The Problem with So and So’s
Lots of things going on, Father. I am grateful for Your guiding hand. May all of our plans find Your blessing. Amen.
Acts 8:4-25 (<<click here to read the passage)
One thing that grates me the wrong way when driving my bus is the “catty” behavior that seems to be a fairly regular occurrence. So and so wants to sit with so and so one day, then the next they are mad at that so and so and don’t want to sit with that so and so, so they want to sit with another so and so. It’s much more out there and in my face on my elementary route but I would be surprised that it doesn’t happen with my older kids too. They are maybe just a bit more subtle…or at least I don’t hear it.
Today’s passage involved a group of so and so’s that “pure” Jews absolutely despised. And the feeling was mutual. The group of people excluded from the “pure” Jews were called Samaritans.
First here’s a little history lesson for those who may not know how this animosity came to be.
The city of Samaria (in the region of Samaria) had been the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel in the days of the divided kingdom before it was conquered by Assyria in 722 B.C. During that war, the Assyrian king had taken many captives, leaving only the poorest people in the land and resettling it with foreigners. These foreigners had intermarried with the Jews who were left, and the mixed race became known as Samaritans. The Samaritans were considered half-breeds by the “pure” Jews in the southern kingdom of Judah…*
The Jews of the southern kingdom had remained “pure” but truth be told it wasn’t a piece of cake for them to accomplish either. They weren’t a whole lot better at keeping themselves separate from non-Jews in the area, but their leadership was able to keep them pointed in the right direction.
The point I’m trying to make is, there may have been a very substantial wall between them, but Jesus made a gaping hole in it (John 4) and encouraged His followers to follow suit (Acts 1:8). When Philip (by the way this isn’t the Apostle but one of the seven who were anointed to serve tables and distribute food) went to the city of Samaria and told the people there about the Messiah absolutely nothing was said about the wall separating the undesirable so and sos. Philip just did his thing and the people responded…they enthusiastically accepted God’s message! And there was great joy in that city!
You might say, “Well, sure there wasn’t any friction! Philip wasn’t a Jew; he was a Greek believer!” That is true but in the same passage the apostles sent Peter and John to check things out and when they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit and laid their hands upon them, they received the Holy Spirit. And no mention of hesitancy is mentioned on the part of Peter or John either.
Lord Jesus, enable us to get past the whole so and so mentality. May not a single “wall” remain as we step boldly into the world as we proclaim the Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.
*Life Application Study Bible
Mar 8th, 2022, Tues, 6:56 pm
Lesson from a Pup
Even with a great amount of rain coming in and going through this morning, with had nothing more than inconveniences with localized flooding in our area. Thank You, Father, for watching over us and keeping us safe.
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On my elementary route, one of the families has a German Shepherd “pup”. It is probably close to as big as it is going to get but it is a pup through and through! It never fails, when I pull up the pup is bounding all over the place usually with a piece of wood in its mouth. It drops its “toy” near the mom and if she doesn’t respond in a timely manner, the pup barks several times in a row, making sure she hasn’t missed the invitation to take part in an exciting game of fetch.
It’s entertaining to watch but what I noted today, especially, was the fact that the pup has not been affected whatsoever by the weather. It has repeated the same routine in warm weather, in cool weather, in frigid weather, in the snow and ice, and today in the rain. There seems to be no less enthusiasm and joy than when I first saw it at the beginning of the school year when the heat of summer was winding down. The same passion and eagerness are continuously displayed.
Even its master’s less than enthusiastic response – or lack thereof altogether – does not daunt its efforts! Every day is the same – let’s play!
Dogs have been given the moniker, “Man’s Best Friend”. And it is true! They seem to always be eager for love and attention. And though they may not always receive their heart’s desire, they are not discouraged!
I’ve heard the joke about how to find out who loves you most, your spouse or your dog. Lock them in the trunk of your car and let them both out in an hour. Who is happy to see you?
I know our lives are way more complicated, but we could certainly learn something from this family’s pup – and at least a majority of younger children, respond to life in the same way. We let so many things in life rob us of our joy – disappointments, cruelty, hatred, neglect, pain, and loss, to name a few. I suppose it is inevitable but I would put the challenge out there that if we are followers of Jesus, we would strive to see the beauty and wonder that life extends to us and the outcome would be a joy for life – enthusiasm, passion, and eagerness!
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises. Romans 15:13 AMP
Rejoice always and delight in your faith; be unceasing and persistent in prayer; in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 AMP
Mar 7th, 2022, Mon, 7:14 pm
Smart Enough to Get Moving
The Lord is king!
….Let the earth rejoice!
….Let the farthest coastlands be glad.
Dark clouds surround him.
….Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Psalm 97:1-2 NLT
Acts 8:1-4 (<<click here to read the passage)
We’ve all heard the illustration of the boiling frog. The short version is if you put a frog in boiling water, it will immediately jump out. But…as Wikipedia states, if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to or be aware of sinister threats that arise gradually rather than suddenly.
Wikipedia goes on to say that according to modern biologists the premise is false: a frog that is gradually heated will jump out. Their brains may not be very big, but instincts easily push them towards survival. Even a frog is smart enough to get moving out of that kind of situation if it can!
With the death of Stephen, the fire was lit under those who considered themselves followers of Jesus. The last portion of verse 1 reads,
And on that day a great and relentless persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem; and the believers were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. AMP
Verse 4 follows up by declaring,
Now those [believers] who had been scattered went from place to place preaching the word [the good news of salvation through Christ].
Persecution for the early church was the real deal (unlike the flim-flammy stuff many modern-day Christians in our society boo-hoo about – those are just inconveniences! Talk to believers in China and many other truly oppressed areas of our world to understand what genuine persecution is!)
Verse 3 gives us a small glimpse of what they were dealing with.
…Saul began ravaging the church [and assaulting believers]; entering house after house and dragging off men and women, putting them in prison.
It was definitely awful for them, but it yielded great results!
Persecution forced the believers out of their homes in Jerusalem, and along with them went the Good News. Sometimes we have to become uncomfortable before we’ll move. We may not want to experience it, but discomfort may be best for us because God may be working through our hurts. When you are tempted to complain about uncomfortable or painful circumstances, stop and ask if God might be preparing you for a special task.*
The water around them was starting to heat up and so they got out of it and in the process spread the message of what Jesus had done, touching more and more lives as they continued to move further and further out from the comfort of home.
Lord Jesus, may we not ballyhoo all the difficulties in life we experience. We never know what doors might open – new horizons, new encounters, new opportunities! You might be giving us a little shove out of our cozy nests to impact new people for You! Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible
Mar 3rd, 2022, Thurs, 8:57 pm
Holding Out Hope
Father, as I come before You a little earlier than usual, I would ask that You guide my thoughts to words that You want to be heard. May it not just be the rattling of my tongue but words for that person who needs them. Amen.
Acts 7:58, 8:1-3 (<<click here to read the passage)
Is there anyone you can think of that you would consider, at least from a spiritual perspective, to be a hopeless cause? Maybe it’s someone who wants absolutely nothing to do with God or the church. They might get into anything with no guilt or remorse…the dirtier the better! Or they might be really good people who somewhere along the line totally caste aside anything to do with God. They would do anything to help out their fellow man but keep God out of it. Don’t even mention His name. I know people like that.
Or what about someone who is faithful to the Church? They are there when the doors are open. They support anything the church does. And they might even be pretty good at talking the talk. But truth be told, they may not even really know who God is. They might be able to regurgitate all kinds of religious “speak” but they have never really met the Author. Maybe they think they have but what it all boils down for them is merely a giant checklist of dos and don’ts. Keep that list current and well maintained and they feel they are good to go…but the sad thing is…they’re not. None of the above individuals are. Taking an honest look at their lives we might possibly hold out hope for some, but for many, we could easily say that they were beyond hope…
The man in today’s verses thought he knew who God was. He served Him with great gusto! He abided by all of the rules and regulations…and we know that list was huge! According to his own testimony, he said,
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did…” Acts 22:3 NLT
Saul was his name. Those who stoned Stephen, cast their coats at his feet. (Acts 7:58)
Chapter 8 begins by saying,
Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. v1 NLT
And continues with,
A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. (Some devout men came and buried Stephen with great mourning.) But Saul was going everywhere to destroy the church. He went from house to house, dragging out both men and women to throw them into prison. vs1-3 NLT
I doubt those who followed Jesus in those early days held out any hope whatsoever for Saul. But they were in for the surprise of their life – but more about that later!
For now, don’t give up on those you might deem hopeless. Jesus hasn’t given up on them and we shouldn’t either. God can do the impossible while we just stand back in awe!
Mar 2nd, 2022, Tues, 12:54 pm
Just Do It!
Father, I call on You as I sit to write. Things are rattling through my mind that are distracting me from what I need to be doing. Help me to focus squarely on You! Amen.
Acts 7:54-60 (<<click here to read the passage)
A lot of us struggle with sharing our faith. I’ve heard some more modern vernacular that phrases it as sharing our “story”. What we call it is not nearly as important as doing it.
I remember years ago, my dad setting up an outreach program founded on a very popular book at the time entitled, Evangelism Explosion, by Dr. D. James Kennedy. It involved receiving hands-on training and the faithful in many churches found it to be a great asset in spreading the Good News of what Jesus did for us in His life, sacrificial death, and resurrection to the world around them.
I truly believe that our biggest hindrance in sharing our faith…is ourselves. We fear rejection. We fear persecution. We fear the possible repercussions of doing so. I realize that throughout history people have literally died because they felt sharing about Jesus was worth any risk they could take. And as we can see when we read today’s passage, that’s exactly what happened to Stephen. He is counted as the first Christian martyr. That wasn’t his goal. He didn’t wake up that day and think that he was going to share Jesus’ story and the end result would be his own death.
My Life Application Study Bible states, “People may not kill us for witnessing about Christ, but they may let us know they don’t want to hear the truth and try to silence us.”
It goes on to set forth the challenge, “Keep honoring God in your conduct and words; though many may turn against you and your message, some will follow Christ Remember, Stephen’s death had a profound impact on Paul who later became the world’s greatest missionary. Even those who oppose you now may later turn to Christ.”
I live my faith for all to see, and I feel that that alone has impacted many of those I have worked with side by side over the years. But – and I will be honest with you – beyond writing this blog five days a week for the past 7 years and preaching from behind a pulpit for the last 20 years, I don’t say a whole lot…and I really feel that I should be more active in the area. I don’t shy away when questions are asked of me. But I struggle to initiate that conversation.
Lord Jesus, I pray for myself and for so many others who are true believers in You and what You have done for them and continue to do for them every day. May we take note of the opportunities right before our eyes. May we hear the prodding of the Holy Spirit and then may we be given a boldness to step out on faith and speak what is on our hearts. Fill us…use us. People need to hear the life-giving words You have given us. Amen.
Mar 1st, 2022, Tues, 5:11 pm