The book of Acts
Persecution and dispersion of the church
Chapter 8: 1 to 8
On the same day that Stephen was stoned, there arose a great persecution against the church. The people had been shaken by the members of the synagogue the day before, when unjustly accusing Stephen of blasphemy. Being then condemned by the Sanhedrin, they began to pursue all of Christ's church, of which he was a deacon.
The Pharisees this time had joined the Sadducees in condemning them, and among them was included young Saul, who had watched with pleasure and approved the execution of Stephen. He now led the persecution of the church, led by his zeal for God (Philippians 3: 6), binding and delivering into prisons both men and women (chapter 22:. 3.4).
Paul later regretted having done such a thing, after realizing the mistake they had made (1 Corinthians 15:9), but the death of Stephen and the persecution that followed, sparked the movement that spread the church throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria and "those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word."
Interestingly, without knowing it, rather than ending the growing church of Christ, Saul was instrumental to its expansion through Judea, and Samaria on that occasion. Shortly after he would surrender to Christ, be appointed an apostle by the Lord Jesus, and sent to the Gentile world with the name Paul.
Much later, suffering himself in prison in Rome because of his Christian witness, Paul declared that the things that happened to him contributed to the progress of the Gospel, for it became evident to the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else that it was for Christ that he was in prison (Philippians 1:12, 13). Often what seems a defeat in our testimony, in reality is the way God uses to achieve the final victory.
Judea and Samaria were the territories that the Lord had commanded his disciples to evangelize after Jerusalem. Judea surrounded Jerusalem and Samaria was north of that city.
The apostles, it appears, were not yet persecuted, perhaps because of the decision of the Sanhedrin to follow the advice of Gamaliel and limited their testimony to Jerusalem. We are not told why.
The Gospel, however, was transmitted by the other members of the church in exile because of persecution, and new churches were forming elsewhere. What, from the human point of view, would be regarded as a defeat for the Gospel, in reality it was a success because the seed of the fruit of the preaching of the apostles was thus spread to neighbouring regions to give more fruit in abundance.
We do not know who the pious men were who buried Stephen, but they may have been members of the church or even pious Jews who knew him, or had benefited from healing.
They lamented him a lot, because in addition to having him in high esteem because of his character, they knew they would greatly miss him.
Philip, not the apostle but another of the original seven deacons (6:5), went north and arrived in Samaria.
Samaria had been visited by the Lord Jesus at the beginning of His ministry, when many believed that He was the Saviour of the world, first by the testimony of the woman to whom He first revealed His identity, and then because of His own word (John 4:39-41). He had provisionally forbidden His apostles to preach there on his third tour of Galilee (Matthew 10:5), but before His ascension commanded them to go ( 1: 8).
In Samaria, Philip was notable for evangelism, and God gave him the gifts of the apostles to develop this ministry, as He did with Stephen. Only the first pioneers who carried the Word of God to the world, besides the apostles, received these gifts, but these "signs" were removed and when the books that make up the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, were completed and established, the credentials of a man of God have been sound doctrine rather than miraculous signs.
Philip preached Christ in a city of Samaria, and performed miraculous signs, expelling many unclean spirits, and healing many paralyzed and lame. Seeing those who were healed, the crowds were listening, unanimously, to what he said, and this resulted in great joy in that city.
We see so far how the members of the church in its infancy obeyed what the Lord Jesus had commanded:
- They went out as He had done (John 20:21 - Acts 8: 1.4).
- They sold their goods, giving the proceeds to the poor (Luke 12:33, 18:22 - Acts 2:45, 4:34).
- They left father, mother, houses and lands to preach the Word elsewhere (Matthew 10:37 - Acts 8: 1.4).
- They made disciples and taught them to work and obey (Matthew 28: 18-20 - Acts 8: 4).
- They took up their cross and followed Christ (Matthew 10:38 - Acts 4: 1-3).
- They rejoiced in tribulation and persecution (Matthew 5: 11-12 - Acts 16:25, 1 Thessalonians 1: 6-8).
- They let the dead bury the dead and were preaching the Gospel (Luke 9: 59-60 - Acts 8: 2).
R David Jones
1 Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.
6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
Acts chapter 8, verses 1 to 8