WE ARE THE CHURCH – PERSECUTED

Acts 5:12-40

Solomon’s Porch (verse 12)

Jail (verse 18)

Temple Courts (verse 21)

Courtroom (verse 27)

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men.” (verse 29)

God exalted him (Jesus) to his own right hand as Prince and Savior… (verse 31)

Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men. (verse 38, 39)

Acts 5:41-42

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

1. Rejoice      

 We can whine and complain or we can pray, rejoice and be grateful.

2. Connect With Christ

We can feel isolated and alone or we can identify and connect with Christ.

Matthew 16:24, 25

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

John 15:18, 20

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If 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. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.

Matthew 5:11, 12

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Philippians 1:29

For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him…

Philippians 3:10

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.

3. Courageously Keep On

We can retreat, shrink back and quit or we can continue proclaiming and advancing the Kingdom. 

Tertullian – “Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust…The more you mow us down, the more we grow; the seed of the church is the blood of the martyrs.”

Notes:

(MULTILINE)