ACTS 8:1-40 - Corps Notes - April 13, 1976
ACTS 8:1-40 April 13, 1976 I worked this chapter again in my heart and mind today and I really don’t know much more than what’s written in the Receiving the Holy Spirit Today book. I trust God will give us by His grace and mercy continued opportunities to work this and that in no way will the adversary be allowed to obstruct this kind of ministry or work. I think perhaps as early as 33 or 35 A.D. the record here would stand. Acts 8:1 “great persecution” - You never have a great persecution until you first have a persecution. It always starts small. Then it increases in viciousness and it ends up in what historically once was called the Inquisition. I call it the murderers of the Inquisition. And when Christians begin to persecute Christians, it can only be because we haven’t gone back to the Word and really allowed that Word to speak; we have closed our minds off and refuse to accept that Word as the authority that it really is. The persecution had started earlier, already. We saw even the chief priest (remember?) getting involved. That’s right at the top echelon; they were giving that authority. “they were all scattered abroad” – because of that persecution. Persecution helped move the Word of God. It wouldn’t hurt us any. Persecution has never hurt believers; hurts all unbelievers. Because the seeds of the persecution make the Word grow. This stuff that they’re saying about The Way Ministry is not going to hurt The Way Ministry. That’s right. Some of us are going to be hurt by people who are going to believe it, but for those who really want to know God’s Word and are really concerned about the outreach of God’s Word instead of the persecution, it’s only going to make you move the Word of God, and there’ll be more response to it. Acts 8:2 “devout men” - dedicated men “made great lamentation over him” - I don’t really know if that meant they wept loudly. What it meant is that they were deeply hurt. It was a great hurt to the body, to the believers. Acts 8:3 Saul, h
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reflections. But, that's not earth shaking right now in my heart. You see, in some Eastern culture, it was not considered a sin or a shame to steal because that's the way they lived, the only way they lived. Somebody told me... or not only told me, one of our people, but it was in a national magazine, that the basic culture of Russia today is to steal. And in some respects I can understand this. If you don't have anything and you're starving to death and there' s a loaf of bread you can get a hold of... steal the dam thing. I understand that. So this verse is really sharp, really sharp. Let him who stole, even though that man previously considered it the way to live and there was no shame in it, no sin in it. He said, Well, let that fellow who stole, steal no more. Something has happened on the inside of that man. Something that happened, where He is able to meet all of our need accordin