[continued from previous message]   
      
   praying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."   
   60 (Mt 5:44; Lk 22:41) Then he knelt down and cried with a loud voice,   
   "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."   
   Having said this, he fell asleep.   
      
   [59] And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus,   
   receive my spirit.   
   [60] And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this   
   sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.   
      
   Acts 8   
      
   1 (Ac 7:58; 5:33)And Saul was consenting to his death.   
      
   Saul Persecutes the Church   
      
   On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem.   
   And they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria,   
   except the apostles.   
   2 Devout men carried Stephen to his burial   
   and made great lamentation over him.   
   3 (1Co 15:9; Gal 1:13) But Saul ravaged the church, entering house by house   
   and dragging out both men and women and committing them to prison.   
      
   [1] And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a   
   great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were   
   all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea 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 havock of the church, entering into every house,   
   and haling men and women committed them to prison.   
   The Gospel Preached in Samaria   
      
   4 (Ac 8:1) Therefore those who were scattered   
   went everywhere preaching the word.   
   5 (Ac 6:5) Philip went down to the city of Samaria   
   and preached Christ to them.   
   6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miracles which he did,   
   they listened in unity to what he said.   
   7 (Mk 16:17-18) For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice,   
   came out of many who were possessed. And many who were paralyzed   
   or lame were healed.   
   8 So there was much joy in that city.   
      
   [4] Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the   
   word.   
   [5] Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto   
   them.   
   [6] And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip   
   spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.   
   [7] For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were   
   possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were   
   healed.   
   [8] And there was great joy in that city.   
      
   Something unusual happens in ten short verses starting with Acts 7:59.   
   The story turns quickly from Stephen's horrific death by stoning to other   
   believers in Christ being scattered and"“preach[ing] the word," leading   
   to these amazing words: "There was great joy in that city" (8:8).   
      
   That's the paradox of persecution.   
      
   European pastor Hristo Kulichev experienced the miracle of good coming from   
   evil. In the 1980s, he was arrested for preaching and thrown in prison.   
   While there, he spoke openly about the gospel of Jesus. Upon his release   
   eight months later, he said, "We had a more fruitful ministry there than we   
   could have expected in church. God was better served by our presence   
   in prison than if we had been free."   
      
   From persecution to great joy - just like in the early church.   
   When "great persecution broke out" (Acts 8:1), "those who had been scattered   
   preached the word wherever they went" (v. 4). As a result,   
   there was "great joy" in a city in Samaria (v. 8).   
      
   When forces in our world stand against the truths and teachings of Scripture   
   - especially the gospel - that's not the time to give up.   
   God moves in powerful ways when the church faces such difficulties.   
      
   Peter said, "Do not be surprised" at such fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12). In such   
   cases you're "blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you"   
   (v. 14). God has the power to turn persecution into something precious.   
      
   Reflect & Pray   
      
   How does persecution both trouble you and encourage you?   
   Why do you think it can lead to joy?   
      
   Dear God, please help me remain faithful to You.   
      
   Discover the rich story of how the Church sprung up from these circumstances.   
      
      
   3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation   
      
   Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools   
      
   Week 8 Guided by Grace Day 1 A circle of Light   
      
   John 8:12   
      
   12 (Jn 12:35; Job 33:28; Isa 49:6)Again, Jesus spoke to them, saying,   
   "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me   
   shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life."   
      
   12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:   
   he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,   
   but shall have the light of life.   
      
   When Judy Garland stepped onstage, she filled the spotlight. Nothing was   
   illuminated but her face, and as she sang, her listeners had a sense of being   
   transported beyond themselves into the meaning of her song. The focus of   
   reality, at that moment, was "Judy", and everything else faded into the dim   
   recesses of the shadowed room. The spotlight brought her into sharp focus   
   as the center of attention, and all around her was darkness.   
   When the scriptures speaks of Jesus as "the light," the image is not   
   of thousands of blazing bulbs lighting up a football field for a night game.   
   Rather, he is like a hand-help lamp that throws a circle of light in the   
   immediate vicinity. such a lamp lights the path that a traveler will walk,   
   but lights it only one step at a time.   
   Jesus is the center of that circle of light. As we follow him, we share the   
   light, but he is always at center. Jesus Christ is the focal point,   
   and everything else fades into dim gray by comparison.   
   If we are to keep our lives illuminated, to have his light falling upon the   
   road we walk, we must stay close to him. Jesus does not hand the lamp   
   to us and suggest that we go the way he wants; he , the Light, leads,   
   and if we want to stay in the light, we follow.   
      
   Application   
      
   a) Have I ever tried to go my own way, apart from the Light?   
   What was the result?   
      
   b) How can this verse help me remember the importance of staying close   
   to Jesus?   
      
   4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland   
      
   Is 55:11   
      
   11 (Isa 45:23; 46:10) so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;   
   it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please,   
   and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.   
      
   11 so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:   
   it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please,   
   and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.   
      
   5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:   
      
   When you are ill or injured   
      
   James 5:13-16   
      
   13 (Ps 50:15; Eph 5:19) Is anyone among you suffering?   
   Let him pray. Is anyone merry? Let him sing psalms.   
   14 (Mk 6:13; 16:18; Ac 14:23) Is anyone sick among you?   
   Let him call for the elders of the church,   
   and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil   
   in the name of the Lord.   
   15 (Isa 33:24; Jas 1:6) And the prayer of faith will save   
   the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.   
   And if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.   
   16 (Ge 20:17; 18:23-32) Confess your faults to one another   
   and pray for one another, that you may be healed.   
   The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.   
      
   13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray.   
   Is any merry? let him sing psalms.   
   14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church;   
   and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:   
   15 and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)