Acts 8:1-8 From Great Tribulation to Great Joy a vital spiritual principle an 8 verse story V:1 Great persecution V:8 Great Joy the Roman s 8:28

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1 Acts 8:1-8 From Great Tribulation to Great Joy In today s text we see a vital spiritual principle illustrated in an 8 verse story V:1 Great persecution V:8 Great Joy It s what many call, the Roman s 8:28 (NASB) principle.. WATCH FOR IT! Watch for it in the scriptures Watch for it in your everyday life! READ ACTS 8:1-8 PRAY REVIEW: In Acts 6 we saw how The Lord solved a problem of neglected widows in the church through the selection of deacons (TELL STORY) Remember; This started with a complaint and a conflict between the Hebrews & Hellenists. (Another Romans 8:28 story ) Out of the 7 deacons chosen to serve the widow s tables, Stephen (one of the 7) rose up to be greatly used of the Lord (Acts 6-7) (signs & wonders & ) In today s text we meet Philip (another one of the 7). Also greatly used (Romans 8:28) Stephen, (Acts 7) a man filled with the Holy Spirit by signs & wonders preached the Gospel before the Jewish elite and was martyred. Saul (Paul) being a consenting witness (7:58 & 8:1) Page 1 of 6

2 Acts 8:1a NASB - Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to death. This is one of the great turning points in book of Acts. One of God s great benchmarks in His great plan of the ages Write this down: God uses CRISES to create turning points, to bring about His plans & purposes Realize & remind yourself this next time YOU are in a crisis, find yourself in a predicament, experience an emergency, witness a catastrophe, or have any life disaster (Repeat saying in red) You have the Romans 8:28 God working in your life There is a much bigger picture that you don t yet see. Another important principle that we selfish Americans miss is, It isn t all about you Until Acts 8, the main focus of the entire bible has been primarily God working in & through His chosen people, the Hebrews. (they thought it was all about them...) God s big picture plan has always been to reach the entire world. Jesus even gave the great commission All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. GO therefore and MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. Matthew 28:18-20, NKJV. But not until Acts 8 did this begin to happen. Page 2 of 6

3 The CAUSE? Acts 8:1 (Comment?) A CRISES < a turning point! SAUL? We know him as PAUL THE APOSTLE (Another Romans 8:28 story / Spoiler alert ) The single greatest persecutor of the church later became the single greatest propagator of Christianity in history! Later, looking back on this time, Paul said For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. Galatians 1:13, NKJV. For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 1 Corinthians 15:9, NKJV. Paul s commitment to Stephen s death (7:58 & 8:1) is just one example of Paul s zeal to destroy the church. HOW BAD WAS IT? V:3 Havoc = Grk. Ravage i.e. wild animal attack Principle: Sometimes the greatest enemies of Christ become the greatest crusaders for the Gospel. So And Saul was NOT the ONLY persecutor Sanhedrin & Jewish religious authorities Other zealots no doubt would join in As a result 8:1b AT THAT TIME The first all-out persecution of ALL believers (Not just the leaders) Page 3 of 6

4 Another important spiritual principle before we move V:2 It s OK to mourn! Have you ever lost a loved one only to have some well-meaning soul say, Smile, he s in a better place? Or get the impression that it s wrong for a Christian to mourn? (Cp. 1Thes 4:13f ) as those who have no hope Devout men made great lamentations over Stephen s death. It seems then appropriate that we mourn over the untimely death of a loved one in spite of the exhortations of scripture that aim to encourage us not to mourn like those who have no hope. Note: It was illegal to openly mourn an executed criminal. So this mourning could be considered an open protest against the Sanhedrin s actions. Risky V:4 Scattered (Grk ) = Romans 8:28 principle What do you think would happen if a great persecution broke out in America & the government forced all churches to close their doors? The church would go through A CRISIS < turning point and a great cleansing A purging Back to our story: (V:4) Now Jesus prophetic promise of Acts 1:8b is finally being fulfilled But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8, NKJV. Page 4 of 6

5 V:5 Only after a CRISIS which created a turning point did the SAMARITANS hear the Gospel The Samaritans were hated by the Jews WHY? Assyrian captivity story (Northern kingdom) Jesus planted the first seeds in John 4 Now Philip reaps the harvest Another important spiritual truth of planting, watering, cultivating and reaping (stages ) I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God s fellow workers; you are God s field, you are God s building. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, NKJV. We won t ALL reap But we ALL have a role V:5b Philip PREACHED CHRIST! The early church PREACHED CHRIST! Today, many love to preach their brand of theology or in the name of their leader or brand The early church preached Christ and so should we! There are many tangents modern theology can get off on. This leads to many divisions and isms (SLOWLY) - it is CHRIST we must preach. NOT our brands of theology or denominationalism BTW - Philip didn't preach a "YOU can do it" Gospel. He preached CHRIST has done it Gospel. He didn't preach a man centered message Page 5 of 6

6 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11, NKJV. And notice V:5 in NLT - Philip, for example, went to the city of Samaria Multiply this many ways V:5-6 FACT: The Samaritan faith did not include the anticipation of a coming Messiah Yet, through the power of the Holy Spirit the Gospel was well received. (cultural breakthrough ) What did the Holy Spirit do through Philip? V:7 These are the miracles we should look for when Christ is preached (EXPLAIN) Forgiveness, deliverance and healing God has not changed Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who FORGIVES all your iniquities, Who HEALS all your diseases, Who REDEEMS your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who SATISFIES your mouth with GOOD THINGS, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle s. The LORD executes righteousness And justice for ALL WHO ARE OPPRESSED. Psalms 103:1-6, NKJV. V:8 The fruit of those truly touched by the Gospel! Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the LORD! Psalms 144:15, NKJV. Understand and embrace the Romans 8:28 principle in your life! Know that God is at work! And understand that it s not all about you! PRAY! END Page 6 of 6