External Persecution

External Persecution
(Acts 5:17-42)
Rev. Dave Chang

 I. What is the cause of persecution? (vv. 17-18)
Jealousy (v. 17)
Idolatry
 II. What does persecution lead to? (vv. 19-24)
A Call to Obedience (v. 20)
An Opportunity to Witness (v. 20)
 III. What does persecution reveal? (vv. 25-32)
Our Guilt (v. 28)
Our Hearts (v. 29)
 IV. What does persecution teach us? (vv. 33-42)
God’s Sovereignty (v. 39)
Our Perseverance (vv. 41-42)
 V. Application
If you think you are so important that the church will fall apart without you, then be careful (after all, that’s what the high priests and religious leaders believed)! Idolatry of yourself is already creeping in. And the evidence is discord and disunity (in essence, a persecuting of one another). If you think you are just ordinary and have nothing to offer, then remember that what God desires is our hearts, our availability, and our obedience.
We might not be undergoing persecution like the early church (or like the persecuted churches around the world today), but how do we bear witness in the midst of antagonism, hardship, suffering, etc…? Remember that the world is watching you, and that you are a witness for Jesus Christ!
Why is it that it’s mostly the new believers and persecuted believers who are known for sharing about Jesus with others today? Have we lost our first love? Where is our hearts? What are the things that we are pursuing?
With our changing world, how do we engage as joyful witnesses with our culture, which is becoming increasingly more hostile against Christianity? Is our trust is in God’s sovereignty or human systems (governments, legislations, politics, policies, etc…)? Are we able to love the people around us, and stop the mentality of “us vs. them”?
Take time to pray for the persecuted churches around the world, especially in the following countries: North Korea, Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Pakistan, Eritrea, Nigeria, Maldives.