Today’s passage: Acts 8:1-8
Helpful thoughts:
- Saul (Paul) approved of the execution and martyrdom of Stephen, but that was just the beginning. He became a force for persecution against the church.
- The scattering of Christians only resulted in the furtherance of the Gospel. The first missionaries were sent.
- Persecution doesn’t kill the church, it makes it grow.
Questions to consider:
- As a Christian, what would you think the pros and cons of persecution would be for the church?
- Does this passage evaluate the spiritual superiority or inferiority of those who stayed in Jerusalem and those who left? What was it clear that all of them continued to do, no matter where they were?
- If persecution like this were to come, where would we find the strength to respond in courage and with a missionary zeal, faithful to Christ in the face of opposition?