Stephen’s Message: Moses, The Prince

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How has God kept you on His timetable, instead of your own?

Stephen continued reminding the Jewish elders of God’s constant care for his chosen people (247).

“When the time drew near for God to keep the promise he had made to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had grown much larger.  At that time, a king who had not known Joseph began to rule in Egypt. This king was very cruel, even forcing our ancestors to kill their baby boys!

“Also at that time, Moses was born, a very beautiful child. He was cared for at home for three months, and then the king’s daughter adopted him & brought him up as her own son.

“Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a man great in words and deeds.

“When Moses was 40 years old, he saw one of his fellow Israelites being beaten by an Egyptian.

“Moses intervened & took revenge on the Egyptian by killing him! He thought that surely his own people would understand that God was going to use him to set them free.  But they did not understand.

“The very next day, Moses saw two Israelites fighting, and he tried to make peace between them.  ‘Listen, men,’ he said, ‘you are fellow Israelites; why are you fighting like this?’  But one of them pushed Moses aside. ‘Who made you ruler & judge over us?’ he asked. ‘Do you want to kill me, just as you killed that Egyptian yesterday?’

“When Moses heard this, he knew he had to flee from Egypt, or face possible execution by the king for killing the Egyptian guard.  So, Moses went to live for the next 40 years in Saudi Arabia, where he married & had two sons.”

LORD, please help us to love waiting for Your perfect timing.

How has God kept you on His timetable, instead of your own?

(247) Acts 7:17-29

Stephen’s Message: Abraham, Isaac & Jacob

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How has God fed you during times of spiritual starvation?

To begin their investigation into the charges against Stephen, the High Priest asked him if the charges were true.  The Holy Spirit inspired Stephen to respond — first, by turning their focus toward God & all that he had done for the children of Israel (246).

“Brothers, please, hear me. God told our ancestor Abraham to leave his relatives & his residence in Iraq, saying, ‘Go to the land that I will show you.’  So Abraham moved as  God led him, eventually arriving here in Israel.

“But at that time, God didn’t give Abraham any part of Israel as his own, not even one square foot of ground.  However, God did promise eventually to give all of Israel, and the surrounding lands, to Abraham & his descendants — even though Abraham then had no children!

“God told Abraham: ‘Your descendants will live in a foreign country for 400 years, where they will be slaves & will be treated badly. But then I will judge & punish the people who enslave them, and your descendants will come out of that country & will return to worship me in this place.’

“God also gave to Abraham the ceremony of circumcision, as a sign of this covenant promise. So Abraham circumcised Isaac a week after he was born; Isaac circumcised his son Jacob; and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons — the famous ancestors of our race.”

“In time, Jacob’s older ten sons became jealous of their younger brother, Joseph, and  secretly sold him to be a slave in Egypt!

“But God was with Joseph and brought him safely through all his troubles.  When he eventually appeared before the king of Egypt, God gave Joseph a pleasing manner & wisdom, so that the king made him governor over the entire country & the royal household!

“Then there was a famine all over Egypt & Israel, and our ancestors couldn’t find any food.  When Jacob heard that there were stores of food in Egypt, he sent his ten older sons there on their first visit.  On their second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and the king of Egypt came to know about Joseph’s family.  Joseph then sent a message to his father, Jacob, telling him & his whole family, 75 people in all, to come to live in Egypt, for the duration of the famine.

“So Jacob moved to Egypt, where he & his sons lived the rest of their lives.  After Jacob died, Joseph took his  body back to Israel, where he was buried in the place originally established by our ancestor Abraham.”

LORD, please help us to love trusting You to feed us, when we are starving.

How has God fed you during times of spiritual starvation?

(246) Acts 7:1-16

Stephen

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When you’re rejected, how do you recover the peace of God?

As the community of followers of Jesus in Jerusalem continued to increase in number, there were some growing pains.  Once, for example, there was a quarrel between some Jewish & Gentile believers (245).  The Gentiles claimed that Gentile widows were being neglected in the body’s daily distribution of resources.

To address this issue, the 12 witnesses prayed & then called the whole body of believers together.  The Holy Spirit led them to offer this proposal: “God has chosen us to continue praying & preaching his word.  Through you, God will now choose seven members of the body — full of the Holy Spirit & godly wisdom — to be in charge of the daily distribution.”

The whole body was pleased with this proposal, so they chose Stephen (a man full of faith & the Holy Spirit), Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, & Nicolaus (a Gentile from Antioch, who had first been converted to Judaism & then to faith in Jesus). These 7 men were presented to the 12 witnesses, who placed their hands on them & prayed for their ministry.

In this way, the word of God continued to spread, and the body of Christ in Jerusalem continued increasing in number – eventually even including a great number of Jewish priests who placed their faith in Jesus.

As he was full of the Spirit’s power, Stephen was used by God to do great miracles & wonders among the people. But he was opposed by certain Jewish men, who would frequently start arguing with him about matters of faith.  However, the Spirit gave Stephen such wisdom that, when he spoke, they never could overcome him.

So these jealous Jews bribed some men to say, “We heard Stephen speaking against Moses & against God!” This false accusation stirred up the people, the Jewish elders & the teachers of the law of Moses.

Stephen was seized & taken before the council of Jewish religious authorities. More false witnesses were brought in to tell lies about him. “This man,” they said, “is always talking against our sacred temple & the law of Moses. We heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will tear down the temple & change all the customs which have come down to us from Moses!”

Then, all those sitting in the council fixed their eyes on Stephen, whose peaceful face seemed like the face of an angel . . .

LORD, please help us to love keeping our eyes on You, even when others reject us.

When you’re rejected, how do you recover the peace of God?

(245) Acts 6:1-15

Faith On Trial

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What helps you stand strong for Jesus, in trying circumstances?

When the council — of chief priests & other Jewish religious authorities — learned that the 12 witnesses for Jesus were not found in the jail, they wondered what had happened to them (244). Then a man came to them with this report: “We have found those men you put in jail; they’re in the temple, teaching the people again!”

So the guards went and brought the witnesses back from the temple, quickly & quietly. The High Priest confronted them, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in the name of this man Jesus.  But you have defied these orders & taught the people that we are responsible for his death!”

But Peter and the other witnesses never wavered in their answer.  “We must obey God, not men! God raised Jesus from death, after you had him killed by nailing him to a cross. God sent Jesus to be our savior, to give the people of Israel the opportunity to repent & have their sins forgiven. We are witnesses to these things, thanks to the Holy Spirit, who is given by God as a gift to those who obey him.”

When the members of the council heard these bold claims, they were so furious that they wanted to have the 12 witnesses put to death on the spot!

Then Gamaliel intervened; he was a Pharisee & a teacher of the law, who was highly respected by all the members of the council.  He stood up & ordered the 12 witnesses to be taken out, so he could address the council privately.

“Fellow Israelites, be careful what you do to these men.  Remember Theudas & Judas the Galilean?  They were popular for a while, but their movements soon faded away.

“So I advise you not to take any action against these followers of Jesus. If their ministry is of human origin, it will also fade away.   But if their ministry comes from God, you can’t possibly defeat them.  You don’t want to find yourselves fighting against God!”

The council members considered this counsel & decided to defer to Gamaliel.  The 12 witnesses were then called back in. The guards were ordered to beat them  with whips.  The council again ordered them never to speak in the name of Jesus.  But then, all the witnesses were set free!

As they left the council, the witnesses were joyful because God had considered them worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus!

And every day, in the temple & in people’s homes, they continued to teach & preach the good news about Jesus the Messiah.

LORD, please help us to love being faithful witnesses for Jesus, in any kind of trial.

What helps you stand strong for Jesus, in trying circumstances?

(244) Acts 5:24-42

Surprise Visit!

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When God shows up unexpectedly, how do you respond?

Many miracles & wonders were being done among the people of Jerusalem through the witnesses for Jesus (243).

For example, sick people were often placed on mats by the street, because many had been healed when Peter’s shadow fell on them as he walked by!

Crowds of people came in from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were sick or who had evil spirits in them, and they were all healed!

The community of believers frequently met together in an area of the temple called Solomon’s Porch.  Some people in Jerusalem spoke highly of the believers but didn’t join them, for fear of being condemned by the Jewish religious authorities. But other people believed & did join the growing faith community.

One result of this was that the Jewish High Priest & many Sadducees became extremely jealous of the chosen witnesses.  In frustration, they arrested all 12 witnesses & put them in the public prison!

But that same night, an angel of God opened the prison gates & led the witnesses out!  The angel told them, “Go back into the temple, and keep teaching the people about the new life they can have by following & serving Jesus.”

So at dawn the witnesses obediently entered the temple & again started teaching about Jesus.

Meanwhile, the High Priest called all the Jewish elders for a full meeting of their council.  Agents were then sent to the prison to bring the 12 witnesses before them.

But when the agents didn’t find the witnesses in the prison, they returned to the Council with this report: “When we arrived at the jail, we found it locked up tight & all the guards on watch at the gates.  But when we opened the gates, we found no one inside!”

LORD, please help us to love Your surprise visits.

When God shows up unexpectedly, how do you respond?

(243) Acts 5:12-23

To Give Or Not To Give

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How does it help you, that God knows everything about you?

The community of people in Jerusalem — who were living as Jesus taught — was unified in mind, heart & spirit (242).  No one claimed personal ownership of anything; they all shared with one another everything they had.

Those who owned fields or houses would sell them & turn over to the chosen 12 witnesses the money received from those sales.  The witnesses would then distribute the money to the other members of the community, according to their needs.

For example, there was Joseph, a Levite born in Cyprus; the witnesses called him Barnabas (which means “encourager”).  He sold a field he owned & turned the proceeds over to the witnesses in this way.  The bottom line was that no member of the body was left in need.

But there was another man named Ananias who, with his wife Sapphira, sold some property that belonged to them.  They agreed to say that they were giving all the proceeds to the witnesses for the community, but they actually kept back part of the money for themselves.

The Holy Spirit helped Peter to know this, so Peter said to Ananias, “Why did you give in to Satan’s temptation & lie to the Holy Spirit, by keeping part of the money you received for your property?  Although the money from the sale of the property was yours, it wasn’t right for you to lie to God about how much you were giving!”

As soon as Ananias heard this, he fell down dead!   Those who saw this happen  were shocked & frightened.  At Peter’s instruction, some young men came in, wrapped up the body of Ananias, and carried him out for burial.

About three hours later, Sapphira came in, not knowing what had happened to her husband. Peter asked her, “Was the money you gave the full amount that you & Ananias received for your property?” “Yes,” she answered, “it was the full amount.”

Because Peter was deeply grieved by their rebellion against the Holy Spirit, he said to Sapphira, “Why did you & your husband challenge the Holy Spirit? Those men standing at the door have buried your husband, and now they are waiting to bury you!”

At once Sapphira fell down dead at Peter’s feet! The young men came in, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband.

The members of the body who were present were again shocked & frightened by this unexpected display of God’s power, as were all the other believers who eventually heard of this.

LORD, please help us to love & respect Your power.

How does it help you, that God knows everything about you?

(242) Acts 4:32-5:11

Answered Prayer

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How has God answered your prayers for spiritual power to serve Him?

As soon as Peter and John were set free by the Jewish elders, they returned to their friends and told them about their arrest & inquisition — regarding the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate (240).

 When the believers heard this report, they all joined in prayer to God: “You are the master and creator of heaven, earth & sea and all that is in them!” their prayer began.

“By the power of the Holy Spirit you spoke to us through our ancestor, your servant David, when he said: ‘Why were the nations furious?  Why did people indulge in their pointless plots? The kings of the earth prepared themselves; the rulers met together against God & his Messiah.’

“Now, we have seen Herod & Pontius Pilate meet together with both Jews & Gentiles (241) — against Jesus & against you.  But, LORD, we know that you allowed this to happen, according to your perfect plan for us.

“Please, despite the threats of these rulers, empower us to share your message boldly!

“Reach out your hand to heal, and grant that wonders & miracles may continue to be done through the name of your son, Jesus.”

As they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was shaken, as in an earthquake!  All those present were filled with the Holy Spirit!  They were empowered to proclaim God’s message boldly, and they all continued to do that.  In particular, the 12 chosen witnesses proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus with great power, and God poured rich blessings on them all.

LORD, please help us to love serving You, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

How has God answered your prayers for spiritual power to serve Him?

(240) Acts 4:23-31

(241) It has long been common in some religious circles to refer to all non-Jewish people simply as Gentiles.

Standing Strong

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What helps you choose to obey God, over everything else?

The Jewish elders completed questioning Peter & John, about how the lame man at the Beautiful Gate had been healed by the power of Jesus. Then they put Peter & John out of the room, and started discussing & debating the case among themselves (239).

“What is to be done with these men?” some asked. “Everyone in Jerusalem knows that this extraordinary miracle has been done through them, and we cannot deny it.”

Others said, “But we have to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people.  So let’s warn these men never again to speak to anyone in the name of Jesus.”

This was agreed and Peter & John were called back into the council room.  They were warned never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.  The two witnesses responded, “You judge which is right in God’s sight — to obey you, or to obey God!

“We have been commanded by God, to speak of all that Jesus did & said, which we have seen & heard!”

With great bluster, the council members warned them even more strongly, not to teach or speak in the name of Jesus.  But then they set Peter & John free! They realized that punishing them wouldn’t be popular, since so many people were praising God for the miraculous healing of the man who had been lame for 40 years.

LORD, please help us to love standing strong in our obedience to You.

What helps you choose to obey God, over everything else?

(239) Acts 4:15-22

Living Boldly

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What helps you live boldly for Jesus?

Peter & John were still speaking with the people, about how the lame man at the Beautiful Gate had been healed by the power of Jesus.  Some priests, an officer of the temple guards & some Sadducees arrived (238).  At that time, the Sadducees were the main ministers in the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Sadducees were annoyed because Peter & John were teaching that Jesus had risen from death; this offended them because they were certain that no one could rise from death.  In order to put a stop to what they considered false teaching about God, the Sadducees had Peter & John arrested & put in jail overnight.

Despite this, many who heard the message of Peter & John believed in Jesus.  As a result the number of members of the body of Christ in Jerusalem grew to about five thousand!

On the next day, Jewish leaders, elders & teachers of the law gathered to meet with the High Priest, Annas, and with Caiaphas, John, Alexander & other members of the High Priest’s family.

Peter & John were brought before this tribunal & they were interrogated: “How did you heal this lame beggar? What power do you have? Whose name did you use?”

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, answered them, “Leaders of the people & elders, this man stands here, completely healed, through the power of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth — whom you put to death & whom God raised from death. Jesus is the one of whom the inspired scriptures say, ‘The stone that you builders rejected turned out to be the most important stone of all.’  Salvation is  to be found only through Jesus!  God has provided no other way for all of us to be saved.”

The members of the council were amazed to see the boldness of Peter & John, particularly since they had no formal religious education. They realized then that Peter & John were close personal friends of Jesus.

And they had no comeback, because the man who had been healed was standing there with Peter & John!

LORD, please help us to love & live boldly for Jesus.

What helps you live boldly for Jesus?

(238) Acts 4:1-14

Pointing The Way

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Do you point people to Jesus by your words, your actions, or both?

As he & John were surrounded by the crowd, Peter was inspired by the Holy Spirit to share another message from God (237).

“Fellow Israelites, why are you staring at us in such surprise? Do not think that we made this man walk by our own power.  The God of our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob, gave such power & divine glory only to his son Jesus.

“You handed Jesus over to the authorities; you rejected him before Pilate, even after Pilate had decided to set him free!  Jesus was holy & good, but you demanded that Pilate release to you a murderer instead of Jesus.  So you killed the only one who can lead us to life.

“But God has raised Jesus from death, and we have witnessed this! It was the power of Jesus’ name that gave strength to this lame man. What you have witnessed was done by faith in Jesus.

“I know that what you & your leaders did to Jesus was due to your ignorance.  God’s prophets had foretold that his Messiah had to suffer, and it was ultimately God who caused these prophecies to be fulfilled in this way.

“Yet now, when you repent & turn to God, you will receive forgiveness of your sins & spiritual strength from God!

“In time, God will send Jesus to us again.  But until that time, when all things will be made new, Jesus remains in heaven.

“Remember, God also announced this long ago, through his holy prophets. Moses himself said, ‘God will send you a prophet like me; he will be one of your own people. You are to obey everything he tells you to do. Anyone who does not obey that prophet shall be separated from God’s people and destroyed.'”

Then Peter added, “In the same way, all of God’s prophets, including Samuel & those who came after him, also foretold what has been happening in these days.

“All you Israelites share in the covenant which God made with your ancestors, so all God’s promises are for you.  God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants I will bless all the people on earth.’

“Now, God has sent his son to you first, to bless you, by calling every one of you to turn away from your sins.  Turn to Jesus!”

LORD, please help us to love pointing people to You, in every situation.

Do you point people to Jesus by your words, your actions, or both?

(237) Acts 3:12-26