David Bahn – Reflections

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 7:1-16

And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” ² And Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³ and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ ⁴ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. ⁵ Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. ⁶ And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. ⁷ ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ ⁸ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him ¹⁰ and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ¹¹ Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. ¹³ And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. ¹⁵ And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, ¹⁶ and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

I love Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. It’s a gem of simple, succinct, and Jesus-centered truth. I had not grown up in the Lutheran church, so I never had to memorize it-or I should say, “got to memorize it.” When I was on vicarage, I was assigned to teach 7th grade confirmation. That meant I was teaching the Small Catechism. And I made a deal with the students: Whatever I make you memorize, I will memorize too. It was one of the greatest deals I’ve ever made. I still recall 90% of it today.

One part I have down cold is Luther’s explanation to the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed:

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 7:1-16

And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” ² And Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³ and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ ⁴ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. ⁵ Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. ⁶ And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. ⁷ ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ ⁸ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him ¹⁰ and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ¹¹ Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. ¹³ And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. ¹⁵ And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, ¹⁶ and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

My father died at the age of 64. Once a successful businessman. Man of integrity. Too young. Cancer. Cigarette smoker. Such a loss. Couldn’t kick the habit. At his funeral, the pastor of his church called my dad a dreamer. He used the reference in Genesis 37:19 when Joseph’s brothers saw him coming to bring food and to check up on them for their father, “Here comes that dreamer.” The whole chapter is worth reading.

My dad had one dream after another. In some ways he was ahead of his time. He came up advertising ideas, innovations in marketing, and built a motel from 5 rooms to 42 rooms over the course of 30 years.  He would also share ideas with me about making the church I was serving grow. He was constantly dreaming up new things to do. He and my mom came up with a child’s seat belt that would allow the child to be restrained even if standing up in the car’s bench seat(!).

Joseph was quite a different kind of dreamer. He dreamed about haystacks (symbolizing his brothers and father) all bowing down to his haystack. He dreamed that the sun, moon, and stars also bowed down to him. Add that to the favoritism his father showed toward him and you have the makings of resentment, scheming, and dreams turned to nightmares.

But God was in the dreams of Joseph. And as the country song says, “it’s hard to be humble when you’re perfect in every way.” Joseph’s brothers and father would one day bow down to him. So would the rest of the world when he had become THE one in charge of all the grain in Egypt during the famine that struck the whole land. Joseph also interpreted the dreams of two prison mates and Pharaoh himself.

There are other examples of dreams and dreamers in the Bible. Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2) when none of the king’s regular astrologers and seers could. God directed Joseph to take Mary as his wife, and to take Mary and Jesus into Egypt by means of dreams.

Sometimes God puts dreams into our hearts in the manner of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 2:12). It might be of a better financial future. It could be the mending of a broken relationship. It may be of a dream vacation or dream home. But sometimes we dream of things not of God. Those dreams turn to nightmares if we follow them. May God help us to know the difference, and to follow his dreams rather than our schemes!

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 7:1-16

And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” ² And Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³ and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ ⁴ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. ⁵ Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. ⁶ And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. ⁷ ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ ⁸ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him ¹⁰ and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ¹¹ Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. ¹³ And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. ¹⁵ And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, ¹⁶ and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) Diane and I had a motto based on this verse as we were dating and considering our future lives – together or on different paths. “We can’t lose,” we would say. We carried on our relationship through the mail; letters sometimes crossing in the mail over the course of several months. More accurately I would write to her, “We can’t loose[sic!].” Oh well, she got the idea and we didn’t lose. God’s goodness and grace, faithfulness and love, together with much mutual understanding and long conversations when we were in person brought us this far, having been married some 48 years this year.

I don’t know that jealousy ever really played a role in the success and strength of our relationship. But I do know that God sometimes had to work overtime to overcome my stubbornness, blindness, and impatience. We both brought junk into our marriage. God, thankfully, has helped us clean it out over the years. Some of those cleaning-out experiences were painful and difficult. But in all things God worked for our good. We love him and each other. We are thankful for his forgiveness and love.

All that to say that God can work through all kinds of missteps and misguidances for his purposes. In the case of Joseph God used jealousy to write a story of redemption. Jealousy led Joseph’s brothers to sell him into slavery. While there Joseph was unjustly accused of trying to seduce Potiphar’s wife – when it was actually the other way around. Thrown into prison, Joseph was forgotten by his prison-mate and would have languished there had there not been a need for someone to interpret dreams.

Ultimately Joseph was not only released from prison, but made second in command in Egypt only to Pharoah. He saved the Egyptians from the terrible effects of famine and even supplied grain for his estranged brothers and his family. At the end of the Joseph saga – once he was reunited with his brothers and father, and after his father had died – Joseph declared: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”

No, God did not use jealousy to save his people. But he did work through the twists and turns of fallen, arrogant, proud, deceitful, and hateful people. Don’t take this as an excuse to act out on your own worst inclinations. But use this example to remember that no matter how bad things get, God can work them for good. He has a grand plan for the redemption of the world and to the praise of his glorious grace. You’re a part of it. Never forget it.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 7:1-16

And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” ² And Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³ and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ ⁴ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. ⁵ Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. ⁶ And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. ⁷ ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ ⁸ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him ¹⁰ and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ¹¹ Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. ¹³ And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. ¹⁵ And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, ¹⁶ and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

Is it true that 1000 years is like a moment for you, God?

Yes. I exist outside of time.

That would mean that $1,000,000.00 would be like $1.00 to you. Right?

Yes…

So could I have $1,000,000.00?

Sure. Wait a moment.

Sorry, guess I’m on a bit of a joke kick here. But this does illustrate something that Stephen mentions in his defense before his accusers. He speaks about how Abraham was promised the land but did not receive even one foot of it during his lifetime. It would be 430 years before Abraham’s descendents, under the leadership of Joshua would actually step foot on the Promised Land. The promise was made during Abraham’s time, but not fulfilled until long after he had died.

It is interesting to note, furthermore, that Moses, the one who led God’s people out of Egypt those nearly 400 years later, didn’t end up taking them into the land. That was ostensibly because Moses sinned and struck the rock for water rather than speaking to it as God had commanded. I say ostensibly because I suspect that in the timelessness of God other time-bound realities had to be worked out before Israel could enter the promised land. There is a grander sweep to the arc of history than our time-bound minds easily grasp or in which our impatient hearts find peace.

There has been a seismic change in two things over the past millennia. The first is that life expectancy has greatly increased. Although people did live to old age in the past. Many did not. Whether by war or disease, famine, or drought, people were much more susceptible to the tumult of everyday life then than now. During these same millennia the rate of change has greatly increased. So while generations would live with little change (life unfolded slower back then), today we see multiple changes within generations.

I suspect that in Abraham’s day many were plodding along making the best of things, and finding joy and meaning however they could. I suspect that many in our day are trying constantly to keep up with changes in technology, politics, medicine, and morality. We may be more prone today than ever before to want quick fixes and fast answers. Yet we must wait.

I love the insight offered in Daniel 10 about this. Daniel receives a troubling vision of war and great conflict that was to come. He immediately began to pray. But no answer was quick to come. No lions’ mouths were closed or fiery furnaces were escaped. But 21 days later an angel delivers this message:

“Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. ¹³ But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.”

We may grow impatient when we hear a promise of God, believe it, and seek to receive it. We may even despair when we see no movement toward relief. But that doesn’t mean that God is uncaring, disengaged, or not at work. There is a bigger story of which we are all a part. Some have major roles. Others are supporting actors. But we are all important to God, and his great desire is that we be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

When we see not even a foot’s length of movement toward the fulfillment of God’s promises we can remember Abraham, the father of faith, and believe in the Lord. God will reckon that to us as righteousness. And that’s a very good thing.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 7:1-16

And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” ² And Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, ³ and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ ⁴ Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. ⁵ Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. ⁶ And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. ⁷ ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’ ⁸ And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ “And the patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him ¹⁰ and rescued him out of all his afflictions and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ¹¹ Now there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. ¹² But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. ¹³ And on the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, seventy-five persons in all. ¹⁵ And Jacob went down into Egypt, and he died, he and our fathers, ¹⁶ and they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

“Well, I was driving down the road in my pickup truck…” So goes the story which the farmer wanted to tell while on the witness stand. It was a long story in response to a simple yes or no question. Every time the attorney asked the simple question Farmer Joe would answer, “Well, I was driving down the road in my pickup truck with my…” This was no time for a simple yes or no answer. There was a story to be told. (See below for the joke.)

Stephen is asked a simple question, “Are these things so?” It’s a fairly simple question. He may have put a little context around his answer. He could have offered a few words of context or explanation before answering, “Yes,” or “No.” In stead, however, he begins a long accounting of the history of Israel from the time of the Call of Abram all the way through the time of Solomon who built the first temple. It’s a 50 verse summary of the story of God which culminates in a startling and combative accusation: “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” (Acts 7:51)

We who believe in and follow Jesus walk a path made hard by the feet of many who have gone before us. This is no untried way. We are not an island of isolation in a sea of meaninglessness. We are a part of the grand sweep of God’s faithfulness, redemption, grace, and love.

Very few questions may easily be answered yes or no. Seldom are we able to give the fullest expression of our faith in a few words. Our faith is not a collection of isolated theological truths. We are a part of God’s story. It all starts with God when he calls us like he did Abram, and sends us to places we do not know. And we go in faith, believing that God is leading to a perfect and glorious future. We go, knowing that others are with us on the path. We go, realizing that what we may not understand today we will be something with which we are at perfect peace in the future. We go, thanking God for the great examples of faith and seeking to learn from the not-so-good examples of disobedience by others.

The Joke:

Farmer Joe decided his injuries from the accident were serious enough to take the trucking company responsible for the accident to court. In court the trucking company’s fancy lawyer was questioning farmer Joe. “Didn’t you say, at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m fine,’” asked the lawyer.

Farmer Joe responded, “Well. I’ll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my best cow Bessie into the…”

“I didn’t ask for any details,” the lawyer interrupted, “just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m fine, I’m just fine!’”.

Farmer Joe said, “Well, I had just got Bessie into the trailer and I was driving down the road…”

The lawyer interrupted again and said, “Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Police officer on the scene that he was fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please tell him to simply answer the question.”

Please pray these psalms with me on this Lord’s Day

Psalm 27:1-6

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

² When evildoers assail me
    to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
    it is they who stumble and fall.

³ Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
    yet I will be confident.

⁴ One thing have I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
    and to inquire in his temple.

⁵ For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will lift me high upon a rock.

⁶ And now my head shall be lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

Psalm 57:1-3

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
² I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
³ He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

Psalm 87:1-6

On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
²     the Lord loves the gates of Zion
    more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
³ Glorious things of you are spoken,
    O city of God. Selah

⁴ Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon;
    behold, Philistia and Tyre, with Cush—
    “This one was born there,” they say.
⁵ And of Zion it shall be said,
    “This one and that one were born in her”;
    for the Most High himself will establish her.
⁶ The Lord records as he registers the peoples,
    “This one was born there.” Selah

Psalm 117

Praise the Lord, all nations!
    Extol him, all peoples!
² For great is his steadfast love toward us,
    and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 147:1-6

Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
    for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
² The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
³ He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
⁴ He determines the number of the stars;
    he gives to all of them their names.
⁵ Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure.
⁶ The Lord lifts up the humble;
    he casts the wicked to the ground.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016.
Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 6:1-15 [NLT]

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

² So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. ³ And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. ⁴ Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

⁵ Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). ⁶ These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

⁷ So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

⁸ Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. ⁹ But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. ¹⁰ None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

¹¹ So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” ¹² This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.

¹³ The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. ¹⁴ We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

¹⁵ At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.

I love Martin Luther’s explanation to the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come.” He asks, What does this mean? Then he answers: The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 6:1-15 [NLT]

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

² So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. ³ And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. ⁴ Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

⁵ Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). ⁶ These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

⁷ So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

⁸ Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. ⁹ But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. ¹⁰ None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

¹¹ So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” ¹² This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.

¹³ The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. ¹⁴ We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

¹⁵ At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.

They’re not my favorite people, but they made a Pizza Hut commercial years ago that I still remember. Deion Sanders and Jerry Jones are talking, after a few baseball-football, offence-defence questions, comes the Pizza Hut, “Meat Lovers or Stuffed Crust pizza?” The answer is both. Then Jerry asks, “What do you say, Deion? Will it be $15 million or $20 million? (Deion had just signed a $35 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys). “How about both?” Deion says. Jerry asks, “Both?” Deion answers, “Both.”

Some people want to be so spiritually-minded that they become no earthly good. They want to focus on prayer, mercy, grace, heaven, and the life of the world to come apart from applying the Gospel message to their everyday lives. They disassociate life on earth from life in heaven. They are spiritually-minded and earthly thoughtless.

That is not the way of God. When the issue of the distribution of the food to the widows comes before the apostles, they don’t say, “That’s none of our business. That’s not a matter for the church.” They realize they must attend to this concern. The care of widows and orphans is of the essence of true religion (cf. James 1:27). But neither do they abandon the mission of God to preach the gospel to all the world. They are to be witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, redemption, and kingdom call to the ends of the earth.

When Jesus began his ministry, he announced, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15) The kingdom of God is not just a pie-in-the-sky experience. It’s an eternal reign and rule of Jesus in the hearts of believers that begins at the moment of conversion and never ends. The culmination of all that will be the new heaven and the new earth in which every sin, sickness, sorrow, or influence of Satan will be totally erased. It will be glorious.

We properly speak about the life of the world to come. It will be truly glorious where we will have glorified resurrected bodies and enjoy the perfect paradise of God, the garden of true godly pleasures. We look forward to that, truly. But we still live here for a purpose. We must not ignore the needs of others, hiding behind a thin veil of spirituality. God cares about our needs now and throughout all eternity. We must remain heavenly minded while we do all we can on earth to serve our neighbor. We must do both.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 6:1-15 [NLT]

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

² So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. ³ And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. ⁴ Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

⁵ Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). ⁶ These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

⁷ So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

⁸ Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. ⁹ But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. ¹⁰ None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

¹¹ So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” ¹² This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.

¹³ The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. ¹⁴ We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

¹⁵ At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.

My first experience within the Church Militant was a challenging one. I had recently graduated from the seminary and begun my pastoral ministry in Utah. The first circuit conference I attended proved to be a rude awakening. One of the pastors actually said, “You can’t equate the Bible with the Word of God.” There may have been a theological nuance there – the Word of God being the second person of the Trinity. But it seemed quite a rude challenge. Fortunately we learned to get along with mutual respect – if not a good bit of caution – toward each other in the coming years. We never doubted one another’s salvation or place in the kingdom of God. But we were not as united in spirit and faith that I would have hoped.

Then came my first experience at a national convention of our church body. A Christianity Today article many years ago described us and Baptists this way: Conservative Lutherans fight over doctrine and drink beer. Conservative Baptists fight over doctrine and don’t drink beer. We do fight over doctrine or at least practice around that doctrine. We are the Church Militant afterall.

The best definition of the Church Militant is, “those Christians on earth who are engaged in a continuous war against evil and the enemies of Christ.” And, make no mistake, we are in a battle. Sometimes, sadly, we wound our own brothers and sisters in the battle.

It’s most sad when brothers and sisters in the faith begin to question or challenge one another’s motives, ideas, or genuineness of of faith. That soon sets one or the other apart from the faith. Those from the Synagogue of the Freed Slaves, however, do just that. And Stephen will stand in the gap for the faith. We know it will cost him his life. His commitment to the truth of the Gospel is commendable.

As long as we are on this side of eternity, we will have to contend with those who wish to silence the truth. Hopefully it will not lead to our martyrdom. I am thankful for the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace that God has allowed me to experience over these past years. And I am thankful for those who uphold the truth of the Gospel for the glory of Christ and the blessing of their neighbors.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 6:1-15 [NLT]

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.

² So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. ³ And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. ⁴ Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

⁵ Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith). ⁶ These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them.

⁷ So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too.

⁸ Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed amazing miracles and signs among the people. ⁹ But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. ¹⁰ None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

¹¹ So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” ¹² This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.

¹³ The lying witnesses said, “This man is always speaking against the holy Temple and against the law of Moses. ¹⁴ We have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the Temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

¹⁵ At this point everyone in the high council stared at Stephen, because his face became as bright as an angel’s.

According to Wikipedia, “The World Council of Churches is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism.” Today’s World podcast had a segment on the WCC on this, their 75th anniversary year. [Note: I highly recommend this podcast for a biblically-based worldview version of NPR’s All Things Considered.] They quote the World Council of Churches General Secretary: “We are a Council of Churches, not the Council of the one undivided Church. Our name indicates our weakness and our shame before God, for there can be and there is finally only one Church of Christ on earth.”

They end the segment with this telling comment:

The WCC has come under fire from many of the world’s largest evangelical denominations for leaving the true faith as expressed in its founding documents that reminded its members of Ephesians 4: that God Himself gives the church gifts for the equipping of the saints and the edifying of the body of Christ. Declaring that the unity of the faith only comes through the knowledge of the Son of God.

We might imagine that the Early Church didn’t have these kinds of squabbles, theological, or doctrinal issues. But it would be true only in our imagination. Even among those who claimed Jesus as their messiah there were challenges to the true faith – the Party of the Circumcision being the most notable. But there were also gnostics, as well as other groups and individuals who were in error and had to be corrected.

We see that clearly here in Acts 6. Issues of fairness and even-handed favor between Jewish and Greek believers threatened to divide the church. It would also divide the Apostles’ attention or distract them completely from the Mission of God. But Luke helps us to understand the true focus needed for God’s people then. This section of the account of God’s work through the Holy Spirit in the Early Church begins with a reminder. The believers were rapidly multiplying in numbers. The message of Jesus was being spread from Jerusalem, into Judea and Samaria, and soon it will spread to the ends of the earth.

And with that will come conflict, challenge, misunderstanding, and struggle. We all wish it were not so. It would be so good if we could all just get along. But until Jesus returns we will be a part of the church militant. We will struggle throughout our days. And we will need the Holy Spirit’s succor to sustain us in faith, hope, and love. May it be so!