SERMON TITLE: Overcoming the Barrier of Persecution
TEXT: Acts 12:1-25 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 9/19-20/20
You can watch the sermon here.
It’s great to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshipping with us in person at our North Main or Bowling Green campuses — or are worshipping with us online — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
Two weeks ago, we started this series in the book of Acts. For the past few years we’ve been taking our time in this book that records the history of the early church. And — in case you weren’t with us last week — let me encourage you to go and check out last week’s sermon from Andrew Brunson. He’s the missionary who was imprisoned in Turkey for over two years and — I couldn’t help but think of his story as I read our passage for today. He gave us a great challenging encouragement to prepare ourselves now for potentially difficult days ahead in our nation for those who follow Jesus.
So if you have your Bible please turn with me to Acts chapter 12. We’ll be looking at the entire chapter today — verses 1-25. And — I think — that as we read our text for today you’ll see why it reminds me of Andrew’s story.
Here are the words found in Acts chapter 12. Beginning in verse 1.
About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. 6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter’s voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place. 18 Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there. 20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. 22 And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. 24 But the word of God increased and multiplied. 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark. (Acts 12:1-25 ESV)
So we’re talking about persecution today. Persecution for the early church and how they overcame this potential barrier to the spread of the gospel. And we’re looking at how they overcame persecution so we understand how we are to overcome persecution if it becomes our experience. But for most of us — at least thus far — our role has been one of a supporting role — supporting those who are being persecuted for their faith in other countries because we haven’t had things nearly as difficult as other believers around the world.
Now that may be news to you — if you’re new to church or Christianity. In fact, you may be thinking, “Christians being persecuted? Where does that happen?” Because in the US, you think, Christians are in power! Preacher man, are you just making this persecution stuff up?”
Some have even gone so far as to say that Christian persecution has never happened — at least not in the way it’s described in the Bible — like the story we’re looking at today from Acts. There are folks who believe that there was never a sustained, targeted persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire — and that stories of martyrdom in the Bible — these stories of people being killed because of their faith in Christ — are just made up.
And this kind of thinking is easy for us to buy into — here in the US — because Christians in our country don’t experience persecution like we read about in the Bible. We Christians — living in the US — live pretty comfortable lives, which can make it easy for us to not think much about the persecution that other Christians are experiencing in the world. Now I know this isn’t everyone — there are many whose hearts are heavy for the persecuted church. And there are others who are fearful of persecution happening in the US. But — honestly — the kind of shift that would need to take place for us to experience the kinds of persecution we read about in the Bible — or that others are experiencing around the world — won’t happen overnight — not even if our election on November 3rd doesn’t go the way you want it to go. But persecution — real persecution — seems to be on the horizon in our country.
And if wearing masks or social distancing is keeping followers of Jesus from showing up to church to worship God — I wonder what will happen to us when real persecution begins. Will anyone be found faithful?
And the Bible gives us examples of Christians being persecuted in many different forms — from imprisonment to death. All while showing us that the God these persecuted Christians worshipped — is a God full of compassion and mercy. And he is a God committed to delivering his people from the hands of those who oppose them and the spread of the gospel.
And here’s my hope for all of us. My hope is that — in empathizing with our fellow Chrisitans who — today — are being persecuted — that we will begin to pray for and find ways to support them so they know they are not forgotten and are loved. And I hope that we’ll also take seriously the task before us — of preparing for persecution now — so we will endure if it comes upon us.
So we’re going to see that persecution is real and then we’ll look at some ways we can help our fellow Christians overcome this potential barrier to the spread of the gospel.
Let’s begin by looking at the persecution of the church. And in our text we see multiple examples of persecution.
In verse 1, Herod “laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.” That means regular old church members were experiencing the violence of others because of their faith. You go to Gateway to worship. Someone snaps a photo of your license plate. Finds out where you live. And then the authorities are at your house to arrest you when you get home.
In verse 2, James is killed by the sword — James is the apostle John’s brother. He’s one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus. And he’s killed. By a sword. When I was in Sri Lanka, I heard first hand stories from Christians who had a gun pointed to their head and was asked if they were a Christian. Knowing that when they said yes — which they did — the trigger would be pulled.
And when Herod realized that the killing of James pleased the Jews, he had Peter arrested. This goes to show how much the relationship between the Jews and Christians had deteriorated. Remember — back in Acts chapter 2 — when the Christians were “enjoying the favor of all the people” (v47). Well those days are long gone. Now people are rejoicing when a Christian is killed.
And this leads us to an obvious conclusion: Herod is not the hero of this story.
But — you may be wondering — does this kind of persecution happen today? Yes. Just last month, in Nigeria, nearly 40 Christians were killed because of their faith. By the way — that stat isn’t for the whole country — that’s the persecution of Christians living in one state of Nigeria. Those 40 deaths include a 16 year old boy and girl. The deaths include a father who gave his life so his wife and children could escape their would be killers. The deaths include pastors. And in that same state, another 50,000 Christians have been displaced from their villages. (https://releaseinternational.org/nigeria-christian-farmer-gives-his-life-to-save-family/)
In Myanmar, a family was attacked by a mob days after they believed in Jesus. Their neighbors tried to kill them and eventually they had to leave their home and village. But before they fled for their safety, there was a meeting — really, they were put on trial — because of their faith.
Here’s what happened according to the Christian man named Samson. “The Buddhist monk asked me, with his booming voice: ‘Do you really believe in the Christian faith? Are you really going to believe in Jesus? Are you not coming back to our religion?’ “I said: ‘We are not going to deny our faith. We’re not going to reject our faith. We’ll believe Jesus until we die!’” [And here’s what happened.] Early the next morning, five trucks came to Samson’s village and mysteriously dumped hundreds of stones right in front of his house. At a school behind their house, two other trucks dumped some more stones. Samson asked the headmaster of the school about the stones, but the headmaster said the stones were dumped in the school grounds without his permission. It was a curious sight, but Samson dismissed it in the end, thinking all of the stones were just meant for road repairs. He couldn’t have been more wrong…[The next day] While they were praying, Samson heard voices. It was the village chief’s voice, and he wasn’t alone. “Kill him! Samson, ask your God to save you now!” His family knelt together to pray, hand in cold, sweaty, hand. The shouts grew louder and louder, “KILL HIM!” Then there was silence – a whoosh, and a thud. The first rock. Samson remembers, “They threw stone upon stone upon stone. All our windows and doors were open and they were stoning us nonstop. My granddaughter stood up and closed the windows. She was hit and was wounded. She gasped in pain, screaming ‘Jesus save me! Jesus save me!’ “There was so much noise. They were shouting ‘Kill them, kill them!’ But we were still praying to God. We did not stop praying, even when they almost burned our house. “They tried to destroy our three motorbikes and two bicycles. They tried to burn them. They covered them in petrol and they tried to burn them, but there was no fire. “‘Oh you better die, or we will kill you. We will burn you!’ screamed the mob. “We were crying and praying. They were still shouting at us: ‘If your God is alive, tell him to save you now! Still, we just prayed.” The mob went for the fuse next. “They went to the back of our house and pulled down the fuse from the power cable post. They tried to make a fire. They tried to make electric shocks. By then we exclaimed, ‘Lord Jesus please help us! We are almost dying. If you don’t help us Lord, we will die soon!’” As if on cue, the electricity died. The livewire and electric shocks stopped...“Though we were persecuted, we did not die,” he said. “We only sustained some injuries on our heads. When we came out of the house, the people were amazed because we were still alive.”...Despite the wounds and the trauma, Samson chose not to press charges against those who came to attack him. Incredibly, the man who tried to set his house on fire even came to Samson and begged for forgiveness – [and] he is a follower of Jesus now. (https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/stories/well-cling-to-jesus-until-we-die-myanmar-believers-pray-non-stop-as-village-hurls-stones/)
It’s been said that, “Persecution for Christians is not a possibility, it’s a promise, it’s not a maybe, it’s a surely! Following Jesus can mean finding the trouble you’ve been looking for!” (Kingsley Opuwari Manuel) And for many of our brothers and sisters in Christ — following Jesus means finding the very trouble they knew would come their way if they became a Christian. And the question for us is similar. Are we ready to face the trouble that may come our way for following Jesus? Or will we retreat in the face of persecution?
But I don’t want us to despair because of persecution. Because there’s reason for us to have hope even as we look at this disheartening subject. What gives us hope? The sovereignty of God.
What does that mean? What do we mean when we say the sovereignty of God or that God is sovereign? One author has helpfully said, “The sovereignty of God…[means] the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that he is the Most High, doing according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can stay his hand or say unto him what [are you doing]? To say that God is sovereign is to declare that he is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in heaven and earth, so that none can defeat his counsels, thwart his purpose, or resist his will. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that he is “The Governor among the nations”, setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as pleases him best. To say that God is sovereign is to declare that he is the “Only [Sovereign], the King of kings, and Lord of lords.” Such is the God of the Bible.” (Arthur Pink, The Sovereignty of God, 25.)
God’s sovereignty means that he is in control of all things. And we see God’s sovereignty throughout our passage in Acts.
Yet — and I’m sure you saw this — though Peter is rescued, James wasn’t. Neither were the soldiers. Nor Herod. Why? Because God had more for Peter to do. That’s also what God’s sovereignty is about. This reminds me of what’s written in the book of Hebrews where — after a long line of people who lived by faith in seeming success stories — the author writes, “By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. 39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.” (Hebrews 11:33-40 NLT)
And — if we’re honest — no one wants to sign up for the last half of that “they were faithful” list, do we? We want to overthrow kingdoms, or shut the mouths of lions, or escape death by the edge of the sword. We’ll sign up for that. But who wants to sign up for being tortured, or have their backs cut open, or be sawn in half? None of us. Why do I say that? Because slipped in among all of the really horrible stuff — in verse 36 — is “some were jeered at.” And the number one reason why we Christians in America don’t share our faith is because we’re afraid of being jeered at — mocked — ridiculed. And if jeering is too much for us — now — who will be standing for Christ when some of these other things are a reality for God’s people in the US?
Now all of this talk about persecution may be a bit surprising to you — especially if you’re new to the Christian faith — because maybe you were thinking that following Jesus was going to be pretty easy. That — historically speaking — Christians have had a pretty smooth and comfortable ride. So nothing to worry about. Well know that even though you may never experience persecution in your lifetime, there are plenty of Christians around the world who do. But we don’t know what the future may bring for us — and as Andrew Brunson told us last week — now is the time to prepare ourselves for persecution because once it’s upon us — well it’s too late — either you’re prepared or you aren’t. Which leads us to what we — who right now live in places of security — what can we do for those who live in places that are hostile to those who follow Jesus?
How do we help others overcome persecution so that it doesn’t become a barrier to the spread of the gospel around the world? And can we be honest for a moment? Can we just admit that it’s so easy to get caught up in our own lives — in our own little world — that it’s hard to think about the needs of others — especially those who are persecuted for their faith because this is all just so foreign to us. So if we can just admit that — we might be able to move forward in helping our brothers and sisters overcome persecution so that it doesn’t become a barrier for the spread of the gospel.
So what can we do? First, we can pray. I know that prayer can be a struggle for many of us — especially praying for people in situations that you don’t know much about. But Christians are people who believe in the power of prayer and we believe that prayer is a weapon to be used in this spiritual war that we’re all in.
But you may wonder, “But Josh, you just spent quite a bit of time talking about the sovereignty of God. So if God’s in control of all things, why pray at all? I mean does prayer really change anything?” So why pray if God is sovereign? Because our sovereign God commands us to pray — that’s why we pray. Prayer is not optional for the Christian; prayer is a requirement.
“But what if my prayers don’t do anything?” That’s not the issue. That doesn’t even matter. Regardless if we know what our prayers are or aren’t doing, we’re commanded to pray — so we pray. Like everything else in life, prayer is for God’s glory — first — and for our good — second. But don’t let that confuse you. God being glorified is for our good. Thus when we pray — which brings glory to God — our praying will always be for our good — even if we’re unable to connect all the dots. And prayer is an opportunity for us to practice and experience the presence of God. Christians — centuries ago — would say that all of life was to be lived under the authority of God, to the glory of God, and in the presence of God.
“But Josh, it’s not just that God is sovereign — but he also knows everything — including what I’m going to pray. So doesn’t that make prayer kind of pointless?” Try thinking about it this way? If God knows what you’re going to pray before you pray it, how about letting his limitless knowledge — rather than your limited prayers — be your focus. And God’s limitless knowledge only enhances the beauty of our dependence on him as we pray.
So pray to God for the persecuted Christians around the world. You can find stories — if you want to know specific ways to pray — on websites like Voice of the Martyrs and Open Doors USA. Voice of the Martyrs has a free monthly magazine that will update you with persecution stories going on around the world and how you can pray. Open Doors USA has a prayer app you can download on your phone.
We have some of the Voice of the Martyrs magazines and maps available at all of our campuses this weekend for each family to take home. The Go team — our missions folks — have also purchased some books that are available for free at each of our campuses. We’d ask each family to take only one book — not one copy of each book — but one book per family — so as many folks as possible can learn more about the persecuted church and how they can be praying for them.
We can support those who are being persecuted by praying for them.
Second, we can support the persecuted church with our resources. We — Gateway — are a local church. We’re located in northwest Ohio. Yet we can’t allow our focus to get so narrow that the definition of God’s church becomes us. We are part of God’s church, but his church is much bigger than us for we’re part of God’s global church. And to be a Christian is to be part of the body of Christ — locally, yes! — but globally as well. And as the apostle Paul tells the Christians in Corinth, “If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.” (1 Corinthians 12:26 NLT)
We tend to read verses like this locally — meaning — when someone in Gateway is suffering then the rest of us at Gateway are suffering. But there’s a global application to this verse as well. And there are parts of the body of Christ that are suffering due to persecution. And we can’t let them suffer on their own — for their suffering is our suffering — even when we ignore or are unaware of their suffering.
So we must support them with the resources they need — whether that be financial, medical, education, access to things we take for granted — we must partner with and support the persecuted church. And know that when you give to Gateway, we have a dedicated portion of our budget that goes towards missions. Not all of our missions budget goes to the persecuted church, but a portion of it does. And even beyond what we give as a church, individually we’re called to support the global persecuted church. And I would encourage you — again — to go to Voice of the Martyrs or Open Doors USA to find out how you can support those who are being persecuted for believing in the same Savior that you believe in.
Now, please please please don’t feel like you’re a bad person if you haven’t been doing these things. Know that our prayer and support of persecuted Christians is our response to having been loved and saved by God our Savior. None of this is a condition that we have to meet in order for God to love and save us. And my hope is that we would see this as an opportunity to begin helping others overcome the persecution they are experiencing.
And if — for you — all of this just seems so hopeless. You think of what you have to offer and it seems so small compared to the needs. Know that — though you can’t do everything — you can do something. And not doing something — because you can’t do everything — is really quite selfish. Because we — God’s people — are called to prioritize the needs of others — especially our Christian family — who are suffering.
And as we pray for and support the persecuted church — as pastor David Platt has said — “Let’s also pray for Paul-like conversions.” We’ll return to Paul next week as he becomes the key figure in the rest of the book of Acts. A man who once persecuted Christians becomes one of them. The persecutor becomes the persecuted. And we will see God use Paul in a mighty way to spread the gospel. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we do thank you for your great mercy and grace that is upon our lives. Thank you for the gift of life, of breath, of family and friends, of the freedom to gather and worship you. We thank you for being a sovereign God — reigning and ruling over all of your creation. In spite of what our eyes may see, we are assured that you have got the whole world in your hands.
Jesus, we thank you for the work of salvation that you accomplished in your life, death, and resurrection on our behalf and on behalf of all who are your people and for those who will become part of your people. If circumstances ever cause us to doubt whether or not we’re loved, fix our eyes on you and the cross. For it reminds us that we are loved.
And Spirit of God, we do ask for Paul-like conversions. Like the man who tried to set Samson’s house on fire — only to later ask him for forgiveness and then receive Jesus as Savior and Lord — we pray for more people who right now hate Christ and his people to come to faith. May the persecutors become part of the persecuted. May the greatest antagonists of Christianity bow their knee to Christ as Savior. And Spirit may you call those to you — right now — who hear my voice and are hearing your call to repent of their sins and turn to Christ in faith. Save them. Rescue them. Release them from their imprisonment and may they walk out of their cell of slavery to sin in the freedom that Christ has made possible. And it’s in his name that we pray all of these things. Amen.
May you go with a heart concerned for the persecuted church. A concern that leads you to pray for and to support those who are hurting and suffering as they follow Jesus. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
You can find the notes for the sermon here.
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