January 20, 2023 -- Acts 8:1-3 -- The Acts of the Apostles: Persecution and Church Growth

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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.
Acts 8:1-3 ESV

Bloodlust. That is what is being described here. Once Elders and the Scribes and the High Priest heard Stephen out, and his condemnation of their involvement in the crucifixion of Jesus, they turned on Stephen and threw him out of the city and threw rocks and stones on him till he was pummeled to death. Chillingly, the henchman of the Jewish leadership, Saul, is said to have approved this killing.

After this Saul ravaged the church. To ravage is to lay waste to, or to cause as much harm and damage as possible. His fury against the Living God was expressed in the only way available to him. Since Saul could not ascend to heaven and give God a black eye, he tried to hurt the Father by trampling on His children. Worse, Saul thought he was doing something good for God and the protection of His Name. This shows the depths of his self-deception.

What happened? Believers went to different regions of Judea and Samaria. Tertullian, one of the early church fathers coined the phrase: “the blood of martyrs is the seed for the church”. Think of it. Because of Stephen’s martyrdom, other believers (like blood spatter) went to different regions. Their arrival into new territories meant new churches would be planted. Saul’s hateful acts against God were about to be judged as well.

Do not lose heart, Christian, if you are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. The Father in heaven knows your need, your pain and brokenness. True participation in the church grows when believers suffer. Suffering is a sign of the veracity of what is proclaimed. Those who do the persecuting will see how you endure and by this will either increase their own condemnation at the Day of Judgment or will by the Spirit’s work in them turn from their sin and see the power of Jesus Christ. The glory of God triumphs.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Great is Your splendour, beautiful Your majesty and glorious Your purposes. As Your people stand firm on the foundation of Jesus Christ, help them to endure the great suffering and persecution that will inevitably come. Such suffering may be the rebellion of their own sinful flesh, or the attacks of the Devil and his demons, or the people of the world and powers all around, or it might be any combination of these. Faithful God, Source of all Good, as those bound up in Jesus Christ and His reconciling blood, enable us to stay true to You--God the Triune. Give us such tender and humble hearts that we will encourage the saints around us, especially those who stumble and face hardships and become discouraged along the way. Your word declares “^the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity”. We rise because of Your love Father, and this by the grace of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit and His work among the fellowship of believers. Great are You LORD! Amen.

^Proverbs 24:16

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