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
Watch Like a Hawk
Father today has been a mixed day. Some portions have been comfortable and the norm. Other portions have been out of the ordinary and difficult, to say the least. Despite “me”, work through everything. May Your will and presence saturate it all. Amen.
********
My last name is Fowler and to my understanding, the first Fowlers were kings of Germanic peoples during the medieval period, their name derived from the fact that they hunted with birds. A term of more modern use is falconry. Hawks and falcons are both used in this sport of old.
I don’t think everyone notices, but hawks are everywhere. We have a mating pair of Northern Harrier Hawks that reside on our lot, and I have the opportunity to see them perched or flying on a regular basis. Also, it seems no matter where I go, I see all manner of hawks and their cousins, falcons – perched on telephone wires, atop fence posts, or sitting patiently in trees. And they wait…watching for their next meal most likely. But regardless, as I said they are everywhere!
I imagine you’ve heard the phrase “watch like a hawk” and as I saw a hawk on my morning route it made me think of God. And that made me think of something that I spoke in prayer in our services this past Sunday.
As a part of our journey in Christ, we understand that God never leaves us or forsakes us. He is with us at all times. And if we really think about it, He watches us closer than even a hawk would. What comes to my mind in prayer is that we realize the fact of his presence but what we need to do much more regularly is to acknowledge His presence.
As I have come to see hawks on a pretty regular basis, I am sure I miss many of them. We must come to see God in all areas of our lives. It is easy to forget He is there. It’s easy to ignore that still small voice that warns of danger – a voice that says, “Don’t go there.” “Don’t watch that.” “Don’t dwell on that thought.” “Don’t say what you are thinking.” “Don’t act on what you’re thinking.” And on it goes…
God is always there, everywhere we turn, but far too often we don’t see Him or we don’t hear Him. And it is no fault of His, but the guilt lies with us and us alone.
“The Lord your God is in your midst,
A Warrior who saves.
He will rejoice over you with joy;
He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins],
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Zephaniah 3:17 AMP (emphasis mine)
Lord Jesus, help us, and as the old hymn goes.
Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me…
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear…
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my ears, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Words & Music: Clara H. Scott, 1895
Amen.
Feb 28th, 2022, Mon, 7:58 pm
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