Don’t Be Caught Off Guard
Father, while there are things that catch me by surprise, I am grateful that nothing ever does that for You. Help my focus to be on You and no other. Amen.
Acts 7:51-53 (<<click here to read the passage)
I realize that I have brought it upon myself but several days ago I took the time to watch a dashcam video montage online and now all kinds of them are showing up on my feed. Most of them feature accidents caught on their cameras. Occasionally, victims can see disaster coming their way but more often than not – BAM! – they are caught totally unawares. A tire comes off a vehicle on the other side of the highway and slams into their car… A vehicle weaving through traffic much too quickly loses control and plows into a car they didn’t see…
I feel that way about Stephen’s speech before the High Council. In his condensed history of Israel, his listeners are hearing nothing they don’t already know then – BAM! – he broadsides them with an accusation that, although absolutely true, catches them totally off guard! It instantly infuriates them throwing them into a rage!
Read through his accusation… If you were the guilty recipient, wouldn’t it set you off, too?
“You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.” Acts 7:51-53 NLT
In the New Living Translation, there is a note linked to the word heathen in the second sentence. In the Greek translation, that word also means uncircumcised.
Of course, circumcision is one of the big things that set God’s people apart as His own. No one else did that. So, if you were not circumcised you were not considered God’s people, you were considered heathens or uncircumcised.
Yes, circumcision is an outward act on a man’s body but from a spiritual perspective, it reflects not the outward act but an inward condition.
Stephen stated, “You are heathen (uncircumcised) at heart…” Ouch! And that was just the first slap across their faces!
The core text of last week’s sermon had a very apropos passage of Scripture that came to mind when I read the one here in Acts. It is from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the non-Jewish members in the Church in Ephesus.
Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. Ephesians 2:11 NLT
Technically, because most of us are not Jewish by birth – we are Gentiles, we would be considered heathens. And regardless of any symbolic outward act, be we man or woman, we must be very careful to ensure that our hearts show the mark of transformation at the hand of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May we strive each and every day, not to be caught off guard by the ugly truth, but to live lives dedicated to Him, truly reflecting the purity of His heart. Amen.
Feb 27th, 2022, Sun, 8:09 PM
More Than a Mouthful!
Heavenly Father, thank You for this day and the things my hands and hearts touched. May they be as ripples in the water, as they continue to spread and impact Your Kingdom. Amen.
Acts 7:1-53 (<<click here to read the passage)
A couple of years ago, we spent a good part of a day off in Delaware, Ohio. For lunch, we decided to eat at The Thurman Café, a local landmark. Massey decided to go for one of the dishes they are well known for…The Thurmanator! It. Was. HUGE! (See above.)
It consists of the following: Bottom bun, mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickle, banana peppers, 12-ounce burger, bacon, cheddar, another 12-ounce burger, sautéed onions & mushrooms, ham, mozzarella & American cheese, top bun served with fries, and a pickle spear.
For sure it was a knife and fork kind of meal. There was no possible way to get your mouth wide enough to take a bite from top to bottom!
Reading through Stephen’s speech is sort of like that! It’s nigh impossible to take a bite out of it. It begins in verse 2 and ends in verse 53! And he covers a lot of Israel’s history and in doing so highlights the Jewish nation’s ongoing problem. The Life Application Study Bible states,
From Old Testament history he showed that the Jews had constantly rejected God’s message and his prophets and that this council had rejected the Messiah, God’s Son…
…Stephen was accusing these religious leaders of failing to obey God’s laws – the laws they prided themselves in following so meticulously. This was the same accusation that Jesus had leveled against them.
And as we will see they didn’t like Stephen’s accusations any more than they liked Jesus’!
The only way to digest what Stephen communicated to the council is by taking one bite at a time. He does an excellent job of condensing the entirety of the main points of Jewish history to prove his point. From day one they had fought against the lordship of God. Like all of mankind, they wanted things their way. To yield to some “god” went against the grain.
His quoting of Amos 5:25-27 gives a very articulate snapshot of Israel’s overall mentality when it came to following God.
‘Was it to me you were bringing sacrifices and offerings
….during those forty years in the wilderness, Israel?
No, you carried your pagan gods—
….the shrine of Molech,
….the star of your god Rephan,
….and the images you made to worship them.
So I will send you into exile
….as far away as Babylon. vs42b-43
They never loved the Lord, their God, with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength. It was like making a promise with their fingers crossed behind their backs. They may have sworn fealty to Him but at the same time, they had a pagan idol stuck in their back pocket…
Lord Jesus, we may gasp at their audacity, but we are no less guilty. We swear our allegiance to You, but all the while we do not cease feeding our addictions whatever they may be. Forgive us… Give us the strength and fortitude to love You as we ought, holding nothing back. Amen.
Feb 24th, 2022, Thurs, 7:39 pm
Shine Your Light
Light shines on the godly,
….and joy on those whose hearts are right.
May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord
….and praise his holy name! Psalm 96:11-12 NLT
Acts 6:15 (<<click here to read the passage)
Several times on my first route of the morning I’ve noticed at one of my first stops that when dad parks his vehicle at the end of the driveway waiting for my arrival, his headlights cast a far-reaching beam to the lone tree in the field on the opposite side of the road. I may have casually seen the tree in daylight hours but at the pitch-black hour at which I pick his son up, the tree stands out starkly in the inky darkness.
The last verse of Acts 6 in the New Living Translation reads,
At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s. v15
It caught my attention but interestingly enough, amongst the translations I regularly reference it was the only one to mention his face becoming bright. But when I searched commentaries online as to what the verse meant, all of them referenced Stephen’s shining face!
For reference here is the passage as found in the Amplified Bible,
Then all those who were sitting in the Council, stared [intently] at him, and they saw that Stephen’s face was like the face of an angel.
A passage of Scripture that was frequently pointed out was what happened to Moses when he went up on the mountain to speak with God. When he would return his face would be aglow with the glory of God. The first time it happened it freaked everybody out, so from that time forward after his conversations with God, he wore a veil over his face. (Exodus 34:29-35)
What this says about Stephen is that he was so attuned to God that He brought upon him a radiant visage to drive home the fact that Stephen wasn’t just blowing steam. He was the real deal! His communion with God was so close that he radiated God’s glory!
This initial encounter caused the Jewish leadership to pause but immediately after Stephen’s sermon, which is recorded in the first 53 verses of chapter 7, whatever they had seen that had given them pause was consumed in the violent heat of anger.
So, what does this mean for us? As the dad’s headlights illuminated the tree across the field, and as God’s glory illuminated Stephen’s face God’s light should illumine us, as well.
When I drive down that road my eyes are drawn to the illuminated tree. I, of course, see the light from their vehicle but the tree is what often catches my attention.
Matthew 5:16 comes to mind,
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven. AMP
We reflect God’s light into the world’s darkness. May the light given us bring people’s attention, not to us, but to God and who and what He is! May He shine through us, and most importantly may they see the redemption He offers!
Feb 23rd, 2022, Wed, 7:46 pm
Be a Noticer
Thank You, Father, for the beautifully warm day to get a few things outside. I’ll take 60s in February in Ohio any time!
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I sat down to write this evening and I got a notification on my phone and, long story short, I found something that I had shared on Facebook seven years ago. It caught my eye and I felt compelled to share it again…except this time with you!
Far too often we get so caught up in focusing on what “needs” done that we miss so many other things that need to be noticed. Let this post inspire you.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes]. James 1:17 AMP
My daughter handed me her school progress report. Although it displayed a steady stream of positive check marks, there was one check mark standing dejectedly alone from the rest.
“How am I doing, Mom?” my child asked with a level of maturity that did not match the small disheveled person gazing up at me with smudged eyeglasses that teetered on the tip of her nose. With her small finger, she pointed to her teacher’s neatly printed words next to the lone check mark.
It read: Distracted in large groups. But I already knew this. I knew this long before it was written on an official report card. Since she was a toddler, this child has offered astute observations of the world around her.
After pointing out all the positives on the progress report, I told her what was written. Upon hearing the news, she gave a tiny, uncertain smile and shyly admitted, “I do look around a lot.”
But before my child could feel one ounce of shame, one iota of failure, I came down on bended knee and looked her straight in the eye. I didn’t want her to just hear these words, I wanted her to feel them. This is what I said:
“Yes. You do look around a lot. You noticed Sam sitting off by himself with a skinned knee on the field trip, and you comforted him.
You noticed Banjo had a running nose, and the vet said it was a good thing we brought him in when we did.
You noticed our waitress was working really hard and suggested we leave an extra good tip.
You noticed Grandpa was walking slower than the rest of us so you waited for him.
You notice the beautiful view every time we cross the bridge to go to swim practice.
And you know what? I don’t ever want you to stop noticing because that is your gift. It is your gift that you give to the world.”
As I watched my daughter beam with the glow of acceptance, I realized her approach to life had the power to change the world.
You see, we are all just waiting for someone to notice—notice our pain, notice our scars, notice our fear, notice our joy, notice our triumphs, notice our courage.
And the one who notices is a rare and beautiful gift.
Let us all be Noticers today.
© Rachel Macy Stafford 2011
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If you’d like to check out more from Rachel Macy Stafford check out her The Hands Free Revolution Facebook page and also here is a link to her book Hands Free Life – which she shares the above story in as well!
Feb 21st, 2022, Mon, 7:29 pm
Not Limited to Serving Tables
Thank You, Father, for Your word in our services today, for safe travels, for sustenance, for loving family, for working to bring some home, and that we are home and winding down after a full day from beginning to end.
Acts 6:8-15 (<<click here to read the passage)
I had an interesting conversation with a fine gentleman the other day. He was servicing an appliance in our home. He is the owner of his own business and intermittently between his work and me finishing up preparations for Sunday’s service we chatted.
Through the course of our interaction, he jokingly made a comment about switching jobs. He knew I was a school bus driver but didn’t realize that I also was a pastor. When I smiled and said as such, he referenced that his grandfather had been a minister and declared that that would never be him. My reply was something to the effect that, you never know…and I believed it!
In today’s passage Stephen and who he is and what he did, is the focal point. If you will recall he was one of the seven who were chosen to serve tables and manage the distribution of food enabling the apostles to continue teaching the word of God… Acts 6:2 NLT
But, if you will also recall, these upstanding men were the cream of the crop in their service to the Lord – and Stephen, specifically, was pointed out as being a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit v5
So how did Stephen go from serving tables and food distribution to being such a strong debater on theological topics that none of a certain synagogue (consecrated spaces used for…Jewish prayer, study, assembly, and reading of the… Hebrew Bible… – Wikipedia) in Jerusalem could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke (v11)?
He didn’t go anywhere! This wasn’t a new and improved Stephen. This was the same Spirit-filled server of tables and distributor of food, but his “job” did not define who he was. God defined who Stephen was. And it was God’s will to use this man who was full of the Spirit and of wisdom… v3
The same goes for us all! What we do does not define us. Our creator defines us. He who knows us best and loves us most can use us to accomplish His will in this world…if we are open to His call upon our lives. The key is not inhibiting God’s will by our fears and hesitancies. We must trust Him in faith, believing that He will give us all we need to accomplish His will. We mustn’t undersell ourselves. God has proven time and time again that he could use anyone to accomplish anything!
Lord Jesus, may we never presume to be worthless. In Your eyes, we are of great value, and You can use us – if we are willing – to accomplish great things for Your Kingdom! Amen.
Feb 20th, 2022, Sun, 8:01 pm