Stephen explains the life of Joseph.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:9-16
Stephen is on trial before the Sanhedrin. He has been accused of blasphemy. People said that he spoke against Moses and the Law. He also is accused of speaking about destroying the temple.
The high priest asked Stephen if the charges were true. Rather than a simple yes or no answer, Stephen gives the longest speech in the book of Acts. Stephen basically says, “You want to know what I think about Moses, the Law, and the temple? Let me ‘splain it to you.”
He began with the promises that God made to Abraham. The Jews had adopted the mindset that the central aspect of the promises of God was the promised land. Stephen is stressing that the biggest part of the promise to Abraham was, “I will be their God and they will be my people.” Abraham did not receive the land, but he followed God.
Stephen now continues his history with the account of Joseph. Abraham had a son named Isaac who had two sons, Jacob and Esau. Even though Jacob was the younger twin, he was chosen by God to carry the promise from God. God gave Jacob the new name of Israel and he had 12 sons who are the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel. Stephen refers to the 12 sons as the patriarchs. Joseph was the eleventh son, but he was the favorite son. Jacob was not even the least subtle about his favoritism. He made Joseph the famous “Technicolor dreamcoat” which filled the brothers with jealousy.
In Bible study, we often see what are called “types.” A type stand on its own, but also represents something else. Joseph is a type for Jesus. He was rejected by his own but turns out to be a savior. Stephen picks up on this line of thinking and points out the common points between Joseph and Jesus. The brothers were jealous of Joseph. They rejected and betrayed him. But God was with Joseph. After God elevated Joseph to power and the brothers traveled to Egypt, they did not recognize Joseph. They did not recognize him until the second visit. Similarly, the majority of the Jews did not recognize Jesus the first time around, but at His second coming, they will all recognize and acknowledge who He is.
God was with Joseph even in Egypt. He is not limited by geography. He does not live in the temple. Even their father Jacob was buried in Shechem, which was then Samaria.
Stephen is using the stories that the Jewish leaders knew to explain Christ. The Law of Moses and the temple point to Christ. This line of explanation would make no sense to anyone who did not know and appreciate the history of Israel. As we explain Christ to people, we should find out where they are and what they understand and value and use that as a beginning point to explain Christ. The goal is to explain separation from God because of sin and the reconciliation that is available through Christ.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Friday Acts 7:1-8
Stephen talks about Abraham.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:1-8
Stephen has been accused of blasphemy against the Law of Moses and against the temple. The high priest asked him if it was true. Stephen responds with the longest speech in the book of Acts. At first glance if appears that Stephen does not really answer the question. Actually, he does answer the question. But, it is not just a yes/no question. In some respects, he is guilty of their accusations. He has been telling people that they should not trust in the Law of Moses. He has been telling people not to trust in the temple. He has been trying to change their traditions. However, he is not guilty of blasphemy. He is calling people back to God.
So, he uses the history of God’s people to answer the question. Stephen’s response has two themes to it.
1. God is not tied down to a location. He does not live in the temple. He has been the God of His people wherever they were. His people were actually the closest to Him when they were pilgrims without a land.
2. The people of Israel have a history of rejecting the people that God has appointed as their leaders. This pattern has been repeated in the rejection of Christ.
He begins with a review of Abraham who was revered by the people of Israel. He was their father. Abraham was called by God to be the father of God’s people. But, God first spoke to Abraham when he was still in the pagan land of Ur. Abraham never possessed any of the promised land, yet God was still with him. The promise of the land to Abraham was so that his descendants would have a place to worship Him.
Stephen is making the case that the central point of the promise to Abraham was not land to possess, but the freedom to worship and serve God. The Jews may have been occupying the land, but they were not truly worshiping God. They had the temple, but they were not following God.
The Jews of that time had replaced faith with traditions. They had replaced God with the temple. We can be guilty of the same problems. We can replace faith with traditions. We can replace God with the church. We substitute church service for serving God. We substitute church activity with following Christ. We do not go to church – we are the church. When we gather together on Sunday we are the church gathered. When we are following Christ the rest of the week, we are still the church.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 7:1-8
Stephen has been accused of blasphemy against the Law of Moses and against the temple. The high priest asked him if it was true. Stephen responds with the longest speech in the book of Acts. At first glance if appears that Stephen does not really answer the question. Actually, he does answer the question. But, it is not just a yes/no question. In some respects, he is guilty of their accusations. He has been telling people that they should not trust in the Law of Moses. He has been telling people not to trust in the temple. He has been trying to change their traditions. However, he is not guilty of blasphemy. He is calling people back to God.
So, he uses the history of God’s people to answer the question. Stephen’s response has two themes to it.
1. God is not tied down to a location. He does not live in the temple. He has been the God of His people wherever they were. His people were actually the closest to Him when they were pilgrims without a land.
2. The people of Israel have a history of rejecting the people that God has appointed as their leaders. This pattern has been repeated in the rejection of Christ.
He begins with a review of Abraham who was revered by the people of Israel. He was their father. Abraham was called by God to be the father of God’s people. But, God first spoke to Abraham when he was still in the pagan land of Ur. Abraham never possessed any of the promised land, yet God was still with him. The promise of the land to Abraham was so that his descendants would have a place to worship Him.
Stephen is making the case that the central point of the promise to Abraham was not land to possess, but the freedom to worship and serve God. The Jews may have been occupying the land, but they were not truly worshiping God. They had the temple, but they were not following God.
The Jews of that time had replaced faith with traditions. They had replaced God with the temple. We can be guilty of the same problems. We can replace faith with traditions. We can replace God with the church. We substitute church service for serving God. We substitute church activity with following Christ. We do not go to church – we are the church. When we gather together on Sunday we are the church gathered. When we are following Christ the rest of the week, we are still the church.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thursday Acts 6:8-15
Stephen is accused of blasphemy.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 6:8-15
In choosing the men to deal with the division within the church, the apostles told the people to choose men who were full of the Spirit and wisdom. The first man listed is Stephen. He is described as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. His assignment, along with the other six, was to fix the division within the church. It was much more than just waiting on tables. It was a spiritual issue. They needed spiritual men, who could see the spiritual dimension at work, in addition to meeting the physical need of the Greek widows.
Now, we see Stephen out in the community as a witness for Christ. He was performing signs and wonders. We don’t know exactly what he was doing, but he attracted a lot of attention. Stephen is a Greek name. He seems to be one of the Hellenistic Christians. Remember, all of the Christians at this time were also Jews. So, Stephen, as a Hellenistic Jewish believer was chosen to make sure that the Hellenistic Jewish Christians widows were taken care of. It seems that Stephen was reaching out to the other Hellenistic Jews in Jerusalem. He encountered men from the Freedmen’s Synagogue.
From the name, it seems that the Freedmen’s Synagogue was founded as a place of worship for former slaves. We don’t know how long it had been there, so at the time of these events, it may have become the place for descendants of former slaves. We also know from the text that the men who opposed Stephen were from Northern Africa and Asia. While Stephen seems to have something in common with these men as Hellenistic Jews, they still rose up in opposition to him. Some people believe that the Hellenistic Jews were more nationalistic than the locals since they were motivated to relocate to the holy city of Jerusalem.
The tried to argue with Stephen, but could not match his wisdom. He also had the advantage of truth and the Holy Spirit. They stirred up people at falsely accuse him of blasphemy against the Law of Moses and plotting to destroy the temple.
He was arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin. The liars stirred up massive opposition to Stephen. This is the third trial in Acts before the Sanhedrin. The first resulted in a warning. In the first trial, the Sadducees were the main opposition. They could not do anything because the people supported the apostles. In the second trial, the Pharisee Gamaliel advised the council not to act too harshly. It ended with a flogging. Now in the third trial, there is no group to provide restraint. The people are stirred up. The scribes (Pharisees) are stirred up. And the elders (Sadducees) are stirred up. This third trial ends with the death of Stephen.
Luke describes Stephen as having the face of an angel as he is falsely accused by a bunch of liars. Luke doesn’t tell us what he means by “the face of an angel.” I think he means that Stephen was calm, confident, and unafraid. How can he be unafraid in this setting? Everybody wants his blood. There is no restraint. How could he remain calm? The answer is in Luke’s description of Stephen. He was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He knew that he was operating in God’s will. He was doing what God had called him to do. He trusted God more than the circumstances. His mission was to be a witness. He might not survive this witnessing event, but he could be obedient until they killed him.
I see two lessons to focus on here. First is the faith of Stephen. How did he have so much faith? He had seen God at work all along. He had performed signs and wonders. So, what about us? We don’t see so many signs and wonders. Maybe not, but we do see God at work. When we engage in serving God, we see His hand at work. This strengthens our faith and enables us to serve Him all the more. This leads to more opportunities to see Him work which increases our faith. When we are afraid to trust God, it is often because we have not seen Him do much. The solution is to dive in. Serve God and watch Him work.
The second lesson is the opposition to Stephen. The people who attacked him were unbelievers. They were witnesses to a movement of God and it scared them. So, their response was to attack Stephen. They could not rely on facts or truth, so they stirred up the fears of other people. Unfortunately this happens all too often in our churches today. I am amazed at how many people I have encountered very recently who have been like Stephen. They were part of a movement of people toward God in churches. Then some people in the church got scarred by the movement and resorted to personal attacks. Rather than dealing with the facts and looking to God for guidance, they stirred up a group to participate in the attacks. In just about every case, the movement was quashed. In every case, dedicated servants of God were devastated. In most cases, the churches continued in their death spiral. The really sad part is that the attackers were not from outside the church, they were supposedly believers in Christ.
So, what do we do? There are things that crop up in church all the time that need to be dealt with. We have to have discernment. Every exciting thing is not a movement of God. Every new idea is not necessarily a good thing. Many new things are just flat wrong. We must develop biblical worldviews. We must be close to God. When confronted with an issue, we must seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We have to know God’s will. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” “Discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness.”
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 6:8-15
In choosing the men to deal with the division within the church, the apostles told the people to choose men who were full of the Spirit and wisdom. The first man listed is Stephen. He is described as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. His assignment, along with the other six, was to fix the division within the church. It was much more than just waiting on tables. It was a spiritual issue. They needed spiritual men, who could see the spiritual dimension at work, in addition to meeting the physical need of the Greek widows.
Now, we see Stephen out in the community as a witness for Christ. He was performing signs and wonders. We don’t know exactly what he was doing, but he attracted a lot of attention. Stephen is a Greek name. He seems to be one of the Hellenistic Christians. Remember, all of the Christians at this time were also Jews. So, Stephen, as a Hellenistic Jewish believer was chosen to make sure that the Hellenistic Jewish Christians widows were taken care of. It seems that Stephen was reaching out to the other Hellenistic Jews in Jerusalem. He encountered men from the Freedmen’s Synagogue.
From the name, it seems that the Freedmen’s Synagogue was founded as a place of worship for former slaves. We don’t know how long it had been there, so at the time of these events, it may have become the place for descendants of former slaves. We also know from the text that the men who opposed Stephen were from Northern Africa and Asia. While Stephen seems to have something in common with these men as Hellenistic Jews, they still rose up in opposition to him. Some people believe that the Hellenistic Jews were more nationalistic than the locals since they were motivated to relocate to the holy city of Jerusalem.
The tried to argue with Stephen, but could not match his wisdom. He also had the advantage of truth and the Holy Spirit. They stirred up people at falsely accuse him of blasphemy against the Law of Moses and plotting to destroy the temple.
He was arrested and taken before the Sanhedrin. The liars stirred up massive opposition to Stephen. This is the third trial in Acts before the Sanhedrin. The first resulted in a warning. In the first trial, the Sadducees were the main opposition. They could not do anything because the people supported the apostles. In the second trial, the Pharisee Gamaliel advised the council not to act too harshly. It ended with a flogging. Now in the third trial, there is no group to provide restraint. The people are stirred up. The scribes (Pharisees) are stirred up. And the elders (Sadducees) are stirred up. This third trial ends with the death of Stephen.
Luke describes Stephen as having the face of an angel as he is falsely accused by a bunch of liars. Luke doesn’t tell us what he means by “the face of an angel.” I think he means that Stephen was calm, confident, and unafraid. How can he be unafraid in this setting? Everybody wants his blood. There is no restraint. How could he remain calm? The answer is in Luke’s description of Stephen. He was a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. He knew that he was operating in God’s will. He was doing what God had called him to do. He trusted God more than the circumstances. His mission was to be a witness. He might not survive this witnessing event, but he could be obedient until they killed him.
I see two lessons to focus on here. First is the faith of Stephen. How did he have so much faith? He had seen God at work all along. He had performed signs and wonders. So, what about us? We don’t see so many signs and wonders. Maybe not, but we do see God at work. When we engage in serving God, we see His hand at work. This strengthens our faith and enables us to serve Him all the more. This leads to more opportunities to see Him work which increases our faith. When we are afraid to trust God, it is often because we have not seen Him do much. The solution is to dive in. Serve God and watch Him work.
The second lesson is the opposition to Stephen. The people who attacked him were unbelievers. They were witnesses to a movement of God and it scared them. So, their response was to attack Stephen. They could not rely on facts or truth, so they stirred up the fears of other people. Unfortunately this happens all too often in our churches today. I am amazed at how many people I have encountered very recently who have been like Stephen. They were part of a movement of people toward God in churches. Then some people in the church got scarred by the movement and resorted to personal attacks. Rather than dealing with the facts and looking to God for guidance, they stirred up a group to participate in the attacks. In just about every case, the movement was quashed. In every case, dedicated servants of God were devastated. In most cases, the churches continued in their death spiral. The really sad part is that the attackers were not from outside the church, they were supposedly believers in Christ.
So, what do we do? There are things that crop up in church all the time that need to be dealt with. We have to have discernment. Every exciting thing is not a movement of God. Every new idea is not necessarily a good thing. Many new things are just flat wrong. We must develop biblical worldviews. We must be close to God. When confronted with an issue, we must seek the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We have to know God’s will. “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” “Discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness.”
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Wednesday Acts 6:1-7
The church deals with an internal problem.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 6:1-7
The church continued to grow. As with any organization, the bigger it gets, the more problems arise. One aspect of the early church was its mutual care for one another. They particularly looked out for the widows who had nobody else to look after them.
All of the early Christians were Jews who came to faith in Christ. However, there were two communities of Jews. The Hebraic Jews were the natives of Judea. They were born and raised in that area. They spoke Aramaic as their native language and probably spoke Hebrew as well. They worshiped in Hebrew synagogues. The Hellenistic Jews were immigrants to Jerusalem. They were Jews, but they had lived in the Greek culture. Their native language was Greek and they worshiped in Greek synagogues. Many scholars believe that it was common for older Jews to move back to Jerusalem to die and be buried there. This may have resulted in a large group of Hellenistic widows who had no family in the area, so they needed care from the church.
A disagreement erupts in the church. The Hellenists complain that their widows are getting short-changed in the food distribution. They also seem to be accusing the Hebraic Christians of purposely mistreating the Hellenistic widows. The text just says that they complained. It does not say that they complained to the apostles. However it occurred, the apostles got wind of the problem. They gathered all of the disciples together. Notice that they did not get involved in fixing the disagreement. They did not discipline the Hebraic Christians for picking on the Hellenistic widows. They did not tell the Hellenists to quit whining. They recognized that there was a problem, but they were not going to solve it. But they did recognize the seriousness of the problem. Nothing will derail a church from its mission like fighting within the church.
They suggested to the church that they choose seven spiritually mature men to fix the problem. The suggestion was well received and they choose seven men. All seven of the names seem to be Greek names. That would make sense; those who care most about a problem are the likely candidates to be part of the fix. The church presented the men to the apostles who prayed over them and empowered them to fix the problem.
We usually look at this passage as the origin of the deacon ministry. That is probably not completely accurate. The office of deacon did not seem to come into place until a little while later. But it is not a bad passage to look to for our deacon ministry. The role of the deacons is to fix problems that could result in a distraction from the mission of the church.
The result in this situation was that the church continued to grow. It grew rapidly. Even many priests became believers.
Many dying churches have adopted the model that the role of the deacons is to make sure that the pastor is properly ministering to the widows. This model reduces the number of people doing ministry to one. It also causes the pastor to neglect the ministry of the Word and prayer. It is a recipe for church death. A better model is to maximize the number of people doing ministry – to maximize the ministry of the Word and prayer. The result is Kingdom growth.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 6:1-7
The church continued to grow. As with any organization, the bigger it gets, the more problems arise. One aspect of the early church was its mutual care for one another. They particularly looked out for the widows who had nobody else to look after them.
All of the early Christians were Jews who came to faith in Christ. However, there were two communities of Jews. The Hebraic Jews were the natives of Judea. They were born and raised in that area. They spoke Aramaic as their native language and probably spoke Hebrew as well. They worshiped in Hebrew synagogues. The Hellenistic Jews were immigrants to Jerusalem. They were Jews, but they had lived in the Greek culture. Their native language was Greek and they worshiped in Greek synagogues. Many scholars believe that it was common for older Jews to move back to Jerusalem to die and be buried there. This may have resulted in a large group of Hellenistic widows who had no family in the area, so they needed care from the church.
A disagreement erupts in the church. The Hellenists complain that their widows are getting short-changed in the food distribution. They also seem to be accusing the Hebraic Christians of purposely mistreating the Hellenistic widows. The text just says that they complained. It does not say that they complained to the apostles. However it occurred, the apostles got wind of the problem. They gathered all of the disciples together. Notice that they did not get involved in fixing the disagreement. They did not discipline the Hebraic Christians for picking on the Hellenistic widows. They did not tell the Hellenists to quit whining. They recognized that there was a problem, but they were not going to solve it. But they did recognize the seriousness of the problem. Nothing will derail a church from its mission like fighting within the church.
They suggested to the church that they choose seven spiritually mature men to fix the problem. The suggestion was well received and they choose seven men. All seven of the names seem to be Greek names. That would make sense; those who care most about a problem are the likely candidates to be part of the fix. The church presented the men to the apostles who prayed over them and empowered them to fix the problem.
We usually look at this passage as the origin of the deacon ministry. That is probably not completely accurate. The office of deacon did not seem to come into place until a little while later. But it is not a bad passage to look to for our deacon ministry. The role of the deacons is to fix problems that could result in a distraction from the mission of the church.
The result in this situation was that the church continued to grow. It grew rapidly. Even many priests became believers.
Many dying churches have adopted the model that the role of the deacons is to make sure that the pastor is properly ministering to the widows. This model reduces the number of people doing ministry to one. It also causes the pastor to neglect the ministry of the Word and prayer. It is a recipe for church death. A better model is to maximize the number of people doing ministry – to maximize the ministry of the Word and prayer. The result is Kingdom growth.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Tuesday Acts 5:33-42
The apostles were beaten and ordered to stop preaching.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:33-42
Verse 33 shows the real risk that the apostles were taking. By speaking the truth about the gospel, they incited the Sanhedrin to order their deaths. Just as they were able to orchestrate the death of Jesus, they could have condemned the apostles. They could have pressured the Roman government to execute them as they did with Jesus, or they could have agitated an angry mob to take matters into their own hands.
A Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel brought things back to order. Gamaliel was the most honored teacher of the law in that stage of history. He was the leader of the “school of Hillel.” Gamaliel was the teacher of Paul (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel warned against acting too rashly. He said that similar movements had arisen in the past and then died out.
So, instead of killing the apostles, the Sanhedrin had them flogged. They would have been beaten with a whip with three leather straps. The Law prevented whipping anyone more than 40 lashes, so 39 lashes were used in case of a miscount. They would have been stripped to the waist and tied to two pillars. They would have received 13 lashes to the front and 26 lashes to the back. This was not just a “roughing up.” Sometimes people died from the whipping.
The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles to refrain from preaching about Jesus and send them away. The punishment did not stop them. They continued to preach about Jesus. They even continued to preach in the temple courts.
Two points to consider. First, they rejoiced that they could suffer for the gospel. It is hard for us to fathom that level of commitment. We don’t even like to be inconvenienced for the gospel.
Second, Gamaliel made an interesting remark. He warned that if they were not careful, they could end up fighting against God. It is ironic that the Pharisees who opposed Jesus thought that they were protecting the tradition given by God. But in reality, they were fighting against God. The same warning should strike us in the church. We do not just allow anything to go on because many things are clearly contrary to God’s word. Yet throughout church history, people in the church have opposed movements of God. We have to learn to follow God and know the difference between God and tradition. Most movements of God challenge man’s tradition.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:33-42
Verse 33 shows the real risk that the apostles were taking. By speaking the truth about the gospel, they incited the Sanhedrin to order their deaths. Just as they were able to orchestrate the death of Jesus, they could have condemned the apostles. They could have pressured the Roman government to execute them as they did with Jesus, or they could have agitated an angry mob to take matters into their own hands.
A Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel brought things back to order. Gamaliel was the most honored teacher of the law in that stage of history. He was the leader of the “school of Hillel.” Gamaliel was the teacher of Paul (Acts 22:3). Gamaliel warned against acting too rashly. He said that similar movements had arisen in the past and then died out.
So, instead of killing the apostles, the Sanhedrin had them flogged. They would have been beaten with a whip with three leather straps. The Law prevented whipping anyone more than 40 lashes, so 39 lashes were used in case of a miscount. They would have been stripped to the waist and tied to two pillars. They would have received 13 lashes to the front and 26 lashes to the back. This was not just a “roughing up.” Sometimes people died from the whipping.
The Sanhedrin ordered the apostles to refrain from preaching about Jesus and send them away. The punishment did not stop them. They continued to preach about Jesus. They even continued to preach in the temple courts.
Two points to consider. First, they rejoiced that they could suffer for the gospel. It is hard for us to fathom that level of commitment. We don’t even like to be inconvenienced for the gospel.
Second, Gamaliel made an interesting remark. He warned that if they were not careful, they could end up fighting against God. It is ironic that the Pharisees who opposed Jesus thought that they were protecting the tradition given by God. But in reality, they were fighting against God. The same warning should strike us in the church. We do not just allow anything to go on because many things are clearly contrary to God’s word. Yet throughout church history, people in the church have opposed movements of God. We have to learn to follow God and know the difference between God and tradition. Most movements of God challenge man’s tradition.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday Acts 5:21-32
Opposition intensifies.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:21-32
The high priests had arrested the apostles and put them in jail. During the night, an angel released them from jail with instructions to go preach in the temple area again. In the morning, when the guards went to bring the apostles to the Sanhedrin, they were missing. Then they were found preaching in the temple area.
Notice the motives of the people in this passage. The guards who go and get the apostles are afraid for their physical safety. They feared that if they used force with the apostles, that the people in the temple area would rise up and attack the guards.
The priests were upset because the apostles were blaming them for the death of Jesus. They were jealous of the attention that the apostles were getting.
Many people are only interested in healing. Others are interested in the gospel. The apostles are motivated to obey God at any cost.
When they are brought before the Sanhedrin, they tell the leaders that they must obey God rather than men. Their mission from Jesus was to be witnesses. They tell the leaders that they are just being witnesses to what they have seen God do.
The apostles are in an interesting situation. They have been arrested now at least three times. At any point, the religious leaders may have them killed. They have been delivered by God in miraculous ways. Yet even Jesus was killed by the religious leaders.
There is a cost to following God. It may be giving up the things that we would like to do to satisfy our own desires. It may mean receiving criticism or negative comments. It may even mean death. But the cost is worth the result. The result is being part of God’s plan.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:21-32
The high priests had arrested the apostles and put them in jail. During the night, an angel released them from jail with instructions to go preach in the temple area again. In the morning, when the guards went to bring the apostles to the Sanhedrin, they were missing. Then they were found preaching in the temple area.
Notice the motives of the people in this passage. The guards who go and get the apostles are afraid for their physical safety. They feared that if they used force with the apostles, that the people in the temple area would rise up and attack the guards.
The priests were upset because the apostles were blaming them for the death of Jesus. They were jealous of the attention that the apostles were getting.
Many people are only interested in healing. Others are interested in the gospel. The apostles are motivated to obey God at any cost.
When they are brought before the Sanhedrin, they tell the leaders that they must obey God rather than men. Their mission from Jesus was to be witnesses. They tell the leaders that they are just being witnesses to what they have seen God do.
The apostles are in an interesting situation. They have been arrested now at least three times. At any point, the religious leaders may have them killed. They have been delivered by God in miraculous ways. Yet even Jesus was killed by the religious leaders.
There is a cost to following God. It may be giving up the things that we would like to do to satisfy our own desires. It may mean receiving criticism or negative comments. It may even mean death. But the cost is worth the result. The result is being part of God’s plan.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Sunday Acts 5:17-21
Opposition to the gospel arises.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:17-21
The high priests were jealous of the attention that the apostles were receiving. They had the apostles arrested and put in jail. Their intention was to bring them before the Sanhedrin, the ruling council, for trial. Obviously, they needed to nip this thing in the bud before it got out of hand.
An angel from the Lord released the apostles from the jail and told them to go preach in the temple courts. Notice that God did not fix the bad circumstances of their lives. He enabled them to carry out the mission which He had given them. Jesus told them that they would be witnesses of Him. They were arrested for being witnesses of Him. Now, an angel releases them from jail with the instruction to go back and be witnesses some more.
Whenever there is a movement of God, we can expect opposition. Satan does not want us to follow God. He will do whatever he can to cause us to not do what God wants us to do. We call this opposition spiritual warfare. Satan is warring against God and those who follow God. Satan’s objective is not to make us miserable. His objective is to make us disobedient. His desire is to make us take our eyes off of the mission of God and worry more about the circumstances of life.
The Holy Spirit will help us to stay with the mission. He will empower us to remain faithful to the call. His desire is not to keep us from problems, but to keep us on track. When we obey God and follow Him despite the circumstances, He will empower us to obey.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 5:17-21
The high priests were jealous of the attention that the apostles were receiving. They had the apostles arrested and put in jail. Their intention was to bring them before the Sanhedrin, the ruling council, for trial. Obviously, they needed to nip this thing in the bud before it got out of hand.
An angel from the Lord released the apostles from the jail and told them to go preach in the temple courts. Notice that God did not fix the bad circumstances of their lives. He enabled them to carry out the mission which He had given them. Jesus told them that they would be witnesses of Him. They were arrested for being witnesses of Him. Now, an angel releases them from jail with the instruction to go back and be witnesses some more.
Whenever there is a movement of God, we can expect opposition. Satan does not want us to follow God. He will do whatever he can to cause us to not do what God wants us to do. We call this opposition spiritual warfare. Satan is warring against God and those who follow God. Satan’s objective is not to make us miserable. His objective is to make us disobedient. His desire is to make us take our eyes off of the mission of God and worry more about the circumstances of life.
The Holy Spirit will help us to stay with the mission. He will empower us to remain faithful to the call. His desire is not to keep us from problems, but to keep us on track. When we obey God and follow Him despite the circumstances, He will empower us to obey.
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