Monthly Archives: April 2013

God Has His Ways!

Christian Life, ,

GOD HAS HIS WAYS!

“The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them…Saul was right there, congratulating the killers.

“That set off a terrific persecution of the church in Jerusalem. The believers were all scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. All, that is, but the apostles. Good and brave men buried Stephen, giving him a solemn funeral — not many dry eyes that day!” Acts 8:1-2 (The Message).

God has His ways of getting the job done and His instructions carried out. In the early history of the world, He instructed the first pair, Adam and Eve, to multiply and fill the earth. They multiplied alright but, instead of moving out across the earth, they congregated in one place and began to build a tower and set up a false religion in rebellion against God.

At that stage they spoke only one language. God is smart! He knew how to get them to move – confuse their languages, which is just what He did. When they could no longer understand one another, they separated and moved away from each other. Those that remained called their city Babel — the place of confusion — which became the city of Babylon, symbolic of the anti-God world system which will be destroyed when Jesus returns.

Jesus told His disciples that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. But they stayed in Jerusalem. They were comfortable in their circle until this moment when all hell broke loose against them and they were forced to flee from Jerusalem.

But instead of persecution destroying the church and silencing the believers, it only served to spread the message beyond Jerusalem, which was exactly what God wanted. Wherever the believers went, they carried with them the precious story of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit who was in them. Their love, their unity, their unshakeable conviction that Jesus was alive, and even their courage in the face of persecution was so compelling that more and more people joined their ranks in spite of the personal danger of associating with the church.

We see, repeatedly, how God orchestrates the lives and circumstances of His people, which often times seems unfair and even cruel, to serve both His kingdom and His people. No matter how bad things seem to be, the outcome proves that God knows what He is doing. What we think is irreversible disaster turns out to be the best thing that could ever have happened. On hindsight we would not have wanted it any other way!

Look at the scenario. The Jerusalem church was growing, consolidating and flourishing. The people had great favour in the city and then…Peter and John went and healed a crippled beggar! That got the attention of the religious authorities. This was not just a co-incidence. This Jesus, whom they thought they had exterminated, was rearing up His head again. His followers were not only claiming He was alive, they were proving it by doing what He did. They had to be stopped. So they jailed and threatened them.

But it didn’t stop there. Stephen was not even an apostle yet he was also doing what the apostles were doing — and accusing the Sanhedrin of more than murdering Jesus. He accused them of perpetuating the murderous behaviour of their forefathers who killed the prophets for foretelling the coming of Messiah.

This aroused the bitter hatred of a fanatical young Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus. The incident with Stephen released a flood of persecution led by Saul, which sent the believers scattering — just what God wanted!

Does this not give us huge encouragement? The story of the church in the book of Acts is the story of global war — God’s kingdom and the dominion of darkness, but is was and is a one-sided conflict. “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 (NIV).

It Had To Happen!

Christian Life, ,

IT HAD TO HAPPEN!

“At that point they went wild, a rioting mob of catcalls, whistles and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed — he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all His glory with Jesus standing at His side. He said, ‘Oh I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God’s side!’

“Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of the town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.

“As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my life.” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, ‘Master, don’t blame them for this sin,’ — his last words. Then he died.” Acts 7:54-60 (The Message).

It had to happen! The crazed mob, led by men who had long since made their choice and sealed their judgment, turned on Stephen and carried out their “sentence” with the same vicious hatred that had driven them to sentence his Master to the cross.

But when we read the story from Stephen’s perspective, as Luke so masterfully describes it, Stephen was in a realm no other human being had ever experienced. Not even Moses, the greatest of the Old Testament characters, had been welcomed into the presence of Jesus with a standing ovation! Before he even stepped over the divide, he had seen them, both Father and Son, waiting to receive him into their eternal presence.

This was too much for the howling mob. Without even so much as considering their verdict, they sentenced and executed their sentence with extreme viciousness. Just as surely as Stephen glimpsed heaven, so the mob which was stoning him was experiencing hell.

In Hebraic thought, hell is a boundary-less place, and here we have evidences of the horrors of hell. So great was the vehemence of their hatred of this godly man and the God he represented that they dropped all boundaries of justice and decency and let rip with the venom of hell itself.

The contrast between Stephen and his tormentors is glaring. As with Jesus versus the Sanhedrin, so with Stephen, it was the same situation. Who was on trial? The Sanhedrin again, and again they were found guilty. It was Stephen’s scathing indictment that tipped them over the edge. It was his verdict that cooked his goose. But what did it matter? His future was secure and his entrance into it glorious.

Eugene Peterson’s version of this incident in The Message highlights the grace that Stephen experienced as he slipped out of his earthly tent into his permanent eternal dwelling. This was his coronation day and we are privileged to catch a glimpse of it.

But we have to ask: Is it possible to live our ordinary lives in a realm where we are unaffected by the ups and downs of everyday life? When we watch Jesus, we have to conclude that it is possible. But He was the Son of God.

The Apostle Paul said something that alerts us to the possibility for us ordinary humans. “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV).

Just as Stephen was oblivious of what was happening to him because his eyes were on Jesus, so can we be in the rough and tumble of living if we set our vision on Jesus who went before us to show us the way and is utterly reliable to keep His promise to see us through every dark valley.

Seasons

Pastor's Desk, ,

Dear Family

The weather has just been totally crazy recently. It’s been very hot, then very cold, then dry, then wet. The poor weather man has really had his work cut out with an unusual amount of curses flying his way, I’m sure. This time of year when the seasons struggle to know whether it is still autumn or perhaps sliding into winter, provides quite an interesting ride for us all.

Our lives are often like this too, aren’t they? Personally, I find it a lot easier to ride out a summer time in life, or a dry, cold winter time, than to be up and down with all sort of things hanging and banging me about. I like order. I like the ducks to all march in line, and when they don’t, I do struggle more to cope.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, we read of Solomon’s seasonal journey in life. He had everything, tried everything, but everything became “meaningless”. All his power, his wisdom, his tremendous wealth and influence, everything, he experienced as an exercise in futility. And at the end of it all, he has this to say: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecc 12:13). The prophet Micah has a similar commission for us. In Micah 6:8 we read, “He has shown you, O Man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before your God.” This life walk of ours is quite simple really. It’s not about money, or comfort, or health, or power, or prestige, or shoes! It’s all about God!

Seasons will come and go. Changes will happen. Difficulties will need to be faced. Storms of life are inevitable. But this one this is sure: “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hallelujah!

Enter Stephen

Christian Life, ,

ENTER STEPHEN

“Stephen, brimming with God’s grace and energy, was doing wonderful things among the people, unmistakable signs that God was among them. But some men from the meeting place whose membership was made up of freed slaves, Cyrenians, Alexandrians and some others from Cilicia and Asia, went up against him, trying to argue him down. But they were no match for his wisdom and spirit when he spoke.

“So in secret they bribed men to lie.’We heard him cursing Moses and God.'” Acts 6:8-11 (The Message).

It’s amazing what people will do to get their own way! As then, so now, there are always those who think nothing of sabotaging the church to carry out their own agenda.

The apostles had so far safely navigated the challenges that had come from within the church when the old sinful nature reared up its ugly head in people. One of their issues, racism among the widows in Jerusalem, had brought a jewel of a man to the surface. Stephen was “discovered” when the Jerusalem church chose the first deacons. He not only did the job he was selected to do, but he also brought the power of God’s presence into the church by his miracles and preaching.

This angered a group of “expats” in the local synagogue who were driven to jealousy by Stephen’s superior wisdom and godliness. They could not get the better of him by arguing so they turned to lying and treachery, going the same route that took Jesus to the cross.

No matter how idyllic the early church seemed to be in its initial euphoria, it was made up of people then, as it is today. People will always be people; some will have honest hearts while others will conceal their true nature behind a veneer of “spirituality” which will deceive people for a while but, when they are crossed or can’t get their own way, the real person will show up.

What was the issue with these men? Why was Stephen such a threat to them? We don’t really know. Our only clue is that Stephen outsmarted them in discussion and they couldn’t take it. They were part of the fanatical Jewish legalists who obviously could not stand the idea of a God who was kind, generous and merciful. They were provoked by the evidences of God’s goodness through Stephen. They could not get rid of God but they could get at Him through His followers!

When Jesus was in a similar situation, up against His religious opponents and brought to trial for His life, Pilate was astute enough to recognize the real reason for their hatred. Envy! Envy and jealousy are not the same thing. Jealousy covets what another person had or is; envy goes a step further. Envy will ruin or destroy another person rather than allow him to be who he is. Jealousy covets; envy kills.

Was this the reason for these men’s murderous hatred? They were willing to stoop to bribery and lying to get rid of Stephen because they hated what he was. It’s amazing to what lengths people will go to fight against God!

We must not be surprised by the reaction of people. We are not neutral when it comes to the things of God. We were born with a built-in hatred for God. The Bible states that. “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!” Romans 5:10 (NIV).

It takes a miracle of God’s grace to transform us from enemies to sons!

Stephen’s Defence

Christian Life, , ,

STEPHEN’S DEFENCE

“Then the Chief Priest said,’ What do you have to say for yourself?’

“Stephen replied, ‘Friends, fathers and brothers, the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was still in Mesopotamia…and told him, ‘Leave your country and go to the land I’ll show you.’ ……..

“And you continue, so bull-headed! Calluses on your hearts, flaps on your ears! Deliberately ignoring the Holy Spirit, you’re just like your ancestors. Was there ever a prophet who didn’t get the same treatment? Your ancestors killed anyone who dared talk about the coming of the Just One. And you’ve kept up the family tradition — traitors and murderers, all of you. You had God’s Law handed down to you by angels — gift -wrapped! — and you squandered it!” Acts 7:1-53 (The Message).

No wonder Stephen got the better of his opponents! He not only knew the Scriptures. He understood the Scriptures. With great skill and insight he opened the Scriptures; one more nail in his own coffin. The men he was standing before were supposed to be the experts in the Scriptures but here was a man, on trial for perverting the Word of God, who accurately and skilfully summarised the entire Old Testament with one aim in view — to put them on trial for their treatment of Jesus and His followers.

Stephen, like Jesus and His apostles, had no thought for his own skin. He was bold to proclaim and defend the truth and, in doing so, he signed his own death warrant. Once again the accusing finger pointed at the religious leaders and once again they shrugged off responsibility by removing the accuser.

Stephen was not as gentle with the men of the High Court as the apostles had been. Although they indicted them, the offer of forgiveness was woven into their accusation which the Sanhedrin neither heard nor heeded. They did not want forgiveness — they wanted power and the money that came with power! They had passed by their opportunity and Stephen spoke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, with deadly accuracy.

What message does this incident hold for my readers? One of the clear messages of the Bible is the mercy of God extended to anyone who will listen and heed His invitation to repent, return and lay down their arms against God. He cleared the way for reconciliation and graciously gives it to anyone who will receive His gift.

But there is another side to the coin. He has endless mercy for those who will receive it but His wrath remains on those who refuse His offer. God will never force His love on anyone. He respects His gift of free will too much to go back on it. He will always give us what we want even if we destroy ourselves in the process. On judgment day no one will ever be able to accuse Him of being unfair.

No matter how unfair man’s treatment of man may be, God’s justice is final and impeccable. Stephen put his life on the line by delivering the message but it had to be done to serve God’s purposes for the Sanhedrin.

But why should Stephen have to pay for delivering a message they refused to receive anyway? God is painting His picture on a canvas much bigger than we can see or understand. It is not our place to question but to trust because He is trustworthy