SERIES: “LESSONS FROM THE EARLY CHURCH”
TEXT: ACTS 14:1-7
TITLE: “FAITHFUL IN THE FACE OF PERSECUTION”
INTRODUCTION: A. At a retirement home in Florida, a group of residents were discussing their
ailments: "My arms are so weak I can hardly lift this cup of coffee," said one. "Yes, I
know, my cataracts are so bad I can’t even see my coffee," replied another. "I can’t
turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck," said a third, at which several others
nodded weakly. "My blood pressure pills make me very dizzy," another went on.
"I guess that’s the price we pay for getting old," winced an old man. There was
general agreement and a short moment of silence ensued. "Well, it’s not that bad,"
said one woman cheerfully. "Thank God that we can all still drive!"
1. Isn’t funny how we like to find the good in the middle of the bad?
2. Sometimes it’s our attitude that gets us through
3. What is our attitude toward being persecuted?
a. Do we let it get us down?
b. Do we look for the good we can do in the middle of the bad?
B. The Letter to Diognetus dates back to the 2nd century AD. An anonymous writer
describes a strange people who are in the world but not of the world:
Christians are not differentiated from other people by country, language, or
customs; you see, they do not live in cities of their own, or speak some strange
dialect… They live in both Greek and foreign cities, wherever chance has put them.
They follow local customs in clothing, food, and the other aspects of life. But at the
same time, they demonstrate to us the unusual form of their own citizenship.
They live in their own native lands, but as aliens… Every foreign country is to
them as their native country, and every native land as a foreign country.
They marry and have children just like everyone else, but they do not kill unwanted
babies. They offer a shared table, but not a shared bed. They are passing their days
on earth, but are citizens of heaven. They obey the appointed laws and go beyond the
laws in their own lives.
They love everyone, but are persecuted by all. They are put to the death and gain
life. They are poor and yet make many rich. They are dishonored and yet gain glory
through dishonor. Their names are blackened, and yet they are cleared. They are
mocked and bless in return. They are treated outrageously and behave respectfully to
others.
When they do good, they are punished as evildoers; when punished, they rejoice as
if being new life. They are attacked by Jews as aliens and are persecuted by Greeks;
yet those who hate them cannot give any reason for their hostility.
C. Acts 14:1-7 – “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish
synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles
believed. 2But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned
their minds against the brothers. 3So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there,
speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling
them to do miraculous signs and wonders.
4The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others with the
apostles. 5There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with their
leaders, to mistreat them and stone them. 6But they found out about it and fled to the
Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding country, 7where they
continued to preach the good news.”
1. “Persecute” – “to afflict constantly so as to injure or distress; to harass; to inflict
harm or evil”
--exactly what v. 2 says happened to Paul and Barnabas – “But the Jews who
refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the
brothers.”
2. Jesus taught about persecution:
a. Mt. 10:16-17 – “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as
shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17"Be on your guard against men;
they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.”
b. Jn. 15:18-25 – “"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If
you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not
belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the
world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: ’No servant is greater
than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they
obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way
because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not
come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they
have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I
had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin.
But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my
Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ’They hated me
without reason.’"”
C. Some questions to think about:
1. What kind of opposition have you faced because of your faith?
2. Have you faced any opposition because of your faith?
--Jesus said if we’re His followers we would face opposition
3. How do you usually respond to opposition?
4. Does it derail you or does it make you stronger?
--James 1:2 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many
kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”
I. FAITHFUL TO THEIR MESSAGE: A Gospel of Salvation
A. Declared the gospel first to the Jews
1. Acts 13:4-5 – “The two of them (Paul and Barnabas), sent out by the Holy Spirit, went down to
Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of
God in the Jewish synagogues.”
2. 13:14 – “…on the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.” Then in v. 46 – “We had to
speak the word of God to you first…”
3. Rom. 1:16 – “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of
everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”
B. The message that was preached was a message of salvation
1. First to the Jews because salvation was found through the preaching of the “good news”
2. Gospel = good news
3. The good news was that the promised Messiah had come, lived perfect life, died a substitutionary death
on a cross, was buried, raised from the dead, ascended to the Father’s right hand, and will return to the
earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.
4. The first gospel message preached on Pentecost in Acts 2 pointed to Jesus as the fulfillment of all the
Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah.
5. The “good news” was not just for Jews but for all who would believe.
C. Why would anyone want to persecute the declaration of “good news”?
1. vs. 2 tells us about those who “refused to believe”
a. Greek – “disbeliever”
b. Can also be translated “disobedient”
2. In the passage I read from John 15 earlier in this message, Jesus says the world hates us because we do
not belong to them because He has chosen us out of the world.
3. 1 Jn. 3:13 – “Don’t be surprised if the world hates you.”
4. Changed hearts and changed mind bring changed behavior
--We no longer frequent the same places or act like the same people
5. The world is angry that we’re no longer like them
a. It interrupts the status quo
b. Misery loves company
II. FAITHFUL IN THEIR MINISTRY: A Gospel of Grace
A. A message of grace is at odd with a message of works
1. The message of works says I can get to heaven if I just:
a. Go to church enough
b. Be nice enough
c. Give enough money
d. Do enough things
e. Think the right thoughts
f. If I’m better than the average person
g. If I believe the right things (have a correct enough doctrinal stance)
2. The only things is that we can never:
a. Do enough
b. Be right enough
c. Give enough
d. or work enough to earn salvation
e. Too many people erroneously believe that if they can. balance the wrong things they do with
enough right things they can zero out the wrong things and then God will grant them their
salvation.
3. Sadly, the Bible tell us something different:
a. Ps. 14:1-3 – “There is none righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who
searches for God. All have turned away and together have become worthless. There is no one who
does good, not even one.”
b. Is. 64:6 – “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy
rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
B. A message of grace is our only hope
1. Only a message of grace says that we can live in relationship to a holy and righteous God even though
we’re not holy and righteous on our own
2. Only a message of grace lets us know that life in relationship to Jesus Christ is a relationship lived
every day because of God’s unmerited favor and unearned acceptance of who we are
3. Only a message of grace tells us that He gives His mercy and blessings to us anyway
--Based solely on our relationship with Jesus Christ
III. FAITHFUL TO THEIR MISSION: The Gospel to the Whole World
A. Jesus was very adamant about His commands for the Gospel to be preached to the whole world
1. Paul and Barnabas did not allow the problems in this particular area to keep them from
accomplishing what they set out to do: the whole gospel to the whole world.
2. The stayed committed and focused on their goal.
B. What things do we allow to get in our way?
1. Do we allow petty people with petty complaints and petty spirits squelch the evangelistic effort of
the church?
2. Do we allow people with different agendas to direct the agenda of the church away from the agenda
of Jesus Christ and the early church?
3. Do we allow critical people to discourage us and divert our energy and enthusiasm for the goal of the
whole gospel to the whole world?
4. How faithful have we been in our mission?
CONCLUSION: A. Why does persecution come?
--It’s usually a worldly response to someone’s success
1. Some Old Testament examples
a. Book of Esther – Haman and Mordechai
b. Ezra 4:4-5 – (Zerubbabbel leading the returned exiles in the rebuilding of the
temple) “Then the people around them set out to discourage the people Judah and
make them afraid to go on building. They hired counselors to work against them
and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to
the reign of Darius king of Persia.”
c. Neh. 4 – Nehemiah trying to lead the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. When
their enemies heard about it, they became angry and tried to stop their progress by
mounting a military attack. Nehemiah pressed forward, ordering all those who
worked on the walls to be armed at all times so that they were ready for an attack
at any time.
2. Some New Testament examples
--Paul and any of his companions on any part of his three missionary journeys
3. Churches that are the most persecuted and bad-mouthed in our own society seem to
be the ones who are being successful in reaching lost souls for Christ.
a. People are who aren’t Christians are afraid of them
--What happens if there get to be too many of them and we can’t control them?
b. People who are supposed to be Christians run them down by saying things like:
1). They must be doing something unscriptural
2). They just like being popular
c. Meanwhile, who’s getting the job done for the kingdom of Christ?
I despise the guys who criticize and minimize the guy whose enterprise causes him
to rise above the guys who criticize and minimize.
B. Some thoughts on persecution from God’s word:
a. Rom. 8:31 – “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
--Their gospel enterprise rose above the efforts of their persecutors
b. 2 Thess. 1:3-10 – “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so,
because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for
each other is increasing. Therefore among God’s church we boast about your
perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is
evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of
the kingdom of God for which you are suffering. God is just. He will pay back
trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as
well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in a blazing fire
with His powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do note
obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting
destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His
power on the day He comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at
among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our
testimony to you.”
c. James 1:12 – “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has
stood the test, he will receive the victor’s crown, the life God has promised those who
love Him.”
d. Rev. 2:10 – “Be faithful, even to the point of death and I will give you a crown of
life.”
C. Picture this:
Eric Valli, a professional photographer, is dangling from a nylon rope from a 395-foot
cliff in Nepal. Nearby on a rope ladder is a another man, Mani Lal, doing what he has
done for decades: hunting honey. In the Himalayan foothills, the cliffs shelter the
honeycombs of the world’s largest honeybees.
As both men are suspended in space, thousands of these gigantic honeybees are
buzzing around them. Mani Lal is a veteran of such attacks and is extremely calm. Not
so Eric Valli. In an edition of National Geographic, Valli describes that moment. He
says, “There were so many bees I was afraid that I might freak out. But I knew if I did, I
would be dead. So I took a deep breath and relaxed. Getting stung would be better than
finding myself at the bottom of the cliff.”
Valli not only overcame his fear, he also won a photo competition for his efforts.
1. Fear of persecution can keep us from deciding to follow Christ no matter what.
a. Some believers, fearing the sting of persecution, testing and trials, have
compromised their faith and slipped from the lifeline of Christ.
b. Others who have considered giving their life to Christ have failed to do so because
of fear; they’re afraid of what the world might say about them
2. In ancient Rome, crowds by the tens of thousands would gather in the Coliseum to
watch as Christians were torn apart by wild animals. Paul Rader, commenting on his
visit to this famous landmark, said, “I stood uncovered to the heavens above, where He
sits for whom they gladly died, and asked myself, ‘Would I, could I, die for Him
tonight to get this gospel to the ends of the earth?’”
Rader continued, “I prayed most fervently in that Roman arena for the spirit of a
martyr, and for the working of the Holy Spirit in my heart, as He worked in Paul’s
heart when He brought him on his handcuffed way to Rome.” Those early Christians
“lived on the threshold of heaven, within a heartbeat of home, no possessions to hold
them back.’”
D. It is a whole lot better to suffer the stings of persecution for our faith than to face the
consequences at the pit of hell because we were afraid.
1. That’s why the Bible insists we should only fear one person or thing: God and Him
alone
2. That’s why Paul could understand and cherish his own Holy-Spirit-inspired
statements: “If God be for us, who can be against us?” and “I can do all things
through Him who gives me strength.”
