Opening illustration: Did you know that if one of the arms of a starfish is severed, a new one will grow in its place? In fact, if a starfish is cut up, any piece that contains a part of the central disc will develop into a new starfish.
Some oyster fishermen found that out, much to their dismay, when their oyster beds became infested with starfish. The fishermen had cut up the starfish they caught and tossed the pieces back into the water. Rather than destroying them, however, they were actually helping them multiply. The same is true of leeches in tropical and equatorial countries.
For centuries, Christians have been hated and viciously opposed in many nations. But persecution has not destroyed Christianity. Even under the direst circumstances, it has not only survived but thrived. Jesus said of His church that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
Let us turn to Acts 8 and see how revival followed persecution in the 1st century church …
Introduction: Most Christians would prefer not to face persecution. Are any of you just dying to be persecuted? Probably not! But the fact is that many Christians in the world are dying in the midst of persecution. First-century believers in Jerusalem were severely persecuted, but it resulted in their being scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. And wherever they went, they preached the Word and many more believed. In Acts 8:4-6, we read that multitudes responded to the preaching of Philip.
At first glance, Stephen’s death may seem pointless. His ministry seems to have ended in failure. Not only was he killed as a heretic, but his death triggered the first full scale persecution of the church. While the persecution seemed to be negative in reality, it was a positive event. The death of Stephen led to the first great missionary outreach of the early church. Stephen’s death sparked a city-wide persecution against the young Christian church, led by Saul (who will become the Apostle Paul in Acts 9). Saul tried to kill the church by killing and imprisoning those belonging to the church. The intense persecution forced the church to scatter (literally, thousands of people) into Judea and Samaria, thus also scattering the gospel. This is significant and marks a decisive turning point in Acts (Acts 1:8). The story then shifts from Stephen to Philip, another one of the seven (Acts 6:5) who takes the gospel to Samaria, likely the capital city, located 35 miles north of Jerusalem. There he proclaims the gospel, heals the sick, and casts out demonic spirits. The city, of course, is radically transformed and we’re told “there was much joy in that city.” (8:8) This is the cost of revival.
Yes, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter how severely persecuted, continues to grow. Even the forces of hell itself cannot overcome it!
How Revival builds up?
1. Dread (scatter) and Lament (vs. 1-2)
The result of this persecution is that the church that was in Jerusalem scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. Notice the apostles don't leave Jerusalem yet. They stay in Jerusalem to help the church there and stay strong in the face of persecution. And at this time, they take Stephen and bury him. Up to this point, the church in Jerusalem had kind of just stayed there. They hadn't gone out into other regions to spread the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. And remember, Christ's last words on earth were that they were to take the Gospel from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8).
This persecution comes along and gives them a little bit of incentive to do what Jesus had asked them to do. Some even believe that God sent this persecution so that the church would obey. That’s possible, I suppose, but I tend to think that God was using this opportunity for the good, to encourage the Christians to get going on what they eventually would have done anyway. But God has to prod us sometimes, and use circumstances in our life to encourage us to obey Him. And so He uses this persecution to scatter the Christians, and send them to the regions of Judea and Samaria. And verses 4-8 tell us what they did when there.
Illustration: In 1949 in China when the national Government was defeated by the Communists 637 China Inland Mission missionaries were told to leave the country. It seems from a human point of view a total disaster and a huge defeat for the gospel and the church. But as we look back we now know that it was God's purpose to allow such things to happen and what appeared a disaster has turned out to be a huge blessing. For within four years of leaving China 286 of those missionaries had been redeployed in South East Asia and Japan meaning that more missionaries were employed in those areas and some were having missionaries for the very first time.
But not only that but the national church in China even under severe persecution began to multiply in number so that today the church has 40 or 50 times more members than they did when the missionaries left although I don't think anyone knows how many Christians there are in China. Many Christians lamented what happened in China in 1949 and for years prayed for that nation and it's only in recent years that we have been able to discover exactly what God was doing since 1949. Likewise in our own lives events that seem to be disastrous may well turn out in the long term to be an immense blessing to us individually or as a church. We simply must trust God who is in control of all things.
Application: The Bible never tells us to pray that persecution will end. Rather, it says that persecution will come if we follow Jesus (Mark 10:29-30; Luke 21:12; John 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Timothy 3:12). This is the first blessing of being persecuted. It allows us to share in the sufferings of Christ and lets us know that just as the world rejected Him, it is rejecting us because we are like Him. Persecution is a sign of a disciple. Half-hearted followers of Jesus Christ will never face persecution. When times of trials come, they wither up and die, and cease to live for Jesus (Luke 8:13).
Another blessing that comes from persecution is exactly what we have seen here in Acts 8. It causes Christians to be scattered (Acts 8:1-8). This is not a bad thing. It is what Jesus commanded (Matthew 10:23). Some Christians, when they face persecution, think that it is denying Jesus to run. And sometimes we do need to stand - like Stephen did, and give a defense for what we believe. But other times, God wants us to run so that we can share the Gospel in new areas.
2. Fearless Preaching during Oppression (vs. 3-4)
Notice that they went everywhere preaching the word. Christians always should be preaching the word. If you are going to teach someone something, make sure that it is comes from the Word, not from some church fad, not from history or tradition, not from current events, or psychology, preach the Word! And of course, true preaching of the Word will always go hand in hand with preaching Christ. This is what we see in verse 5. When we preach the Word, we also preach Christ because the entire Word of God speaks of Christ. Oppression did not become an obstacle in preaching the Word of God or in their lives.
Gospel-Declaring: It would have been easy for Philip, and the rest of the scattered church, to keep the gospel to themselves in order to avoid further persecution. But, what did they do? They preached and proclaimed it. There are five references to this in chapter eight alone. Luke, the author of Acts, is careful to point out that what Philip proclaimed was not “be a good person” but “Christ” (v. 5). This is significant. The Bible is not merely about various things to do and believe, but primarily about the person and work of Jesus Christ – and forgiveness of sin, salvation, and life with God forever.
Illustration: (i) The city of Houston has issued subpoenas demanding a group of pastors turn over any messages dealing with homosexuality, gender identity or Annise Parker, the city’s first openly lesbian mayor. And those ministers who fail to comply could be held in contempt of court. Now, how does this affect YOU? Well, when one part of the body suffers, we all suffer (1 Corinthians 12:26). And certainly Houston isn’t the only place in America with a law like this. So this week one of the “Houston’s Five’ Pastor Steve Riggle preached from his church pulpit and nailed the issue. What is yet to be seen is the impact of the Word of God that went forth because I and you know that it will not return void.
(ii) The city of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, is threatening two ordained Christian ministers with arrest if they refuse to perform wedding ceremonies for same-sex couples. According to the Coeur d’Alene city attorney, they now face up to 180 days in jail and up to $1,000 in fines for each day they decline to perform that ceremony. These ministers are not backing out but standing their ground.
Application: Another possible result of persecution is the salvation of those who persecute us. Nowhere in the Bible are we told to pray for persecution to end. Rather, we are to pray for the salvation of those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:14). As we pray for their salvation, this will encourage us stand strong for Christ, and speak the truth boldly because we know that they are watching and listening and that through our witness, the Holy Spirit is working on them to draw them to Jesus Christ. So persecution can result in the salvation of the persecutors.
In regard to the Christians facing persecution, it helps them get stronger in the faith and in their reliance upon Jesus Christ. Again, we shouldn’t pray for persecution to end. Rather, pray for strength and courage and perseverance of those who are facing persecution (2 Corinthians 12:10; Hebrews 13:3).
3. Passionate Response to Power Preaching and Miracles (vs. 5-6)
The message was well received, and it says that the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken to them by Philip. There was great hunger among the Samaritan people for the truth. Remember the woman at the well in John 4? She indicates that the Samaritan people were looking for the coming of the Messiah, and knew that when He came, He would tell them the truth. Philip has now come to tell them that the Messiah had come, and that though they were outcast from Jewish culture, they were accepted by God in heaven. This was a welcome message for them, and so the multitudes responded and believed. It was a great spiritual harvest in the city. And because of this, they all rejoiced.
Gospel-Displaying: Yet, Philip’s work was not restricted to words alone. His ministry also included many works. We’re told that “crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did.” (v. 6) This makes sense. Others will be more willing to listen to our words of God’s love in the gospel, if they see our works of love in the city. The old saying is true; people don’t care what you know until they know that you care. God’s people give their local context tastes of the grace of God by demonstrating that grace in helpful, tangible ways.
Illustration: Experience of the Underground Church in the Middle East.
4. Divine Healings and Exuberance of Joy (vs. 7-8)
When people hear that God loves them and accepts them and offers them the free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, and people respond to this, it is a great relief. The Word of God set people free. Many of them probably had wanted to go to Jerusalem to worship God (John 4:20), but couldn't because the Jews would not let them. Certainly Philip had told them that they didn't have to go to Jerusalem. They could now worship God anywhere they wanted (John 4:21). They didn’t have to offer sacrifices in order to receive forgiveness of sins. All of their sin was paid for by Jesus on the cross. They didn’t have to feel insignificant in comparison to the Jews anymore. In Christ, they were all equals. All of this was cause for a great celebration.
Isn't this an amazing result of persecution? As a result of persecution, Christians go out and share the Gospel with those who need to hear it, and the result is great rejoicing by the new believers. In fact, there are many wonderful results of persecution. From Acts 8, let's look at several blessings and results that come from persecution. Many folks are healed physically and spiritually. A number of people are delivered from evil spirits. Many deaf hear, lame walk, paralyzed healed, miracles happened and all present witness the manifested presence and power of God resulting in much joy in the city.
If persecution did not come upon the early church, I am quite sure they would remain laidback, lukewarm and singing lullabies every Sunday. This woke them up, kept them alert, assisted them to stay focused, serious and unified. The persecution changed the passivity of the church to becoming fired-up, active, empowered, risk-takers and soul winners. In fact the church was doing exactly what Jesus had instructed … proclaim the good news and bring healing. They were revived, passionate and on fire!
Application: So all of these reasons together are why we can count it all joy when we face various trials (James 1:2). There are great benefits and results that come from persecution. Many Christians around the world are facing persecution right now. Now it is knocking on our doors and up in our faces.
• That persecuted believers will always stand firm in their faith. (1 Peter 5:8-10) It is immovable!
• The simple reason they stand firm in their faith is that it has been tried and tested through the fire and they have endured and overcome it. Persecution strengthens their faith.
• That they will be enabled to rejoice, even in suffering. (1 Peter 4:12-13)
• That they will be able to actually love, forgive and bless those who persecute them. (Matthew 5:43-44; Luke 23:34; Colossians 3:13; Romans 12:14, 21)
• The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.
• The persecution of the saints with usher in nationwide revival.
