Commentary on Act 8:1-4
The Church today especially in the West enjoys enormous amounts of material prosperity that by 2000 alone, US Evangelicals had made 2.6 Trillion Dollars in income, unprecedented in Church History. [1] Therefore the virtue of enduring sufferings for Christ's sake has totally been neglected and replaced with teachings that promise total health and wealth for the believer while on earth.
However, a closer look at the New Testament Scriptures will reveal that the New Testament Church was and is still called to endure sufferings for Christ's sake especially when such sufferings come as a result of being persecuted for the Word of God.
It is not that God is 'grotesque' and 'mean' as some philosophers of our current civilization have theorized when it comes to 'God and the problem of evil'. However, The Lord uses the sufferings that His people go through for the good of His people and His glory...
Act 7:59-60 KJV And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. (60) And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.In book of Acts we see that Stephen was a very effective in ministry, both in terms of leadership, administration of resources for the needy, and in preaching the gospel accompanied by the power of The Holy Spirit, not mentioning the wisdom and articulation with which he used in his defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet Stephen would be the first among the disciples in the early Church to be killed because of His faith in Jesus Christ, sparking off a citywide persecution of Christians in Jerusalem.
Act 6:8-9 KJV And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. (9) Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.Surprisingly, this persecution of Stephen did not originate from the Roman authorities but from religious fanatics who could not stand at least the thought of “co-existing” with other humans with different religious views than theirs. Interestingly, the same trend is seen with the persecutions of Jesus Christ, that it was the religious leaders of His day that sought to have Him killed.
It was the Religious leaders who handed over Jesus Christ to the Romans to be killed and it was the same religious leaders that instigated the persecution of Christians in the early Church. Later on Emperor Nero, among others took on the role of State instigated persecutions against Christians.
The point here is that Christians should not be surprised if persecutions arise from within. The same pattern will reoccur with today's Church in that persecutions could come from unexpected quarters, especially from religious zealots of our day. As a matter of fact many Christians in Developing Nations continue to suffer for their faith in Jesus Christ, being persecuted and in many cases killed by both State and antagonistic religious officials.
But we are not to be surprised as Jesus Christ warned His followers that they would have to endure sufferings and persecution for His name sake. It is just that Christianity in the Western world has gotten itself entangled with the pursuit of material things that they have lost touch with the clear New Testament teachings on sufferings…
Matthew 24: 9-10 (KJV)In the book of Mark, Jesus Christ’s warnings about the coming sufferings and persecution of all who love Him is even more explicit, in that persecutions would even arise among family members, the State, and late alone religious leaders. Jesus Christ clearly stated to those who loved Him, that “you shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake”…
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mark 13: 9-13 (KJV)However, we see that The Lord used the sufferings and persecution of His people for good in that the word of The Lord spread forth to other areas. The gospel was preached to all the areas surrounding Jerusalem and beyond…
9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.
13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Act 8:1-4 KJV And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. (2) And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him. (3) As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. (4) Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.Perhaps the Church was in a place of comfort, it seems that the Christians then had forgotten all about the great commission and had created perhaps a comfort zone, that even conflicts had begun to develop as to who got more food rations that Stephen was chosen to be an overseer of such matters as food distribution.
Yet the persecution that came about after the death of Stephen forced the believers to be scattered abroad, outside the confines and comforts of Jerusalem that in every area they escaped for refuge, they preached the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, through pain and sufferings, The Lord was able to have the Church focus on preaching the Good News, which speaks of our stubborn human nature. Sometimes, it is through sufferings and difficult circumstances that we eventually give in to the Perfect Will of God for our lives.
Yet in the same verse, we see that the Apostles did not leave Jerusalem despite the heavy persecution they faced. This speaks of the leadership in place; the Shepherds were not ’hirings’ and did not flee when the wolves came. They stayed behind perhaps to care for and encourage the weak regardless if it would cost them their lives, which it did in the case of James who was eventually killed for his faith in Jesus Christ.
Yet the great lesson we learn from these heroes of faith is that they did not complain about the sufferings they endured, they did not curse The Lord or reject their faith in Jesus Christ. Rather these gallant fellows of faith in Jesus Christ, thanked The Lord, they praised The Lord for allowing them to be part of those who are counted worthy to share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings. It was an honor for them to endure sufferings for Christ’s sake. This is a very important value that the Church today must recover – enduring sufferings for Christ’s sake.
Acts 5: 40-24 (KJV)Yet still, it is important to note that sufferings might not come as being persecuted for the gospel of Jesus Christ but in another form. Some have had to endure the loss of a loved one, a sick child or parent, poverty, loss of a job, and many other circumstances and challenges that we face daily as Christians. Yet through all this we are called to keep the faith in Jesus Christ and endure patiently knowing that The Lord cares and His purposes are good for us in the end.
40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. 42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
We are called to look to the outcome, the good that will result in all the sufferings we are to endure. Yet even that reward for endurance might not come in this life but in the life to come, yet still we are called to endure. It is through sufferings that The Lord deals with our character and continuously shapes us into the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ who endured all shame on the Cross for our sins. However, we are not to suffer as a result of doing evil and sin, rather we are to suffer for good. We are to follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ in enduring sufferings.
1 Peter 2: 19-25 (KJV)God Bless You
19For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Kato Mivule
Notes
[1] David B. Barrett, Todd M. Johnson, Christopher R. Guidry, Peter F. Crossing, World Christian trends, AD 30-AD 2200: interpreting the Annual Christian Megacensus, William Carey Library, 2001, ISBN: 0878086080, 9780878086085, Page 657
