Acts 8

1And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. 4Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. [Acts 8:1-5; ESV]

Persecution

•The murder of Stephen instigates a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. (8:1)

All but the apostles are scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. (8:1)

Probably primarily affected the Greek-speaking Jews

Cf. Acts 1:8“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Persecution

•Saul was ravaging the church. (8:3)• This term is often used to describe wild animals attacking their prey

Persecution

•Saul was ravaging the church. (8:3)•Dragging off men and women to prison (8:3; 22:4-5, 19; 26:10)

•Breathing threats and murder (9:1)

•Persecuted the “Way” unto death (22:4; 26:10)

Persecution

Social •Public ridicule, mockery and name-calling•Pressures to conform•Alienation from family

Financial • Loss of property• Loss of income

Persecution

Physical•Beatings and torture•Death

Proclamation

•Those who were scattered went about preaching the word. (8:4)

• “Evangelism provokes persecution, while persecution energizes evangelism.” (Ajith Fernando, Acts, 268)

Why would they do this?• Jesus was the most significant person in their lives•The truth of the gospel affected all aspects of their lives

Why would they do this?•They understood that persecution and suffering are not signs of failure, but of faithfulness (cf. Matthew 5:10-12)

A Modern Story

Which story will be ours?•Does the person of Jesus ‘get in the way’ of our plans?• Is the gospel an ‘outside thing’ that interrupts our lives?•Does proclaiming the truth ‘have any place in our future’?

a challenge from Iraq

“…By deepening our sense of what it means to be Christians, we discover ways to give meaning to this life of persecution and find the necessary strength to endure it. To know that we may be killed at any moment, at home, in the street, at work, and yet despite all this to retain a living and active faith — this is the true challenge.

a challenge from Iraq

From the moment when we are waiting for death, under threat from someone who may shoot us at any time, we need to know how to live well. The greatest challenge in facing death because of our faith is to continue to know this faith in such a way as to live it constantly and fully — even in that very brief moment that separates us from death.

a challenge from Iraq

…Many people living in freedom from persecution, in countries without problems like ours, ask me what they can do for us, how they can help us in our situation. First of all, anyone who wants to do something for us should make an effort to live out his or her own faith in a more profound manner, embracing the life of faith in daily practice. For us the greatest gift is to know that our situation is helping others to live out their own faith with greater strength, joy, and fidelity.

a challenge from Iraq

Strength in daily life; joy in everything we encounter along the path of life; confidence that the Christian faith holds the answer to all the fundamental questions of life, as well as helping us cope with all the relatively minor incidents we confront along our way. This must be the overriding objective for all of us. And to know that there are people in this world who are persecuted because of their faith should be a warning

a challenge from Iraq

— to you who live in freedom — to become better, stronger Christians, and a spur to demonstrating your own faith as you confront the difficulties of your own society, as well as to the recognition that you too are confronted with a certain degree of persecution because of your faith, even in the West… (Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona, “Faith in the Time of Persecution,” National Review Online; emphasis added)