Tuesday 1 December 2009

Persecution and the Gospel

In preparation for a focus on the suffering/persecuted church I spent some time in Acts looking at the connection between persecution and the spread of the gospel.

In the process I spent some time in Acts 6 and 7. My, what a story. The religious people didn't like the good news of Jesus Christ with all its ramifications for the temple and the priesthood.

A BIT PLAYER WITH A HUGE ROLE
Stephen (a bit player with a huge role)shares with them in answer to their question "Are these things so?" how God has worked in history outside of the boundaries of the nation and the temple to accomplish his purposes.

> God appeared to Abraham in Mesopotamia
> The covenant was instituted in a foreign place
> God was with Joseph in Egypt
> God was with his people in Egypt;
> God was with Moses in Egypt and Midian
> God gave the commandments at Sinai
> God was with his people in the wilderness
> Then Solomon built the Temple for God to dwell in ....

‘YET’ or ‘HOWEVER’
'Yet' or 'however,' says Stephen,(he's about to drive home the point) "God does not dwell in houses made by hands!" (7:48)

God is bigger than the temple and priesthood ...

Some answer, some sermon! He pulls the rug from under their feet.

And to round it off he then says they are stiff necked, they just don't get it, in fact they are unwilling to get it! In fact they are just like their fathers who persecuted the prophets before them ...

They are furious ... they don't want to hear this ... they can't bear the truth ... and Stephen is stoned to death.

But as Tertullian said "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."

Stephens answer provided the basis for worldwide mission.

The believers were scattered ...

The gospel was proclaimed ...

The believers multiply ...

And Saul who was there listening to and consenting to Stephens death and persecuting the church is apprehended by none other than the Lord Jesus himself, and told he is God's chosen instrument to carry his name to the Gentiles!!!!

Wow!

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