Monday, April 13,
2015, 9:11 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “No Less.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Acts 6-7 (quoting selected vv. ESV).
Stephen Seized (chapter
6)
A need arose within the church of that time to choose seven
men from within the body of Christ who were known to be full of the Holy Spirit
and wisdom, and to give them the responsibility of the daily distribution of
food to the needy, so that the apostles could devote themselves to the ministry
of the Word of God. A man named Stephen, who was full of faith and of the Holy
Spirit, was one of the seven chosen. “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was
doing great wonders and signs among the people.” Yet, opposition arose from
members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen, a Jewish sect. These men began to
argue (dispute or debate) with Stephen. “But they could not withstand the
wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.” (See: Ac. 6:1-10)
Then
they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words
against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the
scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the
council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to
speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that
this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that
Moses delivered to us.” And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that
his face was like the face of an angel. ~ Ac. 6:11-15
These men who opposed Stephen were stubborn and unyielding,
just like those leaders of the people who opposed Jesus Christ, and who put him
to death, although he had done no wrong, but only good. Stephen’s opponents’
hearts must have been filled with pride and jealousy. Since they could not
out-debate Stephen, they had to get ‘down and dirty’ and resort to making up
lies about him. Amazing, is it not, although they saw that his face was like
the face of an angel, that they ended up stoning him to death? Seeing his face
like that of an angel should have instilled within them the fear of God, but
apparently it did not.
I believe that many people today who oppose God, and
especially those who know they are going against God’s will for their lives,
and who may be caught in sin’s deceitfulness, do not want to hear the truth
from God’s word, because it makes them feel guilty for their sin. So, they may
devise plans against the Lord’s servants to try to break them down, or to try
to get them to compromise the truth, or perhaps even to try to lead them into
sin so that they don’t have to hear those messages from them anymore, and so
they can live how they want with no one in their face telling them that what
they are doing is wrong. Yet, if they cannot break us down, and if they cannot
get us to compromise truth, they may resort to lies in order to try to
discredit us so that no one will listen to us, hoping that will shut us up.
Stephen’s Speech (chapter
7)
The high priest asked Stephen if these charges against him
were true. Stephen responded by giving them a synopsis of the history of
Israel, beginning with God’s covenant he made with Abraham and his offspring. This
was a history of oppression of God’s people, yet God used these difficult times
in the lives of his people to accomplish his purposes. There were times when
God allowed them to be persecuted, and times when he rescued them in their
times of trial or from their tribulation and distress. There were times when
this involved physically removing them from their oppressive situations, and
where God called them out of those situations to follow him and to come under
his protection. Other times he delivered them through their trials, but did not
remove them from them. God rescued the children of Israel from captivity in
Egypt, but he allowed Stephen to be stoned to death. In both cases, God
accomplished his purposes, which were for the good of those who loved him.
Israel’s history was also a history of a people of God who
rebelled against him and his appointed leadership, who grumbled and complained,
and who took matters into their own hands when God was not acting on their
behalf in the manner or in the timing they had expected. They turned their
hearts back to slavery rather than to walk in freedom, and they chose to follow
after other gods of their own making. Some things never change. Many of God’s
people today have turned their hearts back to slavery to sin and to following
after the gods of this world or of their own making rather than to obey God and
to do what he says.
But
God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is
written in the book of the prophets… ~ v. 42
I know that the New Testament teaches us that God
disciplines, reproves and scourges those he loves, and that he calls his
followers to turn from sin or to cast off (throw off) besetting sins (See: Rev.
2-3; 1 Pet. 4:17; Heb. 12:5-7). So, we may have to undergo painful discipline,
at times, when we ignore our Lord and we refuse to follow his instructions. Some
discipline is meant to mature us and to conform us to the image of Christ,
while other discipline is meant to correct us and to scourge us in order to
bring about repentance so that we may be restored and renewed in the faith.
Stephen concluded his speech by recounting the story of
David and of his desire to build a dwelling place for God, but that it was
Solomon who built the house for him. Then he said, “Yet the Most High does not
dwell in houses made by hands,” for “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my
footstool” (quoting Isaiah 66:1). Paul repeated similar words when he said, “The
God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth,
does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as
though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and
breath and everything” (Ac. 17:24-25). Yet, so many who proclaim Christ as
Savior today still follow after the notion that a building called “church” is
God’s house. It isn’t! We, the body of Christ, are God’s house, and God, by his
Spirit, dwells within those of us who have been saved by his grace.
Then, Stephen made personal remarks to those who were
listening to him. He said,
“You
stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the
Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your
fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the
coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who
received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” ~ vv. 51-53
There are many such stiff-necked people resisting the
Holy Spirit in the church today, I believe. They are following a religion of
men, built on human foundations, and they are ignoring the Word of Truth (parts
of it) in order to compromise with the world and to be pleasing to the flesh of
man. They target the world with their worldly meetings and with their marketing
schemes, while they cast aside many of those who are following the Lord in
obedience and who hold to the Word of Truth. They tag us as out-of-date,
legalistic, intolerant, bigoted, hate-mongers, disunifiers and the like, hoping
to discredit us and to turn others away from the truth to follow after a gospel
of human origin. Yet, we must remain faithful to our Lord and to his Word
despite all persecution, for God is faithful, and his Word will not return
empty. God will accomplish his purposes through it all, and for his glory.
No Less / An Original Work /
March 19, 2012
I
can do no less than praise You,
Lord,
for all You’ve done for me.
You
died for my sins to save me,
So
I would be set free.
I
adore You! Lord, I praise You!
Jesus,
Savior, King of kings!
You
provided my redemption.
Your
grace has pardoned me.
I
can do no less than serve You.
Lord,
Your witness I would be,
Telling
others of Your love,
And
why You died on that tree.
Tell
of how You gave of Your life,
So
from sin we’d be set free,
So
we could worship You forever,
And
live eternally.
I
can do no less than love You,
Lord,
for You have first loved me.
You
gave of Your life so willing,
Because
You cared for me.
Turn
from my sin! Obey freely!
Live
for You each passing day.
Read
Your word, and follow Your lead,
Lord,
as I humbly pray.
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