Acts 7:1, 17-29And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And Stephen said:
17 “But as the time of the promise drew near, which God had granted to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt 18 until there arose over Egypt another king who did not know Joseph.19 He dealt shrewdly with our race and forced our fathers to expose their infants, so that they would not be kept alive. 20 At this time Moses was born; and he was beautiful in God’s sight. And he was brought up for three months in his father’s house,21 and when he was exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 And Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds.
23 “When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.24 And seeing one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian.25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand.26 And on the following day he appeared to them as they were quarreling and tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why do you wrong each other?’ 27 But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 At this retort Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he became the father of two sons.
I had never thought of it, but it was and is true. All truth is God’s truth, he said. So whether it is spoken by a friend or an enemy, if it’s true, it’s true. Whether I learned it at a state university, or in my post-graduate work at Concordia Theological Seminary, if it’s true, it’s true. If I discover some new insight about our planet through a telescope, or am reminded of God’s creative majesty through the book of Job, if it’s true, it’s true.
Moses learned the wisdom of the Egyptians while growing up in the household of Pharaoh’s daughter. He became wise and powerful. When he spoke, wisdom poured forth. When he acted, he got the job done. All this will stand him in good stead when he leads his people out of Egypt. But for now, we learn that he is gaining skills, knowledge and wisdom in his Egyptian home.
God shapes us for significant impact in a variety of ways. Your spiritual gifting, heart for a certain people, abilities, personality, and experiences work together and allow you to serve the cause of God’s kingdom. We don’t get these from studying the Bible. We gain them by life and personal introspection.
Sometimes God uses experiences foreign to the church and faith to shape and prepare us for the great work he has in store for us to do. Many times we don’t even realize how we are being shaped. We may even wonder why we’re learning or experiencing the things we do. (Think junior high boys having to learn algebra or English.) But God uses all truth, learnings, experiences, and even our unique personalities for his purposes.
We cannot know the ultimate truth about our eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, however, apart from God’s special revelation. That comes to us through Scripture – either through reading the Bible, biblical writings, witnesses of the gospel, biblical preaching and teaching. All truth is God’s truth. But the greatest and truest truth of all is revealed by God in Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection. That truth is exclusive to God and precious to those who believe in Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.
David Bahn - Reflections 
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