sisters in chains as if we’re chained with them. May we be as faithful, with boldness and no fear, in the challenges we face!

Hebrews 13:3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.