<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Acts 8;1-3<div><br></div><div><b>1. &nbsp;And Saul was consenting to his death. &nbsp;And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.</b></div><div><b>2. &nbsp;Devout men buried Stephan, and made great lamentation over him.</b></div><div><b>3. &nbsp;But Saul laid waste the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Apparently Saul (Paul) was no longer respecting the advice of his teacher Gamali-el, who advised the council to <i>“keep away from these men and let them alone.”…”You may even be found opposing God!”</i></div><div>(Acts 5;38&amp;39)</div><div><br></div><div>Later in his letter to the Romans, Paul writes about himself (and all Jews)&nbsp;before his conversion, saying, <i>“They have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened.” </i>(Romans 10;2-4)</div><div><br></div><div>What I find most interesting is that the early Church in Jerusalem had no building in which to assemble, (other than the temple) where it would seem they went primarily&nbsp;to teach and pray. &nbsp;T<span>here was no longer any need for further blood sacrifices. &nbsp;Jesus is the last and only true&nbsp;</span><span>blood sacrifice for sin, all other sacrifices were a foreshadowing of the final sacrifice.&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div><div>The houses of the Believers is where Saul went in opposition to the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. &nbsp;This is so terribly and wonderfully significant. &nbsp;The Believers brought their faith and the Word of God INTO their homes! &nbsp;They lived their faith. &nbsp;They would rather give up their homes, and leave their precious Jerusalem,&nbsp;than deny Christ. &nbsp;Some, like the apostles, under the leading of the Holy Spirit,&nbsp;determined to remain and risk their lives as a witness to The Truth and The Life.</div><div><br></div><div>It was the homes of Believers which&nbsp;became known to Saul as places where Jesus was being taught, and&nbsp;worshipped. The gathering of the Believers to pray, sing, and partake of the Holy Meal,&nbsp;became the&nbsp;places and focus&nbsp;of persecution.</div><div><br></div><div>Historically, Christians do not physically resist their persecutors. &nbsp;They either flee from persecution&nbsp;(which spreads the Word) or they endure the hatred of the world, which delivers an even greater witness to the truth of Christ in-dwelling his body the Church. &nbsp;A willingness to suffer for the Name is a mark of the Church. &nbsp;We have a life which can not be taken from us.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Have mercy on us O Lord, that the love with which you have loved us and poured into our hearts inspires us to, <i>“Go, and make disciples.” &nbsp;</i>Grant us courage to, <i>“Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us”</i>. &nbsp;Grant that You dear Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be found in our homes. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be conformed, ‘soak in the living Word.”<br><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Acts 8;1-3
1.  And Saul was consenting to his death.  And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.2.  Devout men buried Stephan, and made great lamentation over him.3.  But Saul laid waste the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Apparently Saul (Paul) was no longer respecting the advice of his teacher Gamali-el, who advised the council to “keep away from these men and let them alone.”…”You may even be found opposing God!”(Acts 5;38&39)
Later in his letter to the Romans, Paul writes about himself (and all Jews) before his conversion, saying, “They have a zeal for God, but it is not enlightened.” (Romans 10;2-4)
What I find most interesting is that the early Church in Jerusalem had no building in which to assemble, (other than the temple) where it would seem they went primarily to teach and pray.  There was no longer any need for further blood sacrifices.  Jesus is the last and only true blood sacrifice for sin, all other sacrifices were a foreshadowing of the final sacrifice. 
The houses of the Believers is where Saul went in opposition to the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is so terribly and wonderfully significant.  The Believers brought their faith and the Word of God INTO their homes!  They lived their faith.  They would rather give up their homes, and leave their precious Jerusalem, than deny Christ.  Some, like the apostles, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, determined to remain and risk their lives as a witness to The Truth and The Life.
It was the homes of Believers which became known to Saul as places where Jesus was being taught, and worshipped. The gathering of the Believers to pray, sing, and partake of the Holy Meal, became the places and focus of persecution.
Historically, Christians do not physically resist their persecutors.  They either flee from persecution (which spreads the Word) or they endure the hatred of the world, which delivers an even greater witness to the truth of Christ in-dwelling his body the Church.  A willingness to suffer for the Name is a mark of the Church.  We have a life which can not be taken from us.
Prayer:  Have mercy on us O Lord, that the love with which you have loved us and poured into our hearts inspires us to, “Go, and make disciples.”  Grant us courage to, “Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us”.  Grant that You dear Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be found in our homes.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be conformed, ‘soak in the living Word.”

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