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Join The Journey

S5:012 Acts 6:8-15 – The persecution of the Church

Join The Journey

Watermark Community Church, Dallas, TX

Devotional, Bible, Christianity, Christian, Religion & Spirituality

5.0 • 879 Ratings

🗓️ 24 March 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How do followers of Jesus remain faithful in persecution? Does the Church really thrive under pressure? In this episode, Emma Dotter examines Acts 6:8-15 and the extraordinary faith of an ordinary man named Stephen after being arrested by religious officials. Even though Stephen was not an apostle, he accomplished incredible things by the Holy Spirit’s power. Then, one of Watermark’s overseas workers, Seth, joins to shed light on the persecuted Church, why God allows persecution, and how we should respond when we’re persecuted.  


// ADDITIONAL VERSES MENTIONED: 


Exodus 34: 29; Luke 4: 22; Acts 4: 33; 2 Timothy 3: 12; John 15: 18; 2 Thessalonians 1; Hebrews 13: 3; Ephesians 6: 12; Matthew 25: 40; Romans 12: 14 


// RELATED JOIN THE JOURNEY EPISODES:  


// RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY: 

// WHAT IS JOIN THE JOURNEY? 

Join The Journey is a realistic daily Bible reading plan that helps followers of Jesus at Watermark Community Church and beyond enjoy abiding in Jesus together. Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents guide their kids in Bible reading through interactive and age-specific lessons. In 2026, we’re studying the book of Acts—one passage per week. For another year, teaching on Sunday will align with each week’s passage. Then, for the next six days, we’ll return to the same passage with fresh focus, exploring insights about who God is and how we can enjoy him more deeply. Monday through Saturday, we’ll approach the same passage from a different perspective each day—whether observation, interpretation, prayer, or another spiritual practice—to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for God’s Word. Then, watch or listen to the video podcast to tackle the week's toughest verses and discover key historical, theological, and practical insights. 

Daily Bible lessons for adults: https://jointhejourney.com
Daily Bible lessons for parents and families: https://jointhejourney.com/jr
Weekly Bible podcast for kids: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...  

// MORE RESOURCES FROM JOIN THE JOURNEY:  

Digital Bible study resources: https://jointhejourney.com/resources
Previous years’ print curriculum: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Waterma...
Contact the Join The Journey team: jointhejourney@watermark.org  

Transcript

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0:00.0

All right, all right, join the Journey family, friends, and guests.

0:04.3

You're listening to Join the Journey podcast with your host, Emma, daughter.

0:09.2

Thanks for joining.

0:10.4

This week, we are reading Acts 6, 8 through 15, and we're going to start by answering two significant questions.

0:17.7

The first is, who is Stephen and what's significant about Luke describing him as

0:23.0

full of grace and power? And then what does his story teach us about faithfulness when pressure

0:28.7

begins to rise? And I want to begin by talking about a man by the name of Billy Graham. If you're

0:35.7

unfamiliar with him, Billy Graham was one of the most

0:38.6

influential Christian evangelists in modern history. He preached the gospel on six continents.

0:45.7

He spoke to stadiums filled with hundreds of thousands of people. He met with presidents and

0:51.8

world leaders. Over the course of his ministry, it's estimated that he preached to more people in person in his lifetime than anyone else in history.

1:05.5

But what's fascinating is that Billy Graham didn't just preach in comfortable culturally Christian spaces.

1:12.5

He traveled to countries where Christianity was restricted, where believers were watched,

1:18.0

where suspicion lingered. And during one such visit, a government official said something to him

1:24.7

that I heard and has always stuck with me. Billy Graham recounted that in a

1:29.4

country where Christians were looked upon with suspicion and disfavor, a government leader said to

1:36.2

him with a twinkle in his eyes, Christians seem to thrive under persecution. Perhaps we should

1:43.6

prosper them, and then they would disappear.

1:47.3

I think it's unsettling almost how perceptive that comment by the government official is.

1:53.3

He said, Christians seem to thrive under persecution, so maybe we should stop persecuting them

1:58.4

so that they'll go away.

2:02.6

That's what he was insinuating. But he was on to something. Christians do seem to thrive under pressure. The gospel spreads when under pressure.

...

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