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THE CHURCH RESPONDS TO PERSECUTION

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  Acts 4:22-37   Giving thanks in the midst of sorrow and brokenness  is certainly not easy to do.  Peter and John were just released, but threated by the religious zealots, and powers over them.  They returned not in a state of fear and sadness, but of exhilaration .  They just preached to Sanhedrin and they were granted the privilege of suffering for their Lord.  As Paul said this, that I “…. may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” Phil 3:10.  They responded correctly, and this is where the church comes in, especially when we face persecution alone, or as a group.  The church’s response to persecution , should primarily be with grace, prayer, and perseverance… rather than: retaliation, we draw from the teachings of Jesus to love our enemies and forgive our oppressors.  This posture prioritizes bold faith, spiritual endurance, and mutual support within the global body of believers, especially here, in the local...
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STANDING FIRM IN CHRIST ALONE

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  Acts 4:1-22 Voddie Baucham said, “To be a Christian is to submit your thoughts and actions to the authority of Scripture.”   What does that look like practically in today world?  One example that comes to mind recently is the three major league pitchers from the San Francisco Giants who wrote a bible passage reference on their caps representing what the rainbow truly means during a Pride Event game.  The verse they used was, “And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I wi...
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