I believe there’s three reasons why the Apostles were killed.
Firstly, they preached against the Gentiles’ idolatry—they preached against the spirit of this world.
Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” John 15:18-20
He said, “Don’t be surprised when they treat you like they treated Me.” He said, “The spirit of this world was opposed to My message. It will also be opposed to your message.”
The spirit of this world hated our Savior. Why are we surprised when this world also hates us for being like Jesus? Every devil in Hell fought against the love of Jesus and the power of His message. We can also expect a fight from Hell when we preach and live out the Gospel.
In Acts 19, when Paul was at Ephesus where he reasoned daily at the school of Tyrannus, the Bible says, after this, that “God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.” Acts 19:11-12
“And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.” Acts 19:18-20
And then “about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.” Demetrius, a silversmith who made shrines to Diana, got the city together to come against Paul. “And when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, ‘Great is Diana of the Ephesians!’ So the whole city was filled with confusion.” Acts 19:23-29
Paul preached the Gospel, souls got saved, and then Hell began to attack. Those who worshipped Diana became angry because Paul’s preaching stood in contrast to their idolatry.
One of my favorite stories from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs was of Andrew. Andrew preached fearlessly against idolatry. Then the Romans threatened him with the cross. They told him to either shut up or he would be crucified.
Listen to Andrew’s reply: “I would not have preached the honor and glory of the cross if I had feared the death of the cross.”
Andrew kept on preaching. He kept on preaching against idolatry and standing in contrast to the spirit of this world. So, they sentenced him to be crucified.
This is what the account says: “Once sentenced to death by the cross. Going toward the place, and seeing the cross prepared afar off, did change neither countenance nor colour, neither did he fail in his speech, but with fervent charity said, ‘O cross, most welcome and long looked for! with a willing mind, joyfully and desirously, I come to thee, being the scholar of Him which did hang on thee: because I have always been thy lover, and have coveted to embrace thee.’”
Andrew fearlessly preached the Gospel. And when the world got offended at his message, he didn’t change it, or make it sound better, or make it more politically correct. No, he just preached the truth without apology.
Why were the apostles killed? They were killed because of the Gospel they preached and because they stood against the spirit of this world!
Listen to what Jesus said to Paul the chapter just before he went to Ephesus in Acts 19: “Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent;” Acts 18:9
I believe Jesus is saying that to us today— Do not be afraid. But speak. And do not keep silent.
I pray, “God give us fearlessness to speak Your words, to not be silent, and to stand against the spirit of this world. Make us fearless as we stand for truth, as we live out the Gospel every day, as we proclaim, testify, and witness Jesus Christ to this world.”
I expect to be hated for it. But David said “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear.” Psalms 27:1, 3
I will not be afraid! I will be fearless! I will speak the truth, preach the Gospel, and I won’t keep silent. I will stand against the spirit of this world.
Secondly, the Apostles were killed because they preached and lived in contrast to the Jews’ religion—They were preaching against the religious complacency of the church.
Religious people get offended when you are following Jesus and not them.
I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who was facing some verbal persecution from the religious for his obedience. I told him it seems like the more I follow Jesus and walk in obedience to Him, the more religious people come at me and come against what God is doing.
In the Gospels, when Jesus preached the Gospel, the religious got so offended. They were offended at Him eating corn on the Sabbath, healing on Sabbath, because He said He’s equal with God, and on and on. Everything He did and said. Over and over, it was the religious who came at Jesus.
We read in the last several chapters of Acts, it wasn’t the pagan Gentiles that came against Paul, but it was the religious. They caught him in the temple, imprisoned him, and tried him in the courts. He was sent to Rome, where he ended up being beheaded for the Gospel. It was the religious who were offended at the Gospel work.
In Acts 6 and 7, it was the religious who came against Stephen and then stoned him. He was the first martyr for Jesus Christ. The Bible says that Stephen was being stoned when he opened his eyes and saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And then Stephen imitated Jesus some more. What did he say just before he died? — He said “Father lay not this sin to their charge.”
The religious church today gets upset when we start messing up their traditions.
A sign of the religious and complacent church today is when they’re always wanting a move of God in their church services, on Sunday, on Wednesday nights, in their camp meetings and revivals…. But that’s where it stops.
They don’t seek the same power on Monday that they want on Sunday. They want an upper room experience, but they want to keep it all inside the church. They don’t want that same power to use them to love sinners and lost souls at school, on the job, at the family reunion, and in the community.
I want this to be as clear as possible—The religious and complacent church today wants to have church services, but they don’t want to be the church outside of the church.
They don’t want to go into the highways and the hedges, but they’d rather get comfortable on their pews while souls are outside lost and going to Hell.
The complacent church is all about them. It’s all about “our” music, our clothes, our sermons, and our style of worship. It’s not about the Great Commission. It’s not about carrying the Gospel to a lost and dying world. It’s not about reaching those who nobody will else will reach. They won’t take time to talk with and listen to others. They won’t pray with those who don’t vote like them, think like them, dress like them, or smell like them.
In Acts 4, the Church got together while they were facing persecution from the religious Pharisees. And they said God, “Grant us boldness” to keep following you and preaching this Gospel despite all of the persecution.
I pray, “God, grant us boldness today to be the Church of God and to live in contrast to the lethargic, religious, and complacent church.”
We will live for God. We won’t be ashamed. We won’t be silent. We will take this Gospel message to everyone we come in contact with.
And not only will we preach it in the church, but we will also live it outside the church!
I pray, “God give us boldness to preach and live in contrast to the religious and complacent church.”
Thirdly, the apostles were killed because they preached against the wickedness of those in authority.
In Acts 5, the Apostles were imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. “But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught.” Acts 5:19-21
Then the officers came and said, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!”
But Peter and the other Apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:28-29
Scripture tells us to honor the government and to obey those in power over us. But when it comes to whether I’m gonna obey God or obey those in authority, we have to obey God rather than man.
John the Baptist told Herod that he was living in adultery and headed to Hell. So, they threw him in prison and eventually beheaded him.
Leonard Ravenhill said that the man that is intimate with God will not be intimidated by men.
To speak to authority, we’ve got to have a greater authority than the ones to whom we’re speaking.
The Gospels say over and over that Jesus taught as one having authority. Jesus Himself said, “All authority is given Me in heaven and in earth.” Then to the Apostles He said, “I have given you authority and power.”
When you speak in this world, speak with the authority God has given you from Heaven. Speak for God. Speak against sin. Speak against wickedness and perversion. It’s not a Republican thing or a Democrat thing—it’s the Gospel!
If they have enough authority from Hell to speak of the things of Hell, we should have enough authority from Heaven to proclaim Heaven’s Gospel.
Our authority doesn’t come from a political party, people, a group, or a church. Our authority comes from Heaven.
When we speak with this authority, we are proclaiming Heaven’s agenda, Heaven’s policies, and Heaven’s rule on this Earth.
Our authority comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes!
Why were the Apostles killed?
Because they preached against the spirit of this world with fearlessness.
Because they preached against the religious and complacent church with boldness.
Because they preached against the wickedness of those in authority with the authority of Heaven.
The Azusa Weekly 