Acts 8:1 Pray for the Persecuted adapted from the sermon of Lyndon Beasy March 8, 2015 INTRODUCTION Following the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7, Acts 8:1 says that on that day a great persecution broke out against the church and that Saul began to destroy the church, going from house to house he dragged men and woman and put them into prison. A great persecution broke out against the church. And this kind of persecution of the Church and Christians continues still today! While we sit here in safety and comfort, around the world 100 Million of Christians are facing persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ. Some are disowned by their families, others are tortured or imprisoned, others are sent away from their homes, and some even face death. Christian Martyrdom began biblically with the stoning of Stephen. Then during the first century, almost all of Jesus disciples suffered martyrdom for his sake. Peter was crucified upside down, Mark was torn to pieces, and Paul, originally the greatest persecutor of Christians, was beheaded for his faith in Jesus. As Christianity then spread throughout Europe and the British Isles, countless numbers of Christians were tortured and burned at the stake. And history has just continued to be filled with examples of Christians dying for their faith and ministry. Some are recorded for us to remember, others we won't know about until we meet them face to face in God s eternal Kingdom. And this history of Christian persecution and martyrdom has not ended but only escalated! Most recently, amidst all the other biased and paltry news we do hear, what we didn't hear about, unless you heard through indirect means such as social media or Christians websites, was the shocking story of 21 young Egyptian Christian men who were kidnapped by ISIS and executed in Libya. 1
These young Christian men were in their early to mid-20s. They went to Libya in search of work to help feed their families living under the poverty line in Egypt. In the days and weeks leading up to their deaths, their ISIS captors tortured them and attempted to persuade them to deny Jesus in return for living. But they all refused to deny Christ. And they all died on that beach singing songs to Jesus and could be heard continuously chanting the words "Lord Jesus Christ", while some even screamed the name of Yeshua in their final moments. These are their names your brothers who laid down their lives, who in the gravest circumstances didn't compromise faith in their Lord who is also our Lord. 1. Milad Makeen Zaky 2. Abanub Ayad Atiya 3. Maged Solaiman Shehata 4. Yusuf Shukry Yunan 5. Kirollos Shokry Fawzy 6. Bishoy Astafanus Kamel 7. Somaily Astafanus Kamel 8. Malak Ibrahim Sinweet 9. Tawadros Yusuf Tawadros 10. Girgis Milad Sinweet 11. Mina Fayez Aziz 12. Hany Abdelmesih Salib 13. Bishoy Adel Khalaf 14. Samuel Alham Wilson 15. Worker from Awr village 16. Ezat Bishri Naseef 17. Loqa Nagaty 18. Gaber Munir Adly 19. Esam Badir Samir 20. Malak Farag Abram 21. Sameh Salah Faruq DISCUSSION How does this story make you feel? What thoughts fill your mind about these men? 2
Inspiringly, this brutal execution of these heroes of faith hasn't defeated the Egyptian Christian community but has just sparked a greater sense of unity and opportunity to multiply the testimony of these brave men throughout Egypt. One Middle East Christian Leader recently said - The Gospel message of salvation rises out of this suffering and persecution. As the Middle East was the birthplace of Christianity, the torch of revival that once burned bright for Christ can once again be lit by the sparks created by ISIS. In the days immediately after this execution, a tract inspired by the incident was distributed throughout Egypt and in one week 1.65 million tracts were distributed. The tract contains biblical quotations about the promise of blessing amid suffering, alongside a poignant poem in Arabic: Who fears the other? The row in orange, watching paradise open? Or the row in black, with minds evil and broken? Just like the persecuted and scattered church in Acts 8:4 multiplied as they preached the word wherever they went, this current day tragic persecution is just a confirmation for us that in God s sovereign hands He can turn the greatest persecutions into the most miraculous multiplications. World Watch List But what has recently happened in Lybia and Egypt is just a drop in the ocean of the worldwide persecution of Christians. Open Doors which is a Christian mission focused on supporting the cause of the persecuted church, updates yearly a World Watch List ranking the top 50 countries where the persecution of Christians is the most intense. 1. North Korea 2. Somalia 3. Iraq 4. Syria 5. Afghanistan 6. Sudan 7. Iran 8. Pakistan 9. Eritrea 10. Nigeria 11. Maldives 12. Saudi Arabia 13. Libya 14. Yemen 15. Uzbekistan 16. Vietnam 17. Central African Republic 18. Qatar 19. Kenya 20. Turkmenistan 21. India 22. Ethiopia 23. Egypt 24. Djibouti 25. Myanmar 26. Palestinian Territories 27. Brunei 28. Laos 29. China 30. Jordan 31. Bhutan 32. Comoros 33. Tanzania 34. Algeria 35. Colombia 36. Tunisia 37. Malaysia 38. Mexico 39. Oman 40. Mali 41. Turkey 42. Kazakhstan 43. Bangladesh 44. Sri Lanka 45. Tajikistan 46. Azerbaijan 47. Indonesia 48. Mauritania 49. United Arab Emirates 50. Kuwait 40/50 these countries name Islamic Extremism as the primary source of persecution. In North Korea, the number 1 perpetrator of persecution, 50,000-70,000 Christians are imprisoned in labor camps. DISCUSSION What are some of the challenges to your faith as you consider the suffering and stand for faith in Jesus of persecuted Christians around the world? 3
It s very easy for us to feel like we re in another world to these persecuted Christians and although we can feel sorry for them, we still feel largely disconnected from their life and experience. But the truth is they ARE family! They are our brothers and sisters. They are part of the church we belong to the body of Christ. And so we ARE connected to them today and will be in fellowship with them for eternity once this world comes to an end. How should we respond? 1. We should not be surprised! In John 15:18-20 - If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. In John 16:2 Jesus said - a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. DISCUSS FROM THESE VERSES Why does Jesus say we should expect persecution? Even though most of us won t lose our lives for Christ s sake, we should not be surprised that others do and if we do. Like our brave Egyptian brothers, all of us need to get serious about our faith and be ready to surrender our lives for Christ no matter the cost. 2. We remember that we are more than conquerors! Constantly throughout God s Word, we are told that life isn t going to be easy as faithful Christians - there will be suffering, persecution, testing and battles will constantly rage in the spiritual realm over our lives, the cause of Christ and His church. DISCUSS Why you think then that Romans 8 can say that we are more than conquerors? God is never defeated and so neither are we! Through Christ, even death has been defeated! Jesus therefore says to those who are persecuted in Rev. 2:10 - I know your afflictions and your poverty, yet you are rich. Be faithful even to the point of death and you will receive the crown of life. Paul expressed that to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21). Jesus even said for us to rejoice when persecuted Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:10) In Rev 20:4 it gives a glimpse of the future to come - I saw thrones on which seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and the word of God. They came to life and reigned with Christ. This speaks of our Egyptian brothers! That s why as Romans 8 says we are more than conquerors because if God is for us, who can be against us. And so nothing - not trouble, hardship, persecution or even death - will be able to separate us from the eternal love of God in Jesus. 4
3. We grieve with those who grieve! Roman 12:15 says for us to rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. We cannot be apathetic or disconnected in our hearts toward our fallen brothers and sisters and all those who are suffering for their faith on our behalf. We need to feel it in our hearts. We need to share their hurt. DISCUSS How do you think we can personally grieve with and share the suffering of our persecuted brothers and sisters? 4. We Pray for the Persecuted! That God would physically protected and deliver them. That they would experience God's power in their weakness That they will love Christ far more than life itself. That they would learn to completely trust in God. That they will rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Jesus That they will endure to the end. That they will remember their future glory. That they do not embrace temptation under the stress of persecution. That they will love their enemies. That God would miraculously multiply his work through their persecution. That God would deliver justice and that His glory and power would fill the earth TAKE TIME TO: Pray together for the persecuted in these things Pray for one another that your faith and witness would grow to reflect that of our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world. 5