“On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem. The disciples… were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. … Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.” (Acts 8:1-3)
Have you ever seen the 1971 techno-thriller movie, The Andromeda Strain? It tells the story of an alien form of life that is captured in space and brought to earth by an Air Force spacecraft. The alien organism, called the Andromeda strain, is deadly to all animal life. It wipes out the entire village of Piedmont, New Mexico, where the spacecraft landed. To keep Andromeda from spreading, a team of scientists requests that the village be destroyed by a nuclear bomb.
But before long, the scientists realize that Andromeda is unlike anything on earth. Its crystalline structure allows it to thrive in space, where it is bombarded by the solar wind and cosmic rays. But because Andromeda behaves like a nuclear reactor – converting matter to energy and energy to matter, the scientists realize they’ve made a colossal mistake. The nuclear bomb they requested to destroy Andromeda, will cause its explosive growth. The bomb will turn it into a super-colony, dooming the entire planet.
The concept of a nuclear bomb having the opposite intended effect of phenomenal growth parallels something in the Bible. The Book of Acts (chapter 8) tells the story of the catastrophic outbreak of violence against the church. Stephen, one of the seven deacons, had been murdered for his testimony about Jesus. This triggered a severe persecution which hit the church with the force of a massive explosion. It scattered the disciples in every direction. All hopes of the church of Jesus Christ being based in Jerusalem and becoming the prevailing faith in Israel died that day.
However, it wasn’t long before the apostles realized this persecution was no disaster. It had the effect of sending forth thousands of preaching disciples that spread the Gospel everywhere. The church grew exponentially. Other churches rapidly sprang up in Antioch, Alexandria, Ephesus, Rome and other major cities – eclipsing the church in Jerusalem. In fact, that persecution kept Christianity from remaining a mere sect of Judaism. It altered Christianity’s destiny so that it would become the greatest faith of all.
Therefore, never lose heart when it seems the devil has stamped out every last disciple of Jesus. Jesus will build His church and the gates of hell will never prevail against it.
REFLECTION
- Does it distress you to see churches attacked and Christians persecuted?
- The church father, Tertullian, stated that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” What did he mean by this?
- Read Matthew 16:18. Jesus promised that nothing would destroy His church.
