Out of the Storm

Acts 8:2-3 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.
 
THE Holy Spirit had touched the apostles with the fire of God’s power, and the church had enjoyed a time of God’s miracles and wonders. Jesus’ messengers withstood the Sanhedrin’s threats. People repented and confessed Jesus as Lord. It seemed everyone who heard the apostles speak or felt their touch received God’s spiritual and physical salvation.
   Salvation’s power spread to others when the Spirit anointed people such as Stephen to be God’s ambassadors in God’s city. Surely Jesus’ promise, “The Kingdom of heaven is near.” was becoming more real each day.
   But now the gifted, dutiful Stephen is dead. What had happened? It was as if a violent storm ravaged a quiet village, uprooting trees and destroying homes. Stephen’s death would have been a devastating blow to the Jerusalem church. Godly men shouldn’t die this way, should they?
   Then the storm raged more fiercely and spread into  homes and villages beyond Jerusalem. The Jews’ killing Stephen ignited the young, passionate Pharisee Saul to extreme violence. Saul began to destroy the church. The Greek meaning of “destroy” is to ravage violently. The term compares to wild boars uprooting a vineyard. Saul believed he was protecting the Jews’ religion, uprooting these blasphemers.
   Years later as apostle Paul, he stood before King Agrippa and described his former deep hatred of Jesus’ church: Acts 26:9 “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.”  
   Saul was testifying to Jesus’ powerful transforming love.  He also expressed this in 1 Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10a But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.
   Saul’s and others’ persecution could have discouraged the apostles and many new converts. But it seems Jesus’ church reacted to the violent storm as do many who suddenly lose all in the floods and the wind. With a determined effort they got up and continued with passion and purpose for their Lord. The apostles and the church would arise to continue to build the kingdom of heaven on earth.  Jesus’ suffering had taught the apostles that  physical pain and death is a way to eternal life. They know Jesus is alive. They know the Gates of Hades, including violent persecution, will not prevail against them.