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CHURCH SPREAD THROUGH PERSECUTION Great Smokey Mountain Church)

1 Peter 1:3-9 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, [5] who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, as was necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, [7] so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. [8] Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, [9] obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Acts 7:59-60 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” [60] And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 8:1-4 And 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. [2] Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. [3] But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.[4] Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Acts 11:19-21 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. [20] But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. [21] And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. As we know the church began on Pentecost with just a few disciples. It was to grow and multiply until it filled the earth. John 3:16 (ESV) ” For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. The purpose of God is that the knowledge of Him should cover the land. There are many things which help to spread the gospel: Preaching the gospel is sowing the seed of the kingdom, and in this way Christianity spreads. Persecution is another way to spread Christianity. In fact, God has so arranged that man cannot prevent the gospel’s spreading if there are faithful believers willing to proclaim the truth. The greater the effort that man makes to prevent the spread of the gospel, the more rapidly it will spread. 2 Tim. 3:12 (ESV) Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, and persecution may give occasion for blessings of God and the spread of Christianity. Persecution helps to gender zeal in the advocates of Christianity. Persecution not only helps to spread Christianity, but sometimes it helps spread error. While there is a way to confront error with the truth and oppose it without persecuting the advocates of that error, persecution only strengthens the determination in the cause proclaimed. If this cause is the truth, persecution helps to spread the truth; if the cause is error, persecution helps spread that error. No cause can be stopped by persecuting the advocate of the cause. Stephen was one of the seven selected to minister the daily ministration to the Grecian widows in the church at Jerusalem. He was involved in a controversy with the enemies of Christianity, and was brought before the council of the Sanhedrin; and there he made his defense by preaching the gospel to them. At the conclusion of his speech many of his hearers were infuriated because they could not answer him. He concluded his speech by showing that Jesus is the promised Christ. He was Messiah. Acts 7:51-54 ” You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. [52] Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered [53] you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” [54] Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. The truth when not accepted can infuriate the hearers. Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, and did not attempt to defend himself against their attack on him. Acts 7:58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. They disregarded the law of Rome in their mad state and took the matter into their own hands and killed Stephen. It’s worth remembering that Stephen prayed for them while they were hitting him with stones. He was very much like his Savior in his prayer. Think of an injured and dying man, under such torture, he got to his knees and prayed for his murderers. Acts 7:60 And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. He died while he was praying for his murderers. Those who think they cannot pray for their enemies and for those who would injure them should remember the example of Stephen. These enemies thought they would stop the force of Stephen’s arguments if they put him to death; they thought that if the preacher was killed, that would destroy the principles which he was preaching. The gospel and the truths of the gospel cannot be destroyed by putting to death those who proclaim the gospel. Stephen is the head of a long list of Christian martyrs. Among the martyrs listed in Fox’s Book of Martyrs are: · Stephen, James the Great , Philip, Matthew, James the Less, Matthias, Andrew, Mark, Peter, Paul, Jude, Bartholomew, Thomas, Luke, Simon, John, and Barnabas. Among the persecutions the following are included: Under Nero, AD 67; Under Domitian, AD 81; Under Trajan, AD 108; Under Marcus Aurelius Anttonius, AD 162; Commencing with Severus, AD 192; Under Maximus, AD 235; Under Decius AD 245; Under Valerian 257; Under Aureilai, AD 274; Under Diocletian, AD 303. Over a time span of 236 years Fox lists 10 persecutions. That is a persecution every 23-24 years with the length of each being unknown to us. That averages 3 persecutions during the life of a person living 75 years. Stephen is the first of which we have any record to die for Christianity. By his example Stephen has proclaimed the truth and emphasized the gospel as much in his death as he did by his preaching. He accomplished by his death possibly more than he could have accomplished by living longer. After Stephen’s death and burial, Acts 8:1 … And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem… Saul of Tarsus was involved in this persecution. Acts 8:1 And Saul approved of his execution…. As a Roman citizen Saul could be quite influential working with the Roman government and the Jewish leaders. Being a Roman citizenship may have added some legitimacy to the execution. In an effort to carry out the Sanhedrin’s decision to destroy Christianity he had a part in the persecution against the church at Jerusalem. Acts 8:3 (ESV) But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Some versions read Acts 8:3 (KJV) As for Saul, he made havock of the church… The Sadducees had tried to stop the progress of the church by threatening the apostles and scourging them; the Pharisees (Saul being one of them) had joined the Sadducees in the persecution to stop the progress of Christianity. Both had failed in their efforts to suppress the truth with gentler means, and now they both joined in a common persecution of the church. It seems they had selected Stephen as the first victim because he had been their most formidable opponent in the discussion. They intended to proceed in their bloody purpose with the form of the law, but in a moment of frenzy they had broken loose from all restraint and had put Stephen to death with mob violence. They were determined to continue this method of opposition until other leaders were put to death and the progress of Christianity stopped. The church at Jerusalem numbered more than 5,000 men, and so sharp and fierce was their persecution, in which Saul had a prominent part, that the congregation at Jerusalem was for a time broken up, the members being compelled to flee for their lives to the remote parts of Judea and Samaria—in fact, they were all scattered abroad except the Apostles. Acts 8:1-3 … they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. The apostles were steadfast worshipers, and may have been more tactful and even bolder than others. They were in danger as much as other members, but the cause which they loved demanded that they remain at Jerusalem. So in their courage and steadfastness the nucleus of the church remained in Jerusalem. It may be that because the apostles were enabled to manifest miraculous power the persecution was not directed so much against them; at least, in the providence of God the apostles remained at Jerusalem and the church there continued its work and mission. Acts 8:4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. We see here the blessings which resulted from this persecution. All except the apostles were scattered abroad. More than 5,000 disciples were scattered into all parts of the country. The persecutors thought that they were checking the spread of Christianity by breaking up the church at Jerusalem; but instead of checking Christianity, they were, in their ignorance, doing the very thing which would cause Christianity to spread more quickly. Because of this persecution, more than 5,000 preachers of the gospel are driven out of Jerusalem; and wherever they go, they are busy “preaching the word.” These good people did not stand up in the pulpit and preach sermons they had no time for formal appointments. When asked why they as strangers were fleeing, they could say that they were being persecuted for the sake of the gospel. This would call for the story of Jesus and of his gospel to be told to the inquirers. The truth, when told would find a place in the heart of every Israelite who was looking for the promised King and Messiah. They could tell that Messiah had come, had fulfilled the prophecies, had died for the sins of the world, and had saved them. They could tell the people that he was ready to save others. Such statements of facts would develop an interest in the gospel and the church. In this way the persecution of the church at Jerusalem became one of the greatest blessings that had come to the church. Wherever these disciples went, they preached the gospel, people obeyed the gospel, and churches were planted. So, instead of checking the spread of Christianity by persecution, it was spread more rapidly than it otherwise would have done. It’s worth noting that these thousands of disciples who were driven from Jerusalem had learned the facts, commands, and promises of the gospel and could relate them to others. They had learned to love the truth, so that they wanted to tell it to others; they had learned the blessings of salvation and felt under obligation to tell them to others. This should be an example for every member of the church today. These disciples had not been in the church but a very short time, and yet they were able to preach the gospel to others. Church members today who have been in the church for a number of years cannot tell the story of the cross to others in such a way as to win them to Christ. The example of these early Christians should be followed by all Christians today. Acts 11:19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. Some think that it had been from 5 to 8 years since the death of Stephen before the gospel reached Antioch. However, we have no way of knowing how long it had been. They began preaching at Jerusalem and spread the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. Notice the missionary work which was going on during this period: Philip was preaching in Samaria, to the eunuch, and in all the cities from Azotus to Caesarea; Paul had been converted and was preaching the gospel in Damascus and Arabia and possibly in his native country Cilice; Peter had gone throughout Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. All this was done in a few years by the church and through no other missionary organization than the church. Up to this time these Jewish Christians were preaching only to Jews; but when they came to Antioch, Acts 11:20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus This may have been after the conversion of Cornelius, but we do not know. The Greek-speaking Jews from Cyprus and Cyrene were not as intensely prejudiced as the Jews of Judea. So the church at Antioch was the first Gentile church of which we have any record; it ranked next in importance to the church at Jerusalem. As the church at Jerusalem was the center of missionary operations among the Jews, so Antioch became the center of missionary activities among the Gentiles. Acts 11:21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The Gentiles who turned from idolatry to God believed the gospel, repented of their sins, and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. This was the way that they turned to the Lord, and this is the way that people must turn to the Lord today. God usually accomplishes His purposes by ways which man does not know. He often turns to good account the very schemes which Satan has devised against his people. So far as we know, the early Christians showed no disposition to leave Jerusalem and propagate the gospel until persecution drove them out. Oftentimes persecution today will prove a blessing to the Lord’s people. The true worth of a person appears at its best in a great crisis. Stephen set an example for God’s people to pray for their enemies. It is a crime for anyone to become a persecutor. It is a blessing to be persecuted for the cause of Christ. There is enough in this to encourage all to suffer persecution. All Christians should be encouraged with the fact that God’s purposes will be carried out and that no opposition can prevent the will and way of our God from moving on to success. Research shows that surprisingly, there has been no discernible growth among non-denominational Christian churches. A decade ago they drew about 4% of the nation’s population. Today, that number is statistically identical (5%). Research confirms, what more traditional measures have been suggesting, little is changing in the religious realm, despite a lot of discussion regarding new models of church experience and the need for a deeper faith commitment. There is a lot of evidence of people church hopping and experimenting with congregations of different sizes and theological persuasions, but the end result is that there is little evidence of outside-the-box activity. For the most part, people are staying put in their faith: a little tinkering here and there, but generally seeking stability and continuity. How long do we think God will put up with the church’s unwillingness to spread the gospel? Where “commands” are involved we have no choice. But our practices show we consider commands suggestions because “Grace” will forgive any failure to comply. If we do not obey Jesus’ commands Jesus says we do not love Him but we say we do. If we do not forgive, Jesus said our sins are not forgiven but we say they are. Matthew 28:19-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 22:37-40 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with your entire mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [40] On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Luke 2:49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Or another version: …I must be about my Father’s business? Shouldn’t we be using Jesus comments to Satan in the wilderness? …” ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “ …” ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ “ … “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ “ Today people become Christians… …the same way they did back in the time of Stephen. The Bible teaches that four distinct changes happen during the course of one’s conversion to Jesus: a change of heart, a change of life, a change of Lord, and a change of relationship. The Bible also pinpoints four distinct actions that produce these changes: faith changes the heart; repentance changes the lifestyle; confession changes the Lord; and baptism changes the relationship to God. None can take place of the other as part of our obedience to God and becoming a Christian. Shouldn’t we be about our Father’s business?

 

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WHAT WILL MATTER?

Ready or not, someday it will come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days.

All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned or what you owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do-lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracts you lived at the end. It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So, what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your life.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not a matter of circumstance but a choice.

Choice to live a life that matters.

Finally, what really matter is what will happen to you and your soul after death. Hebrew 9:27 says: “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”

Jesus Christ promised that He is coming back to bring us to our heavenly home (John 14:1-3) Those who died in Christ will be resurrected with Him to heaven.

( I Thessalonians 4:13-17)

THE MOST IMPORTANT AND MOST URGENT QUESTION FOR YOU!!!

What if the Lord were to come right now? Would YOU know for sure, nothing doubting, that YOU would go to heaven?

Going to heaven is not a matter of circumstance or accident. It is a matter of choice.

YOU can choose to deny God and ignore Jesus Christ’ promise and invitation. YOU can also choose to know the answer to this important and urgent question. Request for a FREE “WE CARE Bible Study in the privacy of your Home or Office. Just call (415)221-2631 or visit website:goldengatechurchofchrist.org

“Something is not right because the church says it or the pope says it. Something is right because the Bible says it.”

- POPE JOHN PAUL II

The Christian Chronicle, May 2005. p.14

* From “WHAT WILL MATTER” by Michael Josephson

By: Elder Arthur Gabot Madlaing (Golden Gate Church Of Christ, San Francisco, California, USA)

A Modern Parable

(By: Batsell Barrett Baxter, The Work of the Church)

There was a farmer who owns a large field of grain. It is harvest time, and the wheat is already golden brown and needs to be cut. It must not be left in the field very long because the wind or the rain may destroy the crop. Early in the morning he goes into the small town and calls for helpers to come and harvest his crop. The immediate response is favorable and many respond to the invitation.

When they arrive at the field they see the golden harvest and are deeply impressed. They talk about what a wonderful privilege it is to get to harvest so big and bountiful a crop. But someone points out that the fence around this field is not very attractive. It is an old rock fence and in many places the stones have tumbled down. So the people set to building a new fence. They spend all morning getting stones from a nearby stream which they use to build a beautiful wall around the field.

When the fence is finished, someone suggests, “Let’s get to work.” Someone else responds, “Wait, if the sun gets any hotter, or if it should rain, we will need shelter.” They all agree, so over in one corner of the field they build a shelter for themselves. It is so beautifully done that they decide to put a plaque on it, with names inscribe, so that everybody who passes by in generations to come will know just who was thoughtful enough to build such a wonderful shelter.

Then someone says, “Now let’s get to the harvest.” But others say, “It is noon and we ought first to eat.” So they work diligently until quite a feast is prepared. It is in keeping with the beautiful wall and the fine shelter and is a wonderful feast indeed. After the dinner is finished, there is a period of rest, of course, and then someone says, “Now for the harvest.” But someone else replies, “ With such a great responsibility and with such a great challenge before us, do we not need to be better dressed than we are?” Immediately, each provides for himself better garments with which to do the harvesting. Then again they turn their thought to the golden grain and begin to sharpen the scythes with which to cut the grain. After a while they are razor sharp. But as they look at the grubby old handles they are not satisfied. They are unworthy instruments for so great a work. So they begin to carve those ugly handles into beautiful pieces, and some even add intricate filigree work of gold and silver. One man is even able to adorn his scythe with mother of pearl. It is truly a beautiful thing.

Now they are ready to go to the harvest. But suddenly someone says, “It is night, the sun is gone down.” It is then that they realize that only a few have cut any grain. So these wonderful people (like us) turn back sorrowing with guilty feelings to meet the man who owns the field. He comes to meet them, expecting shoulders laden with heavy bags of grain, but instead he finds only beautiful tools and a story of wonderful fences and fine clothes and a good dinner and a shelter to take care of those who work. He asks sadly, “But where is the harvest?” the people are speechless and ashamed. (Great Smokey Mountain Church of Christ)