Praxis: Opposition to the Gospel

When we share our faith we will at times be faced with strong opposition. We need to remember those who went before us.

Biblical Reference: Acts 7, 13:49-52, 14:19-20

Location Anywhere

Background / Setup
As Christians it is our responsibility to share Christ to others. There are times when we will come against opposition of the Gospel. The First century church did constantly and left us an excellent example of how to deal with it.

Warm-up
Choose one person in your group to find someone to tell a story to. It would work well to give him/her a story to read (any story will do, but it has to last about five minutes). Tell him/her to find one or more people to read it to. The rest of your group will seek him/her out and do all they can to keep him/her from telling his/her story (non-violently). Have the person leave and find someone also to tell the story to, the rest of the group must wait 3-5 minutes then find him/her and disrupt him/her again so he/she can’t tell his/her story.

Study
Read the passages of scripture and tell how Paul and Barnabas were persecuted. Also touch on the story of Stephen.

Application
When we are opposed for preaching the gospel we need to know how the early church reacted to it and use those same examples in our lives.

Reflection
1. Have you ever come across anyone who was opposed to the gospel of Christ? Would you be willing to share an experience with us?
2. Do you think God would want us, here in America, at our jobs, or wherever to take Stephen’s stance?
3. Think for a moment of how you might have suffered for the gospel, then compare it to the accounts we just read.
4. Pray for the strength to stand for Christ even in extreme situations.