On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem… Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Acts 8:1,4 Scattering feels like loss until you realize Who’s doing the scattering. The early church…
True church growth flows from transformed lives celebrating Christ together.
Their joy came from knowing Jesus had conquered the one thing that powered all fear.
They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Acts 2:45 Greed dies when grace comes alive in your heart. These early believers didn’t sell their possessions because someone preached about tithing or forced them into communism.…
When Christ becomes your common treasure, attending to His people becomes more important than attending church events.
True encounter changes everything about how you speak. Peter and John weren't trying to be bold. They weren't following a witnessing strategy. Something had happened to them that made silence impossible. When you've truly seen Jesus alive, dead men walking becomes your new reality.
Saul thought he could stop a revolution by arresting its followers. He traveled from city to city with official papers, hunting down people who belonged to The Way. In his mind, if he could just arrest enough believers and make enough examples, this dangerous movement would die out. He believed that fear, imprisonment, and even death could put an end to what Jesus had started. But Saul was about to discover that you can't stop a revolution that's powered by the resurrection.
I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. Acts 24:14 Paul didn’t call himself a Christian only on Sundays. When he stood trial before Felix, he boldly said he was…
Saul could easily find people who belonged to The Way because they weren't hiding. These early followers of Jesus weren't keeping their faith private or apologizing for their beliefs. They were boldly proclaiming that Jesus was the risen Lord and the only way to salvation. Their confident declaration of truth was so clear and public that Saul could identify them, hunt them down, and arrest them. You can't persecute people for quiet, private faith that no one knows about.
Saul thought he could hunt down and destroy The Way. He had official letters, religious backing, and legal authority to arrest anyone who followed Jesus. With the full power of the religious establishment behind him, he traveled from city to city, dragging believers from their homes and throwing them into prison. In his mind, this dangerous movement could be stopped if he just applied enough force and fear.