The Role of the Church in the Great Commission
Persecuted, But Not Abandoned
Week 4 • April 27-May 3, 2024
FAMILY THEME
THE CHURCH IS PRESERVED
Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison
1It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.
2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
3When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.
4After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.
6The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.
7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
8Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him.
9Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.
10They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.
11Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
12When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.
13Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.
14When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”
15“You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.
18In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.
19After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.
Herod’s Death
Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.
20He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.
21On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.
22They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.”
23Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
24But the word of God continued to spread and flourish.
Barnabas and Saul Sent Off
25When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.
When I recently began using essential oils, my husband started calling me a crazy hippie oil user, making me feel a bit persecuted. However, my attitude changed when I read the history of essential oil use, which dates back to the ancient
Egyptians. Sadly, during the Dark Ages, many of these natural remedies were rejected and many folk medicine practitioners were even burned at the stake. When put in perspective, being called a “hippie oil user” isn’t persecution at all.
While being rejected for our faith is not pleasant, most Westerners don’t face imprisonment, as did Peter, nor are we in danger of being put to death, like so many modernday believers in other parts of the world. We might face harassment in the United States at times, but we can be thankful that persecution is not our reality.
What is my attitude when I suffer for my faith in Christ? Am I faithful to Christ even if it means I might be mocked?
As Luke 6:22-23 and 2 Timothy 3:12 remind us, persecution is actually a blessing. It indicates that we are striving for godly lives, and it will result in future rewards. Take time now to pray for believers around the world who are experiencing severe persecution daily.
9There he went into a cave and spent the night.
The Lord Appears to Elijah
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
12After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
13When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.
16Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.
17Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
18Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel-all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American citizen, was arrested and imprisoned in Iran in 2012. He was released on January 16, 2016. What was Pastor Saeed doing in Iran? He was attempting to establish a governmentapproved orphanage. Sadly, he was arrested for his Christian faith and accused and convicted of undermining
Iran’s national security.
What did Pastor Saeed need most after over 1,000 days in prison? What would you and I need? The same thing God graciously provided for Elijah during his time of persecution and despair: God’s presence. Rest assured, whether you face rejection from peers who reject your faith and choices or you are placed in a foreign prison cell, God will be with you. God’s presence will provide what you need to endure. Listen carefully; as Elijah learned, God is often found in a very quiet
whisper.
How can God use me to be a comforting presence in the life of someone who is suffering?
Check out persecution.org for more stories like Pastor Saeed’s. Be sure to lift up these suffering brothers and sisters in Christ in your daily prayers.
Saying 20
1Do not envy the wicked, do not desire their company;
2for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble.
Saying 21
3By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established;
4through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.
Saying 22
5The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
6Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers.
Saying 23
7Wisdom is too high for fools; in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.
Saying 24
8Whoever plots evil
will be known as a schemer.
9The schemes of folly are sin, and people detest a mocker.
Saying 25
10If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength! 11Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
12If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
Saying 26
13Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.
Saying 27
15Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place;
16for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
Saying 28
17Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
18or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.
Saying 29
19Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked,
20for the evildoer has no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
Saying 30
21Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials,
22for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judging is not good:
24Whoever says to the guilty, “You are innocent,” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come on them.
26An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.
27Put your outdoor work in order
and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.
28Do not testify against your neighbor without cause- would you use your lips to mislead?
29Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.”
30I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.
32I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-
34and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
Missionaries Jim and Elisabeth Elliot shared the gospel in Ecuador as a married couple in the early 1950s. Jim dreamed of bringing the good news of salvation to an unreached tribe and set out with four other missionaries to accomplish his goal.
After making initial friendly contact with the community, the five missionaries lost their lives at the hand of some locals in the area. Elisabeth remained in Ecuador, and soon after her husband’s death she returned to the Auca tribe, not to seek revenge, but to live with them and share her faith. For years she remained with the people, teaching and loving them for the Lord.
Elisabeth Elliot followed Solomon’s wise advice in Proverbs 24. She didn’t respond to her pain by seeking revenge. Instead, she loved. This is how we can bring life to any group of people.
Is it easy or difficult for me to live out Proverbs 24:29? How can I put it into practice in a situation I’m facing right now?
If you are holding a grudge against someone for a wrong done toward you and you’re having trouble letting go of the anger, ask God to fill you with peace, grace, and love instead.
Love for Enemies
27“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
29If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.
30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.
34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.
35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
I ran across a Facebook page entitled, “I Don’t Hate You, But If You Were on Fire and I Had Water I’d Drink It.” Almost 2,000 people had “liked” it.
In case you hadn’t noticed, we live in a society that can be hateful, snarky, and vindictive. What a perfect opportunity to showcase Jesus’ love instead! Our world is the perfect setting to put into action Jesus’ plan of loving and caring for our enemies. In a world full of lawsuits, “unfollow” buttons, gossip, and slander, just imagine how shocking (and refreshing) our
enemies might find our kindness, grace, peace, and joy. Perhaps they might even come to know Jesus through salvation and become our friends. Jesus said it best when He instructed us to love our enemies. Uttering a similar sentiment, Abraham Lincoln said it well when he asked, “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”
How can choosing to see my enemy not only as a potential friend, but also as a child of God, help me respond to them with love?
The story of the Good Samaritan is a perfect example of loving one’s enemy. The Jews hated Samaritans and considered them half-breeds. Review the parable (Luke 10:25-37) and think about how you can imitate the Samaritan’s example.
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
More Than Conquerors
31What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
34Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
According to persecution.org, a pastor from New York recently attempted to visit two fellow pastors imprisoned in a Sudanese jail who were facing a possible death sentence. The New York pastor was denied a visit. The next day the two pastors were transferred to a higher security prison. Their families were denied a visit with the men prior to their transfer. Upon arriving at their new prison the pastors were placed in isolation, pending their next court date.
Separation. It is something you and I will never experience in regard to our relationship with Christ. Paul comforted the Romans with the truth that nothing can separate us from the love of our Lord. Nothing! While opposition,
rejection, and persecution may separate us from friends and family, we can rest assured in God’s eternal presence.
Have I ever felt separated from someone because of my faith? How do I feel knowing I will never experience such a separation from God?
Spend some time reading stories on persecution.org. Find one person who is currently experiencing severe persecution and pray for him or her every day for at least one week.
To the Church in Smyrna
8“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
9I know your afflictions and your poverty-yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Some Christian communities in Cairo, Egypt, are forced through governmental abandonment to live in slum areas, where sewage runs through the streets and families live in damp apartments with no electricity or running water. These beloved children of God are relegated to earning a
living by collecting and recycling garbage.
The Christians of Cairo are hardly the picture of prosperity, but if John’s words in Revelation concerning the church of Smyrna apply to all persecuted believers, then all poverty-stricken Christians are wealthy indeed. While they have little to nothing in the way of material possessions, the Cairo believers overflow with faith, courage, and hope, and that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what belongs to them outside this life. God encouraged the believers in
Smyrna to remain faithful through their persecution and material poverty. God’s encouragement to us is the same.
How can believers living in freedom and prosperity in the United States best assist our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer for their faith? What can I do to support them?
Prayer, letters of encouragement, and financial assistance go a long way toward helping those in need. Talk with your friends about how you can help believers who are suffering for their faith.
