Tuesday, February 28, 2017

The danger of being a Christian - Acts 8

Daily Bible Reading

Acts 7. 54-60, 8. 1-3, Acts 9. 1,2

Scripture Text

1 Timothy 1.15

Paul said ‘This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance,

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief”

Ø In some countries being a Christian is easy but in many places it can be very dangerous. I don't know where you live but I know that it is hard for some people to follow Jesus. Jesus never pretended that following him would be easy. Sometimes He seemed to scare people off who wanted to follow him by telling them how tough it could be. Why did Jesus do this? I think it was so that people understood how hard it is to be a Christian. If they were going to follow Him it would be with their eyes open to the problems that they could face.

Ø The man in the passage today, Saul, really hated Christians. Many of the Christians in Jerusalem were so scared that they had moved house. They moved out of the city to villages in the country. Some of them didn't go far. Just far enough to feel safe! Others moved a long way from where they lived. The only people who stayed behind in Jerusalem were Jesus' disciples. They were very brave as they had learned to trust God for protection. They also had an important job to do in Jerusalem.

Ø Saul was a Jewish man but he hated the followers of Jesus. One day he decided to find out where Jesus' followers lived. If they were at home, when he knocked the door, he would drag them out and put them in prison. It was very scary! Thankfully they realised that God was with them even when they were scared. We know from reading the Bible some of the prayers they made and some of them even sang songs of praise to God when they were frightened. If you have trusted the Lord Jesus and are scared try singing and praying; it is a great help.