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A GREAT PERSECUTION (ACTS 8:1a-8)

REFLECTION

A great persecution is the theme for our reflection. Persecution is hostility and ill-treatment, especially based on ethnicity, religion or political beliefs. We shall reflect on the fact that historically, the church has been a victim of persecution, however, persecution led to the spread of the Gospel and the expansion and growth of the church.

Beloved in the Lord, Saul who was also known as Paul before his conversion to Christianity was a promoter of Judaism. He fought against Christianity by persecuting Christians. He was instrumental in the killing of Stephen and “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.” (Acts 8:1-3). Dear friend, so long as Satan is against the Church, he will continue to persecute the Church until the second coming of our Lord Jesus. In the twenty-first century, the Church continue to be a victim of persecution by practitioners of other religions. In as much as Christianity can co-exist and be tolerant of other religions, the same cannot be said of some religions. Christianity poses a threat to their existence hence the persecution of Christians. In the era of technological advancement and social media, Christianity continue to face a type of persecution, I will term cyber-persecution. We have atheists and people of other religions hostile to Christianity on social media and the internet. Website and social media platforms are funded and dedicated to discredit our Lord Jesus Christ, attacking Christianity and convincing Christians to deny their faith. Christians must be vigilant and draw inspiration and encouragement from Peter’s letter, when he wrote “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:8-11). Jesus knew the fate of the disciples and the church, hence He assured His disciples, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

Dear friend, one of the remarkable lessons we learn from believers who scattered as a result of the persecution is that they never stopped spreading the Gospel. Luke reported, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:4-8). Truly, Jesus assured us “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26). It teaches us that in our predicament and suffering, Jesus our Saviour still reigns, therefore we must seize every opportunity to witness, and glorify God and even as we manifest the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Persecution or being a victims of hostility and suffering is not an excuse to stop preaching Christ. Indeed, we are greatly encouraged by Paul to “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). We must remain resilient and steadfast through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our generation preaching the Gospel wherever we are, especially through our social media platforms, irrespective of the cyber-persecution.

In summary, we have learned that the church has always been a victim of persecution, however, persecution led to the spread of the Gospel and the growth of the church. This a great encouragement to us to keep living the mandate of the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20 even as we patiently await the final appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Shalom.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, give us the strength to withstand persecutions and grant us the ability to spread the Gospel even in the face of hostility. Amen.