ST JOHN PAUL II COLLEGE UYO

CHRISTIAN RELIGIOUS STUDIES (CRS)

FIRST TERM JS 3 LESSON NOTES

WEEK 1 – Revision

WEEK 2 – The Great Commission and Ascension of Jesus.

WEEK 3 – 4 – The Promise of the Holy Spirit and Pentecost.

WEEK 5 – Christian Charity and Fellowship in the Early Church.

WEEK 6 – Selection of the Deacons

WEEK 7 – Mid – Term Break

WEEK 8 – Persecution of the Early Church I: The Arrest of Peter and John

WEEK 9 – Persecution in the Early Church II: The Arrest and Martyrdom of
Stephen

WEEK 10 – Persecution in the Early Church III: Saul and the Martyrdom of
James

WEEK 11 – Revision

WEEK 12 – Examination

WEEK 13 – End of Term

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WEEK 2
TOPIC: THE GREAT COMMISSION OF JESUS
OBJECTIVES:
 Define the Great Commission.
 Discuss the account of the Great Commission in Matthew and Mark
And its Significances.
 Define Ascension.
 Narrate the story of the ascension of Jesus Christ and its significance.

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18)

The Great Commission refers to several passages and messages in the Gospels of Matthew and
Mark, where Jesus Christ urges his apostles to Go make “disciples of all the nations” and
“baptize” them… (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15).

But in modern times, the Great Commission, is usually interpreted to mean spreading the
Christian message and converting others to Christianity by leading an exemplary life of
witnessing to Christ.

 Meaning of the Great Commission

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he made several appearances to the disciples within a
period of forty (40) days. He gave them the “Great Commission”, which can be defined as Jesus’
command to his disciples to Go and evangelize the world through teaching, preaching and
baptizing of the people in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit . Meanwhile,
the disciples were to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit had come upon them, which will
guide and counsel them in all truth. This means the disciples needed the Holy Spirit to do well in
their work with God.

There are two (2) accounts of the Great Commission.

i. Matthew’s account; dwells on message of the Great Commission
ii. Mark’s account; focuses on the outcome of obeying the Great Commission.

An Account of the Great Commission in Matthew (Matthew 28:16-20)

The disciples went to Galilee to wait for Jesus Christ as he had instructed immediately after his
resurrection. When Jesus appeared, He gave them the Great Commission concerning their
preaching, teaching and baptism of the whole nations. He said to them:
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and
make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
you, and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

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The significance of the Great Commission in Matthew.
a. The disciples were to carry on the work of Jesus after his death.
b. They were told exactly what to-do.
c. The Great Commission tells them the nature of their work.
d. All Christians today, are to see themselves as disciples of Jesus fulfilling the Great
Commission. – How is a Christian of today to fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew?

An Account of the Great Commission in Mark (Mark 16:15-18)

In Marks Gospel, Jesus listed the signs that will accompany those who will obey the
Great Commission. First, he affirmed the Great Commission: "Go into the world and preach the
gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not
believe will be condemned. Jesus then listed the signs that will accompany those who obey the
Great Commission: "And these signs shall accompany those who believe in my name, they will
cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any
deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

The significance of the Great Commission in Mark:

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This means that all Christians are to become evangelists and preach the gospel of salvation to
mankind. When that is done, then all the miraculous signs promised by Jesus will follow in their
lives (Mark 16:15-18). The signs by which believers will be known include;
a) Believe the gospel, be Baptized and you will be saved.
b) Casting out demons in the name of Jesus.
c) Speaking in new tongues.
d) Picking up serpents and be unharmed
e) Drinking poisons and be unharmed.
f) Laying their hands on the sick and they will recover.

1. What it the difference between mark’s account of Christ ascension with

that of the book of Acts.

GENERAL EVALUATION/ REVISION QUESTIONS

1. Explain the purpose of the great commission.

 Describe the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers today.

1. How did Jesus defend his use of the Sabbath?

2. Define prayer.

READING ASSIGNMENT
Christian Religious knowledge for JSS. BK 2,by T.N.O Quarcoopome
eta’[Link],111-112,119-129
Christian Religious knowledge for JSS. BK 1-3 by A.F [Link],199.
Fundanmental of Christian Religious Knowledge for JSS. BK 2, by Adeyinka et
al 24-25.
Ilesanmi Christian Religion Studies for JssBk 2 ByTundeErumol et al.
Revised Standard Version Bible (Compulsory)

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1. Jesus ascended into heaven on _____day (a) 50th (b) 60th (c) 40th (d) 10th
2. Jesus led his disciples out as far as ____(a) Bethany (b) Bethphany (c) Galilee (d) Nain
3. Jesus told them to wait in _____ for the promise of the father (a) Galilee
(b) Jerusalem (c) Nazareth (d) Bethlehem

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 4. The disciples were asked for wait and receive_____. (a) Money (b) Food (c) Holy Ghost power
(d) Riches
5. Complete this statement, “….and ye shall be witness unto me both in Samaria, and in Judea
and ____”. (a) to the ends of the earth (b) the world (c) Kingdom (d) America

THEORY

1. What is the great commission?

2. Discuss its implication for the Christian church.

WEEK 3 – 4
TOPIC: THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AT PENTECOST
Objectives
 Define the meaning of Pentecost.
 Discuss the promise of the Holy Spirit.
 State why Jesus promised the Holy Spirit.

Meaning of Pentecost
Pentecost comes from the Greek word Pentekoste – meaning fiftieth (50). Pentecost is the
festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is celebrated on the 50 th day, that
is, on a Sunday after Easter. It is often regarded as the birthday of the Church,

The word Pentecost literally means “50” – the day the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles ,
causing them to speak in tongues. Pentecost is a Christian feast that is celebrated on the 50th day
from Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday. It commemorates the descent or coming
(outpouring) of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ. This event
took place in the Upper Room in Jerusalem. They were about 120 persons including Mary the
Mother of Jesus.

Brief History of Pentecost

The Early Church was born on Pentecost Day. The Feast of Pentecost was one of the festivals of
the Jews. It was an agricultural festival. It was held seven (7) weeks after the feast of the
Passover. The purpose was to thank God for a successful agricultural year and to seek His
protection and blessings for the new agricultural year. Many Jews came from far and near to
celebrate this big festival in Jerusalem

The Promise of the Holy Spirit

The Greek name for the Holy Spirit is: Paraclete. It has been suggested that the: Acts of the
Apostles should be called the: Acts of the Holy Spirit. This is because throughout the: Acts of the
Apostles, the Holy Spirit was in control of all the activities of the apostles and the early

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Christians. In the Acts of the Apostles, the Holy Spirit is the Spiritual Director, Father,
Instructor, Teacher, and Counsellor that directs the affairs of the early Church.

The Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father and the Son. It was promised by Jesus shortly before
Jesus ascended into Heaven (forty (40) after His resurrection). He gave them the Great
Commission to evangelize the whole world. But He commanded or charged the disciples to stay
in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father before embarking on their mission which
should start from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and spread to the rest of the world. (Acts 1:4; Acts
1:8). He promised them that as John baptized with water, so will they be baptized with the Holy
Spirit. (Acts 1:5)

Why Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to the Apostles

This is also known as the significance of the promise of the Holy Spirit. They are:
1. To receive power from above to witness to Him.
2. To baptize them with ‘fire’ like John the Baptist baptized with water.
3. To give the needed wisdom to understand the gospel message.
4. To give the apostles spiritual courage to preach the gospel.
5. To teach the apostles all things and lead them to the complete Truth.
6. So that the disciples can become spiritually conscious.

THE OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (ACTS 2:1-13, 14-36).

 Describe the account of the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit.
 Mention the key words and give a summary of Peter’s first speech and its
effect.
 State the significance of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The coming of the Holy Spirit is the outpouring of Holy Spirit. This took place on Pentecost
Sunday. This was ten (10) days after the Ascension of Jesus into heaven.

An Account of the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit

On that Day of Pentecost, (50 days after the resurrection of Jesus) the apostles were together
in the Upper Room where the Last Supper took place. They had been there since Jesus ascended
to heaven. They were afraid to go out because people might accuse them of being followers of
Jesus and kill them. So, they prayed and worshipped together in the Upper Room. While the
apostles were together at prayers in the Upper Room, a strange thing happened. First, there was
the mighty sound of a great wind that came from heaven into the room. Next, they saw what
looked like flames in the shape of tongues resting on each of them. And immediately, they were
filled with the Holy Spirit or power from God and they started speaking in tongues i.e. different
languages of those who witnessed this great event. They include; the Elamites, Parthians,

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Medes, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia,
Egypt, people from Libya, Rome, Crete and Arabia. Some persons who were around could hear
the apostles in their own different languages while others who did not understand them accused
the apostles of being drunk.

The Visible Signs /Audible Sound of the Coming of the Holy Spirit
a. Wind
b. Tongues of fire
c. Speaking in tongue
d. Spiritual Power and Courage; to do what they could not do like preaching boldly,
correcting errors, etc.
e. The entire gathering of the people felt the outpouring of the Holy Spirit

Peter’s First Speech and its Effect (Acts 2:14 – 41)

Peter stood among the crowd to refute the charge of drunkenness. This led to his first speech on
the Day on Pentecost. Peter said that since the time was around 9 O'clock in the morning, it was
too early to get drunk. He said what was happening was the effect of the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit. This was to fulfill an Old Testament prophecy as recorded in the Book of Joel in Joel
2:28.

The prophet Joel had prophesied that a time would come when God would pour out His Holy
Spirit upon all flesh so that their sons and daughters would have the power to prophesy,
their young men would have the power to see visions and their old men the power to dream
dreams. Peter said that Jesus was the one who had given them the Holy Spirit. Peter explained
further that this was the same Jesus Christ who preached about the kingdom of God; who
performed miracles among them and whom they crucified. He said God had raised him from the
dead as David had prophesied in Psalm 16:10:
"For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy
One see corruption."

Peter narrated that Jesus had ascended into heaven and was at the right hand of God as Lord and
Saviour. Meaning that it is from the position at God's right hand, Jesus had poured out the Holy
Spirit on them as they had seen.

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Outcome or Effect of Peter’s Speech
When the people heard this, many of them were ashamed and asked Peter and the rest of the
apostles: "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter advised them to repent and be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. That day, about three thousand (3,000) of them
repented and received the gift of the Holy Spirit and became members of the Church.

Before Peter's speech, the number of believers was one hundred and twenty (120). But after
Peter's speech the number rose to about three thousand. Therefore, the effect of Peter's speech
was a rapid increase in the number of believers.

The Seven (7) Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2-3; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11)
Meaning: The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are unique skills and abilities given by the Holy Spirit to
faithful followers of Christ to serve God for the common benefit of his people, the church . They
supply the spiritual power and strength a person needs to accomplish his or her mission in life.
1. Wisdom: To help us understand the things of God. (Romans 11:33)
2. Knowledge: Enables us to discover the will of God in all things. (Jeremiah 29:11)
3. Understanding: Helps us understand more clearly the teachings of Jesus Christ.
(Jeremiah 24:7)
4. Counsel or Right Judgment: Helps us discern what is right and wrong. (Matthew 7:13-
14)
5. Fortitude or Courage: Strengthens our will power to accomplish what good, true and
beautiful (Luke 21:12-17)
6. Piety: Helps us to love God and obey His laws out of love for Him. (John 15:15)
7. Fear of the Lord: Also known as wonder and awe. This gift is about recognizing the
awesomeness of God (Luke 12:27)

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Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
These are the Holy Spirit’s character traits or the attributes of a person or a community living the
life of the Spirit. Thus, they are the result or the work/actions of the Spirit in a believer’s life.

1) Charity (Love): This is love for God and neighbour, without seeking for anything in
return. Charity is expressed in concrete action toward God and our fellow man.
2) Joy: The state of being undisturbed by the negative things in life.
3) Peace: The calmness in our soul that comes from relying on God.
4) Patience: The ability to bear the shortcomings of other people.
5) Kindness: Kindness is the willingness to give to others beyond what we own them.
6) Generosity: It is unselfish and expresses itself in sharing. It is extended to family and
friends, strangers, and particularly those in need. Also, it is offered not only as money,
food and clothing, but also as time shared and assistance provided.
7) Gentleness: To be gentle is to be forgiving rather than angry, gracious rather than
vengeful. (Matthew 11:29)
8) Faithfulness: This is living our life in accordance with God's will at all times.
9) Self-control or Temperance: It is the exercise of moderation in all things.

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The Significance of the Sending of the Holy Spirit
i. It fulfilled the promise of the Father.
ii. It shows that God is reliable and trustworthy in his dealings with human beings
iii. The Holy Spirit gave the apostles power from above to witness to Him.
iv. The Holy Spirit baptized them with ‘fire’ like John the Baptist baptized with water.
v. The Holy Spirit gave them the needed wisdom to understand the gospel message.
vi. The Holy Spirit gave the apostles spiritual courage to preach the gospel.
vii. To teach them the complete Truth.

WEEK 5
TOPIC: CHRISTIAN CHARITY AND FELLOWSHIP IN THE EARLY
CHURCH
OBJECTIVES
 Define the meaning of Christian Charity and Fellowship.
 Outline the social and religious life of the early Church.
 Discuss how the early Church dealt with cases of lying and murmuring.

What is Christian Charity?

Charity is primarily the action of giving to others in need. This is can be called love in action.
Thus, Charity, in Christian understanding is the highest form of love, signifying the reciprocal
love between God and man that is made manifest in unselfish love of one's fellow men and
women. Charity is love expressed towards God and neighbour. This was better described by Paul
in I Cor. 13, 2Cor 9:6-8

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ASSIGNMENT
List any ten (10) Christian charity organizations/foundations in the world.

What is Fellowship?
The word fellowship is gotten from the Greek word koinonia which means “holding
something in common”. Thus, fellowship can be defined as a certain kind of
togetherness or unity of the Spirit that comes from Christians’ shared beliefs,
convictions and behaviours. This fellowship produces our mutual cooperation in God’s
worship, God’s work, and God’s will being done in the world.

Togetherness/Communal Life in the Early Church (Acts 2:41-47)

After the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Peter gave a powerful speech, and about three
thousand (3000) converts were added to their numbers. These new converts were then baptized.
Their lives were characterized by a strong bond of fellowship because they were of one heart and
soul. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings, fellowshipping together, and breaking
of bread – Holy Communion. Fear came upon the early Church as the Apostles performed signs
and wonders.
Their togetherness was shown in the practice of joint ownership of possessions and properties.
They shared the proceeds among themselves according to their needs. Such that there was no
needy person among them. Day by day the Lord added to their number. They prayed together;
and the Lord’s grace was upon them.

DECEIT / FRAUD IN THE EARLY CHURCH (Acts 5:1-11)

“Fraud” is a kind of corruption. It is an act of deception carried out for the purpose of unfair,
undeserved or unlawful gain. It is an assumption of false identity.

In the early church, those who had land or houses sold them and brought the money to the
apostles to be shared. This was as a result of their togetherness shown in the practice of joint
ownership of possessions and properties. But not all the members were honest. Ananias and
Sapphira his wife, were not sincere in giving out their possession. They sold their possession
and kept part of the money (proceeds) for themselves out of greed and selfishness. Also, they

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lied when Peter asked them about it. They were instantly punished with death. This caused fear
upon all the members of the early Church.

MURMURING/COMPLAIN IN THE EARLY CHURCH (Acts 6:1-2)

To murmur is to complain by making a low or indistinct sound or speech to express
displeasure. For example, the Israelites murmured against Moses – Exodus 14:11-12. Thus, to
murmur is to complain, protest, to grumble or show discontent against something or someone.

But in the case of the early church, the murmuring was as a result of the discrimination
among the members. Discrimination a preferential and special treatment to a selected group of
people at the expense of denying others their rightful share and privileges. The goods or
possessions were not equitably shared. So, unfair distribution of provisions nearly affected the
fellowship/unity of the Church.
The Hellenist (Grecian) Jews (who were born outside Jerusalem and Palestine) murmured/
complained against the Jews that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of

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food. This was unfair. The apostles met to resolve this matter. And it was resolved by the
appointment of the deacons.

EVALUATION
1. Highlight the event that led to the appointment of the deacons.
2. Write out the names of the deacons.

WEEK 6
THE SELECTION OF THE DEACONS (ACTS 6: 1-7)
OBJECTIVES
 Mention reasons for the selection of the deacons.
 Highlight the qualities of a deacon.
 Mention the names of the seven (7) deacons.
 State the moral lessons/significance.

Who is a deacon?
The word deacon, (from Greek diakonos, “helper”), is a member of the lowest rank of the
threefold Christian ministry (below the presbyter-priest and bishop). As a helper, a deacon’s
primary ministry is to assist in the service of the people at God’s table. Thus, a deacon is a servant-
leader who ministers to the physical needs of church members. It is a ministry of Christian Charity
through service.
In our last topic, we noted that the deacons were appointed because of the complaint of the
widows of Hellenist that they were denied food by the Hebrews who shared the food.

Reasons for the Selection of the Deacons

a) The deacons were appointed to equitably help/assist to distribute food at tables to the
people of the early church without fear or favour.

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 b) The Twelve (12) disciples who received the complaint about partiality in food
distribution did not want to leave their great work of preaching the gospel (the Ministry
of the Word) to serve at the tables.

This situation made the apostles to resolve that they will select seven (7) men of reputable
character to perform the task on their behalf. They outlined the qualities of those to be chosen or
appointed as the deacons.

Qualities of the Deacons

1. They must be honest men.
2. They must be men of good reputation.
3. They must be wise.
4. They must be respected men.
5. They must be full of the Holy Spirit.

From the above qualities the following seven (7) men were selected as deacons
1. Stephen
2. Philip
3. Prochorus
4. Nicanor
5. Timon
6. Parmenas and
7. Nicolaus (Acts 6: 5-6)

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After which, the crowd presented them (deacons) to the disciples who prayed and laid hands
on them1, and they started their duty of food sharing and the problem was solved.

Note that the head of the seven (7) deacons was Stephen a man full of faith and Holy Spirit. The
bible reported that Stephen later became a very influential wise preacher. The people conspired
to kill him saying that he blasphemed against Moses and God and he was stoned to death and he
became the first Christian martyr.

Moral Lessons / Significance

1. Deacons distributed food evenly in the church as servant-leaders.
2. The deacons were democratically elected.
3. For a person to serve the public, he must be wise, honest, respected, good reputation and full
of the Holy Spirit
4. Remember to pray for your leaders at all levels as the disciples did for the seven (7) deacons.
5. Division of labor is necessary in all fields of human endeavor as the disciple wisely divided
duties.
6. Discrimination is a form of bullying and it is bad.
7. Discrimination in the church or society could lead to social unrest (militancy) with
unpleasant consequences.

MID – TERM UNIFIED TEST AND BREAK

1
The sign of laying on of hands is known as ordination or commissioning.

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WEEK EIGHT (8)
TOPIC: PERSECUTION OF THE EARLY BELIEVERS I (Acts 3:11 – 44; 4:5 –
31)

Objectives:

 Define the meaning of persecution

 State reasons for the persecution of the Church or opposition to the Gospel message
 Discuss the arrest of Peter and John and state why they were arrested
 Discuss the defense of Peter after his arrest

Meaning of Persecution; Reasons for the Persecution of the Church

Persecution can be defined as subjecting an individual or a group to unfair treatment because of

his/her religious beliefs.

From the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit gave the apostles the strength and courage to
preach, they never stopped preaching the good news about Jesus, and so they were persecuted.
The church has suffered persecution in many ways by the Jews.

Reasons for the Opposition to the Gospel

The Jews opposed the Gospel Message for two reasons:

First, some of them rejected the good news about Jesus because they did not see Jesus as the
expected Messiah and Saviour.

Second, some of them like the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.

THE MANIFESTATION OF THE OPPOSITION TO THE GOSPEL

The opposition manifested in;
the arrest of Peter and John;
the arrest and martyrdom of Stephen,
the persecution by Paul, the martyrdom of James, and
the arrest of Peter and his miraculous escape from prison.

The Arrest of Peter and John (Acts 3:1-11; 4:5 – 31)

On their way to worship in the temple at Jerusalem at the ninth hour of the day, Peter and John
met a cripple at the Beautiful Gate. Peter healed the cripple in the name of Jesus.

Many people followed Peter and John into the temple at Portico of Solomon. Peter explained
to them that the cripple was healed in the name of Jesus, whom they killed but God raised him
from the dead.

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As Peter was speaking, the priests, the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came and
arrested him and John.

Peter healed a crippled man at the Beautiful Gate in the name of Jesus

Why Peter and John were Arrested (Acts 4: 1 – 4)

All the three (3) groups had their reasons for arresting them.

1. The priests are the temple authorities and the apostles had no right to preach in the
temple without their permission.

2. The captain of the temple was in charge of the temple police and his duty was to
maintain law and order in the temple. The commotion caused by the healing of the
cripple was likely to disturb the peace in the temple leading to the breakdown of law and
order.

3. The Sadducees were a religious party in the time of Jesus. They did not believe in the
resurrection of the dead. And so, they were not happy that the apostles were preaching
the fact that Jesus died but God raised him from the dead.

The Defence of Peter (Acts 4: 5 – 31)

The following day, Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish
Council for trial, that is the Supreme Court of the Jews. In attendance, among the Jewish
leaders, elders and scribes, were Annas the High Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the
members of the High Priests family. They were asked to explain the means by which the
cripple was healed. Peter told them that it was by the name of Jesus, whom they crucified but

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God raised from the dead. Peter made it clear that, apart from the name of Jesus, there is no
salvation by any other name.

The members of the Sanhedrin could not deny the miracle that had taken place, and so agreed to
warn the apostles not to preach in the name of Jesus again. But Peter insisted that they would
continue to preach in Jesus’ name. After threatening them, the Sanhedrin released the apostles.

After their release, Peter and John went back to the company of the early Christians. Together
they prayed to God to give them the strength to preach the gospel with boldness in spite of the
opposition from the Jewish authorities:

“And now look upon their threats and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with boldness.”

EVALUATION

1. Narrate the miracle that led to the arrest of Peter and John
2. Give three reasons why peter and John were Arrested

WEEK NINE (9)

Objectives:

 Highlight the characteristics of the man, Stephen

 State the charges brought against Stephen
 Discuss the defense of Stephen
 Mention the indictment Stephen brought against the Jews.
 Explain the martyrdom of Stephen and its significance.

TOPIC: PERSECUTION OF THE EARLY BELIEVERS II

The Arrest and Martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 6: 8 – 17; 7: 1 – 60)

 The Man Stephen

Stephen was a Jew of Greek descent. He was one of the seven deacons appointed by the
apostles to help look after the poor and the needy in the Church. Stephen had the Holy Spirit in
him, and soon he started preaching the gospel. The Holy Spirit gave Stephen the wisdom and

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understanding to successfully argue with the opponents of the Church. The success of Stephen
got him into trouble with the enemies of the Church. They made false accusations against
him saying that he spoke against Moses and God.

The Arrest of Stephen (Acts 6: 8 – 15)

Stephen was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin. Some worthless people (hoodlums) were
bribed to tell lies against him. STEPHEN WAS FALSELY CHARGED WITH:

1. Speaking blasphemous words against the temple and the law;

2. Saying that Jesus of Nazareth would destroy the temple;
3. Saying that Jesus would change the custom Moses gave them.

When Stephen was brought to the court, the judges saw his face as that of an angel. This means
that his face looked innocent.

 The Defence of Stephen

In his defence, Stephen outlined the history of the Jews from the call of Abraham to the
establishment of the monarchy (Kingdom). The outline of the defence is as follows:

1. From the call of Abraham to the birth of the twelve patriarchs (the 12 sons of Jacob) who
later formed the twelve tribes of Israel.
2. The patriarchs’ stay in Egypt
3. The birth and call of Moses
4. The leadership of Moses
5. The place of worshipping God
6. Indictment of the Jews.

 How Stephen Indicted the Jews

Stephen indicted the Jews of always resisting the Holy Spirit, calling them disobedient people
whose hearts were bent on evil and whose ears would not hear the word of God. Stephen said
they are uncircumcised in heart and ears.

The Martyrdom of Stephen

When the Judges heard the indictment, they were so angry that they had to close their ears with
their hands and they all rushed to him and knock him down. But as he looked up, he saw the
glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. The judges got infuriated as they expressed
their total disgust. Thus, they seized him, threw him out of the city and stoned him. The
murderers placed their garment at the feet of a young man called Saul. As they were stoning
him, Stephen was praying that God should not hold the sin against them. After that he prayed
for himself that the Lord Jesus should receive his spirit. Then he fell asleep, that is, he died.
By his death, Stephen became the first Christian to die for Jesus Christ. This made him the first
Christian martyr.

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Significance of Stephen’s Martyrdom to the Early Church
1. Stephen’s death led to a great persecution of the church in Jerusalem;
2. It led to the church evangelization outside Jerusalem;
3. Saul led the persecution of the church;
4. Christians became aware that persecution was a part of their heritage.

EVALUATION

1. Who is Stephen?
2. Why was Stephen arrested?
3. Outline the false charges laid against Stephen.
4. List the outline of Stephen’s defence.
5. Who was the first Christian martyr?

THE ARREST AND MATYRDOM OF JAMES

THE ARREST AND MARTYRDOM OF JAMES (Acts 12:1 – 3)
James the apostle was the brother of John, the sons of Zebedee. He was among the first four
disciples to be called by Jesus. He was very active in the early Church. The Jews did not like
the progress that James was making towards the growth of the Church. They hated him and
wanted to kill him. The Romans had made Herod Agrippa I, a nephew of Herod Antipas, the
king of the Jews. But the Jews did not like Agrippa’s rule. They hate him. In order to please the
Jews and make them like him, Agrippa arrested, James when he got to know that the Jews
hated the apostle. King Herod killed James; and the Jews were very pleased that King Herod had
killed their enemy. When Herod saw that his action pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest
Peter. However, God delivered Peter from his hand.

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THE DETENTION OF PETER AND HIS DIVINE RELEASE FROM HEROD’S
PRISON AND DEATH (ACTS 12:1-24)
When King Herod Agrippa saw that the killing of James pleased the Jews, he wanted to please
them by arresting Peter. As he was imprisoned by Herod and intended to kill him after the feast
of unleavened bread, the angel of God woke Peter up and the chains fell off his hands. He
ordered him to dress up and follow him. Peter did so thinking that it was in a dream, the three
gates opened and then Peter found himself in the open street.

When he was released, he proceeded to the house of John Mark where the Disciples of Christ
were praying for Peter’s release. He knocked at the door; a maid named Rhoda came to answer
it. She recognised the voice of Peter and ran back to break the miraculous intervention. The
elders did not believe her initially but when she excitedly insisted that it was Peter, they opened
the door and were dumbfounded when they saw him. Herod was displeased about Peter’s
miraculous escape that he ordered the death sentence of the keepers of the prison.
Death of Herod: A time came when Herod made a very beautiful public speech which made the
people to praise him. The tone of his voice was as that of God and not a man. Herod was full of
pride; he never ascribes the glory to God. Immediately, the angel of the Lord smote him. He died
and was eaten by worms.

Persecution in the Church Today

Christians have been opposed in the Church for:

1. Standing up for Christ by telling the truth.

2. Exposing evil practices in the Church such as the pastor sleeping or going to bed with
female members of the Church.
3. Criticizing the emphasis on materialism at the expense of the full gospel.
4. Preaching prosperity without responsibility or care for the soul.
5. Calling on the leadership of the Church to live exemplary lives.

Opposition of Christians in our Local Communities

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Christians have been opposed in the community for:

1. Exposing fraud, bribery and corruption in their places of work.

2. Condemning examination malpractices.
3. Preaching against sexual immorality.
4. Condemning tribalism, nepotism and favoritism.
5. Condemning religious discrimination.

Religious and Moral Lessons

1. You must learn to pray to God through Jesus to give you spiritual courage to defend
your faith in spite of all opposition.
2. You must learn to pray to Jesus to give you spiritual love to pray for enemies, like
Stephen did.
3. You must learn not to condemn what you do not understand, but rather seek to
understand it. Paul persecuted the Christians because he did not understand the Gospel
Message.
4. You must learn to listen to the voice of the Lord when he calls you from your sinful
ways to change for the better.

EVALUATION

1. Who supervised the stoning of Stephen to death?

2. What did Saul obtain permission from Herod to do?
3. Saul was converted on his way to …………….
4. Why did Herod Agrippa kill James?

WEEK TEN (10)

PERSECUTION OF THE EARLY BELIEVERS III
TOPIC:

Objectives:

 Discuss the birth, education and citizenship of Saul

 Describe Paul’s persecution of the early Church
 Narrate the conversion of Saul
 State the significance of the conversion of Saul

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PAUL’S EARLY LIFE: BIRTH, CITIZENSHIP AND EDUCATION (Acts 22:1 – 5,
26 – 30)

Paul’s Birth and Citizenship

Paul was also called Saul. Paul was his Roman’s name while Saul his Jewish name. At that time
the Romans who ruled over Palestine as part of the Roman Empire, allowed foreigners to buy
Roman citizenship and enjoy certain rights. Paul was born a Roman citizen in Tarsus, the
capital of the Roman province of Cilicia and the residence of the governor.

Tarsus in Cilicia in Asia Minor, is present day Turkey. He was given the Jewish name ‘Saul’.
His parents were originally Jewish but later, as foreigners in the Roman Empire, they acquired
Roman citizenship. This made Paul to have dual citizenship – Jewish and Roman.

Rights and privileges of Roman Citizenship

Roman citizenship enabled one to enjoy certain privileges: these included;
1. No molestation
2. No flogging when arrested
3. Right to a fair trial.
4. And the opportunity to appeal to the Emperor if the trial was not fair.

For Example: When Paul realized on an occasion, that he was not getting fair trial, he used
his Roman citizenship to appeal to Caesar. (Acts 25:10-11).

Paul’s Education
Tarsus, where Paul was born, was famous for its fine schools. But Paul did not attend any of
them. He was brought up and educated in Jerusalem to study under Gamaliel, the great
teacher. He was a very brilliant student of Jewish law and religion, and was able to speak several
languages such as Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic.
His father was a strict Pharisee who trained and encouraged him to be bold, diligent and
obedient always. Paul became a faithful defender of the Jewish religion after his graduation from
the synagogue school and college at Jerusalem. Little wonder he always led other persecutors of
the Christian faith and put the Christians in prison. Paul was the ringleader who supervised
those that stoned Stephen to death.

PAUL’S PERSECUTION OF THE EARLY CHURCH

(Acts 7: 57 – 58; 8: 1–3; 9: 1- 3)
Paul returned to Tarsus after his studies in Jerusalem. He worked in the family business of tent-
making. Immediately Stephen died, there was mass persecution against members of the early
Church in Jerusalem, because the apostles were spreading the good news about the resurrection
and wonderful work of the Holy Spirit. Many Jews were joining the young Church.
Some of the Jews including Paul believed that God would send His Messiah to save the
Jewish people (from the Roman Rule). But they did not believe that Jesus had risen from the
dead. They thought that the Christian teaching about the resurrection of Jesus Christ was
dangerous and must be stopped. This set of Jews, who opposed the Christians, thought it was

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God’s will to punish the Christians. It was some of them who arrested Stephen for preaching
about Jesus and later dragged him out of the trial place and stoned him to death.

Some of those who survived the persecution fled to places in Judea and Samaria. However, the
apostles remained in Jerusalem. After Paul had persecuted the Christians in Jerusalem, he heard
that many of them had fled Jerusalem to places like Damascus, in far-away Syria. Paul who
wanted to stamp out Christianity was not happy with the success of Christianity in Damascus.
Therefore, he went to the high priest and obtained permission to go to Damascus so that he
could arrest the Christians there and bring them for punishment. The high priest gave Paul
a letter of introduction to the synagogues in Damascus.

THE CONVERSION OF SAUL (Acts 9: 1 – 19)

Paul left for Damascus. As he got near to the city of Damascus in the afternoon, something
strange happened to him that was to change his entire life for the better. Jesus appeared to him
in a form of dazzling light which shown around him. This made him to fall down. He heard a
voice, which called his name and asked him why he was persecuting him. When he asked the
voice whom he was, the voice said that he was Jesus whom Paul was persecuting, adding that he
should go into the city, where he would be told what to do next.

His companions stood speechless with surprise because they heard the voice but did not see any
body. When Paul rose up, he found that he was totally blind. His companions then led him by
hand into Damascus where he stayed for three (3) days without sight.

The Lord appeared to one of the Christians in Damascus called Ananias to go to a street called
Straight, and ask for the house of a man called Judas. There he will find a man of Tarsus named
Saul; praying.

So, Ananias went to the house of Judas and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and prayed for
him. Immediately, something like scales fell from his eyes and Saul regained his sight. Then he
rose and was baptized, and he took food and was strengthened. Paul became a Christian, his
name Saul changed to Paul. He started preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus to unbelievers.

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 n

REACTIONS TO THE CONVERSION OF SAUL

Immediately Saul was converted to Christianity, he started preaching to the Jews in

Damascus about Jesus Christ that He is the Son of God.

The people there could not believe. They said, “is not this the man who wreaked havoc in
Jerusalem”? All those who knew him were surprised because they knew he came there to arrest
those who called on the name of Jesus. In the end, the Christians were happy because God had
changed him.

WEEK ELEVEN (11) – REVISION

WEEK TWELVE (12) – EXAMINATION

WEEK THIRTEEN (13) – CLOSING

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