Ultimately, Stephen died for his faith, but this chapter is more interesting for what happened in the moments leading up to his death. Stephen chose not to defend actions directly. He chose not to argue with the Sanhedrin over who said or did what. He chose not accuse anyone of falsely charging him or of lying. He chose to simply recount the facts of the Israelites’ history in dealing with prophets of God, and he chose to stand firm on the Word of God.
In this dissertation, Stephen reminds the Sanhedrin that God has always been true to His promises and that every time there was a separation between God and His people it was the people’s that had turned away. He reminded them that the Israelites had a long history of not listening to the prophets of God until after the prophecy had come true, which meant that they spent most of history crawling back to God to beg forgiveness. Most importantly, though, Stephen offered the Sanhedrin a chance to change: a chance to recognize that they were on the same old familiar road again and to choose this time to follow God before things got out of hand.
The Sanhedrin obviously did not like seeing themselves clearly in the mirror that Stephen held in front of them, so they had him stoned. This gives us two things to learn from. First, we can be like Stephen and rise above the petty disagreements of men to stand on the Word of God which is always true. Be careful, though, because when you do that you might find yourself in the position of the Sanhedrin, and that is the second thing we can learn from. When you see yourself as God sees you, will you change?
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Acts 6
It’s funny how the little things can drag us down. A simple argument, that must not have amounted to much given the ease with which it was solved, threatened to effectively halt the spread of the gospel. Rather than the praying and preaching, the apostles were called on to serve food. It seemed simple, I’m sure to those making the request. Some of the widows were being overlooked, and no one wanted the widows to be overlooked. It almost seems like the right thing for the apostles to do; take care of the widows. Didn’t Jesus command something like that at one point?
Thankfully, the apostles were wise enough to see the big picture and realize that they were not commanded to focus their ministry internally. They found seven that were focused on that, and delegated the task to them. Problem solved. Now the apostles could focus on proselytizing and the seven could focus on internal relationships. The first real example of how the Body of Christ is supposed to work.
Be careful here, though, and recognize that the apostles didn’t delegate this task simply because they didn’t want to do it or because it was “beneath them.” They delegated because it wasn’t their calling. Had it been the other way around; for instance, had the apostles delegated the preaching and taken on the task of ministering to the widows, failure would have ensued.
As things happened, Stephen, is pulled out as an example of how a single person put into the right role can both minister internally and externally. He’s assigned to be one of the seven, and later we see that he is out among the people performing miracles and he is able to stand his ground against the religious leaders. Being in the correct position in the body provides encouragement and strength for you and your fellow believers. Would Stephen have been so effective if he did not see how he fit with the Body?
Thankfully, the apostles were wise enough to see the big picture and realize that they were not commanded to focus their ministry internally. They found seven that were focused on that, and delegated the task to them. Problem solved. Now the apostles could focus on proselytizing and the seven could focus on internal relationships. The first real example of how the Body of Christ is supposed to work.
Be careful here, though, and recognize that the apostles didn’t delegate this task simply because they didn’t want to do it or because it was “beneath them.” They delegated because it wasn’t their calling. Had it been the other way around; for instance, had the apostles delegated the preaching and taken on the task of ministering to the widows, failure would have ensued.
As things happened, Stephen, is pulled out as an example of how a single person put into the right role can both minister internally and externally. He’s assigned to be one of the seven, and later we see that he is out among the people performing miracles and he is able to stand his ground against the religious leaders. Being in the correct position in the body provides encouragement and strength for you and your fellow believers. Would Stephen have been so effective if he did not see how he fit with the Body?
Monday, January 29, 2007
Acts 5
There’s really a lot in this chapter to dig into. First, God kills two of the new believers. Next, God heals people through the apostles. Finally, God challenges the religious establishment through a jail escape and hearing. I’ll be there are plenty of people out there that would use this passage to demonstrate the “inconsistencies” of the Bible. I think that they are just not looking at this passage closely enough.
Ananias and his wife, Sapphira (not the dragon; a real person), sold their property and agreed to keep some of the money for themselves. We don’t have any way to know how much of the money they kept, and the amount is certainly not important to the point. The important thing to God was that He asks for all of you. All of your time, all of your commitment, all of your energy. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.” That pretty much covers everything, and Ananias didn’t have that level of commitment. It cost Ananias his family and his life. Does this mean that if you don’t give all of your money to the church that you will die? I don’t know.
God can certainly do as He pleases, and He chose to take the life of Ananias and Sapphira to make a point in the early church. I don’t know of any recent examples of this same thing, but I do know that when we don’t give everything to God, that we will suffer. You may not die physically, but spiritually you will not grow, and you will not enjoy the life that God intends.
On the other hand, the apostles healed people, were jailed, and preached the name of Jesus in this passage. Isn’t that inconsistent with a God that kills His own believers? Why would He kill His believers and heal those that don’t believe? Those questions miss the point. The question that should be asked is what was different about Ananias and the apostles? And the answer is that the apostles gave everything to God.
Because they had given everything to God, He was able to work through them to heal the sick and spread His word. Because they gave everything, He was willing to free them from jail and continue to use them to spread the word. As a matter of fact, the apostles were so committed that they counted it a blessing to be flogged for their belief. Wow!
I think between these two examples, I spend more time being Ananias than Peter, and I wonder how to make the shift. How about you?
Ananias and his wife, Sapphira (not the dragon; a real person), sold their property and agreed to keep some of the money for themselves. We don’t have any way to know how much of the money they kept, and the amount is certainly not important to the point. The important thing to God was that He asks for all of you. All of your time, all of your commitment, all of your energy. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.” That pretty much covers everything, and Ananias didn’t have that level of commitment. It cost Ananias his family and his life. Does this mean that if you don’t give all of your money to the church that you will die? I don’t know.
God can certainly do as He pleases, and He chose to take the life of Ananias and Sapphira to make a point in the early church. I don’t know of any recent examples of this same thing, but I do know that when we don’t give everything to God, that we will suffer. You may not die physically, but spiritually you will not grow, and you will not enjoy the life that God intends.
On the other hand, the apostles healed people, were jailed, and preached the name of Jesus in this passage. Isn’t that inconsistent with a God that kills His own believers? Why would He kill His believers and heal those that don’t believe? Those questions miss the point. The question that should be asked is what was different about Ananias and the apostles? And the answer is that the apostles gave everything to God.
Because they had given everything to God, He was able to work through them to heal the sick and spread His word. Because they gave everything, He was willing to free them from jail and continue to use them to spread the word. As a matter of fact, the apostles were so committed that they counted it a blessing to be flogged for their belief. Wow!
I think between these two examples, I spend more time being Ananias than Peter, and I wonder how to make the shift. How about you?
Acts 4
I really like this part of the story. Maybe because it’s how I hope that I would respond in a situation to what Peter and John faced. These two apostles healed a man just before entering the temple, and that generated a buzz around the two of them that the religious establishment could not handle. So they were arrested.
Boiling down Peter’s response to the charges, he basically says, “Seriously, guys, are you arresting us for healing a man?” To which the leaders had no response except to tell the apostles to stop speaking of Jesus. Peter responds again, “So you want us to listen to your rules rather than God?” I know that’s a very loose paraphrase, but I think it gets the meat of the point across.
Peter had no fear of the religious. He had a fear of God. He had little respect for those that had bound the people to rules and regulations. He had respect for the one that had shown the truth of the Gospel. Which do you fear and respect? Your rules and religions? Or your God and Savior?
Boiling down Peter’s response to the charges, he basically says, “Seriously, guys, are you arresting us for healing a man?” To which the leaders had no response except to tell the apostles to stop speaking of Jesus. Peter responds again, “So you want us to listen to your rules rather than God?” I know that’s a very loose paraphrase, but I think it gets the meat of the point across.
Peter had no fear of the religious. He had a fear of God. He had little respect for those that had bound the people to rules and regulations. He had respect for the one that had shown the truth of the Gospel. Which do you fear and respect? Your rules and religions? Or your God and Savior?
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Acts 3
Three very distinctly different characters are contrasted in this chapter. Are you the man begging for alms, one of the people in the temple, or one of the apostles? I think sometimes I’m each different one.
At times, I sit before God begging for Him to help me in a way that’s really insignificant by comparison to His power. I expect when He talks to me that I’m going to get something, but I don’t ever really expect to experience the fullness of His mercy and grace. When He then gives me what He prefers for me to have it’s always so much better than what I thought I wanted. Honestly, though, I can’t say that I’m always happy about it because it’s not always easy.
Think about the beggar in this situation. He’s a grown man now, and he’s been lame from birth. He’s never had a job. He’s never learned a trade. He’s only ever made a living from begging, and that only worked because he was lame. Now he can walk. He can get a job. No one is going to give him money anymore because he’s not lame anymore, but they also may not give him a job. I’m not saying that God didn’t know what he was doing or that Peter and John did this man a disservice. I’m just saying that sometimes when I’m in that same situation, I get upset and ask God, “Why couldn’t You have just given me the money? Wouldn’t that have been easier?” I think God usually answers, “Yes, it would have been easier for you, but not better.”
Other times, I sit on the sidelines and I watch God working through His people, and I wonder why I’m not connected to that. I’m not talking about some guy that flies up to your local convention center from his private island in the Caribbean to heal people on stage for the low, low price of $4,995….if you call now, God might even give you a discount while He’s blessing you for funding this “ministry.” I’m talking about genuine working of the Holy Spirit; genuine outpourings of love. The Jews got a little reprieve from Peter because they did not know any better, but what about me? I do know better, but sometimes I just choose not to get involved. It’s just easier.
Finally, there are the really cool times. The times when I choose to turn away from the easier path of the first two characters and I walk in the shoes of the apostles. It’s not easy to look at someone and tell them that you can’t give them what they want, but you can give them something completely unexpected. It’s not easy to stand in front of a group of people and challenge their core beliefs. It’s not easy to be one of the apostles, but isn’t it cool to expect the full extent of God’s power and to be open to the direction of God in your life?
At times, I sit before God begging for Him to help me in a way that’s really insignificant by comparison to His power. I expect when He talks to me that I’m going to get something, but I don’t ever really expect to experience the fullness of His mercy and grace. When He then gives me what He prefers for me to have it’s always so much better than what I thought I wanted. Honestly, though, I can’t say that I’m always happy about it because it’s not always easy.
Think about the beggar in this situation. He’s a grown man now, and he’s been lame from birth. He’s never had a job. He’s never learned a trade. He’s only ever made a living from begging, and that only worked because he was lame. Now he can walk. He can get a job. No one is going to give him money anymore because he’s not lame anymore, but they also may not give him a job. I’m not saying that God didn’t know what he was doing or that Peter and John did this man a disservice. I’m just saying that sometimes when I’m in that same situation, I get upset and ask God, “Why couldn’t You have just given me the money? Wouldn’t that have been easier?” I think God usually answers, “Yes, it would have been easier for you, but not better.”
Other times, I sit on the sidelines and I watch God working through His people, and I wonder why I’m not connected to that. I’m not talking about some guy that flies up to your local convention center from his private island in the Caribbean to heal people on stage for the low, low price of $4,995….if you call now, God might even give you a discount while He’s blessing you for funding this “ministry.” I’m talking about genuine working of the Holy Spirit; genuine outpourings of love. The Jews got a little reprieve from Peter because they did not know any better, but what about me? I do know better, but sometimes I just choose not to get involved. It’s just easier.
Finally, there are the really cool times. The times when I choose to turn away from the easier path of the first two characters and I walk in the shoes of the apostles. It’s not easy to look at someone and tell them that you can’t give them what they want, but you can give them something completely unexpected. It’s not easy to stand in front of a group of people and challenge their core beliefs. It’s not easy to be one of the apostles, but isn’t it cool to expect the full extent of God’s power and to be open to the direction of God in your life?
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Acts 2
I started wondering about Pentecost when I was reading this passage. In verse one it says that “the day of Pentecost had come” as if everyone should know what the significance of that day. I always thought that Pentecost was a name we (Christians) came up with to mark the descent of the Holy Spirit, though. Based on my observation this morning, it seems that the day was already named.
A little research showed me that the Pentecost was actually a Jewish feast that was celebrated following Passover. It commemorated the day that Moses met God on the top of Mount Sinai and received the Law (the first covenant with Israel). Essentially, it celebrated the birthday of the nation of Israel.
Now imagine that you are a Jew living at the time of Acts 2. You’ve celebrated Pentecost all of your life. You’ve heard the story of Moses, Mt. Sinai, God, thunder on the mountain, the glowing face of Moses, and the Ten Commandments. You’re still hanging around Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost with your family this year, too. Since it follows so quickly after Passover, why travel all the way back home?
All of a sudden in the middle of the day of Pentecost, you start hearing thunder, but there are no clouds in the sky. No wait, it’s not thunder, it sounds more like wind, but you don’t even feel a breeze. You’re already hyped up on Old Testament stories, and now you’re starting to think that it’s happening again. Everyone around you hears the noise, too. You all start making your way across town to the source of this noise, and you find a small house packed with people. About 120 in all, and they are all talking about the wonders of God.
Hang on a second, you think. How can I understand these guys? I’m not even from around here. I don’t even speak their language, and they surely don’t speak mine. Then you notice one of them in particular. He appears to be their leader. He steps forward and starts a sermon. He’s talking about King David, the Messiah, and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Just like what happened to Moses on Mt. Sinai, this guy is saying the same thing happened to them. And he’s saying that it could happen to me, too.
Guess what. It can happen to you, too. The beauty of this passage is that it shows us how God’s timing is perfect and how He perfectly orchestrates events. He didn’t accidentally choose to send the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It was a day that was significant to the people of that time, a day that would maximize the number of people who heard the gospel, and a day that would allow 120 people to take the gospel to the ends of the earth without having to leave Jerusalem. Did you notice that Jesus had commanded them to do that before He left? And did you think about how long it would take 120 people to travel to the ends of the earth? God brought the ends of the earth to them, and 3,000 people became believers. They all went home, to the ends of the earth, with their own Pentecost story and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Has He ever asked you to do something that seemed impossible and then orchestrated events so that it became as simple as breathing? I’m sure He has. The real question is, did you notice?
A little research showed me that the Pentecost was actually a Jewish feast that was celebrated following Passover. It commemorated the day that Moses met God on the top of Mount Sinai and received the Law (the first covenant with Israel). Essentially, it celebrated the birthday of the nation of Israel.
Now imagine that you are a Jew living at the time of Acts 2. You’ve celebrated Pentecost all of your life. You’ve heard the story of Moses, Mt. Sinai, God, thunder on the mountain, the glowing face of Moses, and the Ten Commandments. You’re still hanging around Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost with your family this year, too. Since it follows so quickly after Passover, why travel all the way back home?
All of a sudden in the middle of the day of Pentecost, you start hearing thunder, but there are no clouds in the sky. No wait, it’s not thunder, it sounds more like wind, but you don’t even feel a breeze. You’re already hyped up on Old Testament stories, and now you’re starting to think that it’s happening again. Everyone around you hears the noise, too. You all start making your way across town to the source of this noise, and you find a small house packed with people. About 120 in all, and they are all talking about the wonders of God.
Hang on a second, you think. How can I understand these guys? I’m not even from around here. I don’t even speak their language, and they surely don’t speak mine. Then you notice one of them in particular. He appears to be their leader. He steps forward and starts a sermon. He’s talking about King David, the Messiah, and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Just like what happened to Moses on Mt. Sinai, this guy is saying the same thing happened to them. And he’s saying that it could happen to me, too.
Guess what. It can happen to you, too. The beauty of this passage is that it shows us how God’s timing is perfect and how He perfectly orchestrates events. He didn’t accidentally choose to send the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. It was a day that was significant to the people of that time, a day that would maximize the number of people who heard the gospel, and a day that would allow 120 people to take the gospel to the ends of the earth without having to leave Jerusalem. Did you notice that Jesus had commanded them to do that before He left? And did you think about how long it would take 120 people to travel to the ends of the earth? God brought the ends of the earth to them, and 3,000 people became believers. They all went home, to the ends of the earth, with their own Pentecost story and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Has He ever asked you to do something that seemed impossible and then orchestrated events so that it became as simple as breathing? I’m sure He has. The real question is, did you notice?
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Acts 1
Can you imagine what it must have been like to be one of the eleven, or even Jesus’ mother during the time described in this chapter? Jesus had been with you for a few years and then died. You went through the mourning of His death, and then you found out that He was resurrected. You spent another month with Him learning more about the kingdom of God and His mission for you on earth, and then suddenly He left again.
Sure, there were two angels there telling you that He would be back again someday. Sure, Jesus had said that He would send a helper. I think I might still have been a little angry or at least sad, though. Jesus had already been torn away once, why did He have to leave again? Why does the job need to be left to me? And what kind of helper could be as great as Jesus?
We live in a world where the Holy Spirit has already come. A world where the Bible has already been written. A world where the gospel of Christ has touched nearly every corner of civilization. Unlike the apostles, we don’t have to wait for the next chapter to receive help. We just have to accept the gift from God to allow the Holy Spirit to flow into and out of our lives.
Sure, there were two angels there telling you that He would be back again someday. Sure, Jesus had said that He would send a helper. I think I might still have been a little angry or at least sad, though. Jesus had already been torn away once, why did He have to leave again? Why does the job need to be left to me? And what kind of helper could be as great as Jesus?
We live in a world where the Holy Spirit has already come. A world where the Bible has already been written. A world where the gospel of Christ has touched nearly every corner of civilization. Unlike the apostles, we don’t have to wait for the next chapter to receive help. We just have to accept the gift from God to allow the Holy Spirit to flow into and out of our lives.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Mark 16
We live in an age where everything must be explained. So, let’s suppose the Jesus took human form during our generation and that He stuck with the living, preaching, teaching, dying, resurrecting plan, how would our world react to that?
I bet that it would be like an episode of CSI gone wrong. We would send in teams to dust for prints while putting out an APB (or BOLO as they are now called in TV lingo) on Mr. Universe. Get it? Mr. Universe? God? Never mind. When no prints were found and eyewitnesses testified to the tomb being opened on its own, we’d start looking for government conspiracies involving nerve gas and mind control experimentation, and when the government denied any involvement we’d respond by electing a different party the following November.
It would never occur to anyone that it just might not be explainable, but even for those that might get that far they would probably qualify it as not explainable yet. Believing it was a miracle would take a miracle. Wrestle with that logic for a minute. Yet people still believe today in the miraculous resurrection of Christ. Why? How can I reconcile the intellectuality (is that even a word?) of our society with the belief in the miraculous that so many of us still hold dear?
I think it might be a little easier to believe in the miracles of Jesus in our society than in the time of Christ. Sure, some of the people that lived at the same time as Christ and the apostles saw His miracles. Those guys probably believed what they saw, but what about the rest? When they heard a story about a guy that healed a blind man, raised someone from the dead, calmed a storm, exorcised demons, did they believe? Or were they just suspicious enough to go find out for themselves? Or more likely, did they just think that they were hearing stories from a crazy person that had gotten into some old wine and started seeing things?
Today, many of us “believe” in the miracles of Christ because it’s a part of our society. We accept it as true because we have never known a world where Christ did not rise from the dead. We’ve never known a world where Lazarus was dead. Others of us “believe” simply because it’s in the Bible but couldn’t really point to any miracles in the world around us. Many from both of these groups could not be deterred from their “belief,” but is it the same as when Jesus asks us to believe in Him? Or is that just a general knowledge item? Something you just know but don’t really apply, like the knowledge that George Washington was the first President.
The women in Mark 16 didn’t have a general knowledge belief that Christ rose from the dead. They had a firsthand experience. They didn’t read a story in a Bible. They saw the story as it happened, and they had every reason to look for an explanation just like we would today. They didn’t, though, because they believed that God is all powerful, and they opened their eyes to the possibility of a miracle. Do you think God still works that way in our world today? Do you allow yourself to see the miraculous when it happens right in front of your eyes?
I bet that it would be like an episode of CSI gone wrong. We would send in teams to dust for prints while putting out an APB (or BOLO as they are now called in TV lingo) on Mr. Universe. Get it? Mr. Universe? God? Never mind. When no prints were found and eyewitnesses testified to the tomb being opened on its own, we’d start looking for government conspiracies involving nerve gas and mind control experimentation, and when the government denied any involvement we’d respond by electing a different party the following November.
It would never occur to anyone that it just might not be explainable, but even for those that might get that far they would probably qualify it as not explainable yet. Believing it was a miracle would take a miracle. Wrestle with that logic for a minute. Yet people still believe today in the miraculous resurrection of Christ. Why? How can I reconcile the intellectuality (is that even a word?) of our society with the belief in the miraculous that so many of us still hold dear?
I think it might be a little easier to believe in the miracles of Jesus in our society than in the time of Christ. Sure, some of the people that lived at the same time as Christ and the apostles saw His miracles. Those guys probably believed what they saw, but what about the rest? When they heard a story about a guy that healed a blind man, raised someone from the dead, calmed a storm, exorcised demons, did they believe? Or were they just suspicious enough to go find out for themselves? Or more likely, did they just think that they were hearing stories from a crazy person that had gotten into some old wine and started seeing things?
Today, many of us “believe” in the miracles of Christ because it’s a part of our society. We accept it as true because we have never known a world where Christ did not rise from the dead. We’ve never known a world where Lazarus was dead. Others of us “believe” simply because it’s in the Bible but couldn’t really point to any miracles in the world around us. Many from both of these groups could not be deterred from their “belief,” but is it the same as when Jesus asks us to believe in Him? Or is that just a general knowledge item? Something you just know but don’t really apply, like the knowledge that George Washington was the first President.
The women in Mark 16 didn’t have a general knowledge belief that Christ rose from the dead. They had a firsthand experience. They didn’t read a story in a Bible. They saw the story as it happened, and they had every reason to look for an explanation just like we would today. They didn’t, though, because they believed that God is all powerful, and they opened their eyes to the possibility of a miracle. Do you think God still works that way in our world today? Do you allow yourself to see the miraculous when it happens right in front of your eyes?
The Summit Bible Reading Plan
Our church is sponsoring a reading plan for the New Testament called "The Summit." The idea is that you read 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week and then reflect on what you've read. If you'd like more info or a copy of the reading schedule, you can check it out at http://fbcnorth.org/Content/487.htm
The point of this blog is to give me a place to write down my thoughts on each day's reading, and hopefully, generate interest in my writings to help keep me motivated to make it through the entire process.
The point of this blog is to give me a place to write down my thoughts on each day's reading, and hopefully, generate interest in my writings to help keep me motivated to make it through the entire process.
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