PERSECUTION OF THE EARLY BELIEVERS
BIBLICAL REFERENCES Acts 3: 11 – 44; 4: 5 – 31
Meaning of Persecution; Reasons for the Persecution of the Church
Persecution can be defined as subjecting an individual or a group to unfair treatment because of his/her religious beliefs.
From the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit gave the apostles the strength and courage to preach, they never stopped preaching the good news about Jesus, and so they were persecuted. The church has suffered persecution in many ways by the Jews.
Reasons for the Opposition to the Gospel
The Jews opposed the Gospel Message for two reasons:
First, some of them rejected the good news about Jesus because they did not see Jesus as the expected Messiah and Saviour.
Second, some of them like the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.
The Manifestation of the Opposition to the Gospel
The opposition manifested in the arrest of Peter and John; the arrest and martyrdom of Stephen, the persecution by Paul, the martyrdom of James, and the arrest of Peter and his miraculous escape from prison.
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Christopher Ayara
LOVE
FUNMILOLA ATERE