The stoning of Stephen sparked a great persecution of the new Christian church. Many fled to surrounding areas. Leading this persecution was Saul. It seems he was given the authority to hunt down and imprison Christians. Sadly, there will always be persecution. But look at what happened even in times of persecution:
the apostles and many others continued to preach the word where ever they went. Persecution forced many Christians to leave Jerusalem, but that just helped to spread the gospel to the four corners of the earth.
The remainder of chapter 8 tells of us some of Phillip's adventures. Phillip ended up in Samaria. Samaritans were half-brothers to the Jews. They were considered outcasts by the Jews, but they still knew of the One True God. They welcomed Phillip and his message. Many believed, were baptized, and received the Holy Spirit. One such man was Simon the magician. Simon makes a simple mistake - he likes what he hears & he prays to receive, but he hasn't entered into a relationship. This lack of relationship causes him to respond to God in a worldly way. We buy what we want. In the world it's all about an exchange of goods. I give you something & you in turn give me something. So, Simon tries to buy power. Notice that the apostles correct him - Peter gives him a little tough love. A lot of times we worry about someones feelings to the detriment of that person. We don't want to offend, so we say nothing & simply watch that person suffer with poor choices. Look - true love is being honest with someone. It doesn't mean you cut them down & purposely try to shame him/her. It simply means, you tell it to them straight. Peter did which offered Simon the opportunity to correct his behavior. Notice, Peter didn't force a response. He simply offered correction. The ball is now in Simon's court - he can pick it up and run with it or he can ignore it and continue on in the error of his ways. It's the same for you and me.
Phillip continues to obey the Lord and he encounters a Eunuch from Ethiopia. A eunuch is a trusted royal servant. This man was probably a Gentile who worshiped Israel's God, but was not a full convert. Phillip starts up a conversation with the man & that conversation leads him to share the gospel. Once again, the truth is shared & the hearer makes his own choice. The eunuch chooses to believe and he is baptized right there in the river. As Christians it is our job, our calling, to tell others about Jesus. We are to tell people the truth. Then it is up to them to believe or not. So, we need to take two things from today's reading:
1) You need to know the truth before you can tell it to others. This means you need your own relationship with God that you have built through prayer, Scripture reading, and trust.
2) You need to seek opportunities to talk to others. Stand up for the truth, not in a confrontational way, but in an open, honest, & caring way. I don't share truth to show my superiority, to put others down, or to get my own way. I share truth because it has changed my life for the better and it would be selfish of me to keep it to myself. I share truth because I love others and have their best interest at heart. I share truth because God loves them just as much as He loves me.
No comments:
Post a Comment