Greatness of God's Church: Hope SingaporeSample

The Greatness of the Church’s Perseverance In the book of Hebrews, the Bible talks about the people of faith in the Old Testament who went through persecution and trials for the faith. The Bible exhorts the persecuted Christians in the Early Church to find comfort and solace from many who had undergone suffering before them. The Early Church faced persecution first from the Jews like Stephen in Acts 7 and the brother of John the disciple in Acts 12 where they had to experience stoning and flogging. Paul and Silas also faced the persecution in Acts 16. After they delivered the spirit from the slave girl, they were captured, stripped and severely beaten without much investigation. They were sent to the inmost part of the prison and their feet were “secured in the stock” which would have likely caused utmost discomfort and cramping pain. Yet, they placed their faith in the Lord and were praying and singing even around midnight. There was a supernatural intervention, a violent earthquake took place and chains were broken and the prison doors were opened! God was with Paul and Silas like many of the believers in the Early Church that experienced the testing of their faith. Around the summer of A.D. 64, more extreme forms of persecution over the early Church started to escalate. However, the Early Church did not shrink from facing the persecution. Their testimonies inspire us to bring the Gospel to people all over the world. All thanks to the perseverance of the Early Church that we have the Good News of Jesus Christ preserved and spread to all over the world! REFLECTION QUESTIONS • Have you ever experienced situation where your faith in Jesus has been tested? Are you are currently facing similar circumstances of trials of faith? What can you learn from the Early Church disciples of Jesus that you can apply in your situation?