"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. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 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. And there was great joy in that city."
The first part of today's lesson relates the cruelty that was inflicted upon the early Christian Jews by Saul and the Romans. It also relates how those early gospel preachers were scattered throughout the region because of their belief in, and testimony for, Jesus Christ.
Saul was both a devout Jew, and a Roman citizen who had an obviously intense hatred for Christians.
After being approached and converted by Jesus, "Saul" was renamed "Paul" and was assigned the title of Apostle to the Gentiles. Paul would later become one of the most studied and best known of the Apostles.
Today's lesson also verifies that the "body of Christ", (The Church as a whole) is made up of separate local groups who themselves are also referred to as "the Church". This contention is verified by the phrase, "THE CHURCH which was AT Jerusalem". The "Church AT Jerusalem" is a clear reference to a separated group of born again Christians who were assembled in Jerusalem, the same as, for example, the group of born again believers who made up the Church "AT" Laodicea.
The Last part of today's quote relates how Philip traveled to Samaria preaching the gospel of Christ and working many miracles through the power of the Holy Ghost.~
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