My Morning Meal

It’s often said that the best defense is an offense. I’m guessing that isn’t exactly what Stephen was thinking as he stood before the high priest and his council . . . that Stephen wasn’t concerned with tactics. Nevertheless, full of the Holy Spirit, Stephen came out swinging. False witnesses had laid the charges against Stephen . . . this man speaks against the temple . . . he opposes the law . . . he says the Man of Nazareth will destroy this place . . . and he claims that this Jesus will change the customs Moses delivered to us (Acts 6:13-14). “Are these things so?” Stephen is asked.

And Stephen turns the tables . . . he proceeds to remind them of a few things about Moses and about the temple . . . that their forefathers rejected Moses, not understanding that God was giving them salvation by his hand (7:25) . . . and that the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands, but that heaven is His throne (7:48-49). And then Stephen, rather than backing off, brings his own accusations against his accusers. As to opposing the law, he concludes, you boast that you are circumcised in the flesh but you are uncircumcised in heart and ears and you always resist the Holy Spirit . . . you received the law as delivered by angels but you did not keep it (7:51-53).

What boldness! This man of full faith . . . full of wisdom . . . full of grace . . . full of power . . . full of the Spirit (6:3, 5, 8) . . . this man, when the going gets tough, stands fast and stands tall. What a demonstration of Spirit infused courage. Truly there’s something about the fire that reveals the reality of what powers a man. But as impressive as all this might be . . . as revealing as it is of the Spirit’s enabling in times of trial . . . for me, what’s even more impressive, are the words from Stephen’s lips as he was on the ground being pelted to death with stones.

And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.   (Acts 7:59-60 ESV)

How much does Stephen sound like His Savior? A lot!

And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified Him . . . And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” . . . Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this He breathed His last.    (Luke 23:33-34, 36 ESV)

And what’s stirring my soul is that, in such a situation as Stephen’s, there’s no more faking it . . . Christianese isn’t going to cut it . . . facades are gone. When the going gets tough the inner man is revealed . . . the source of power is apparent . . . what’s at the core of a person is evident.

Stephen was so Spirit-filled . . . so transformed by the renewing of his mind . . . so conformed to the image of God’s Son . . . that in his last moments, with his last breaths, he sounded so like His Savior.

A couple of weeks ago, a preacher at our church said that molten gold that has been purified is reflective . . . that you can tell how refined the gold is by the degree to which you can look into it and see your face. What did Jesus see as He looked back at Stephen as Stephen gazed into heaven and saw “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (7:55-56)? As Stephen gazed into heaven and Jesus stood gazing back, did the Lamb see His own face in Stephen’s? And in His grace, did the Savior direct the Spirit to place His own words upon His faithful servant’s tongue?

When the going gets tough . . . the reality of the walk is revealed . . . the power of the Spirit is manifest . . . the likeness of Christ shines forth . . . and the grace of God is sufficient.

For His glory alone . . .

Technically, he was “hired” to distribute bread . . . ultimately, he displayed great faith and dispatched great wisdom. He responded to the call to “serve tables” . . . and was then used to do “great wonders and signs.” His was a call to what some might have considered mundane duty . . . but when a man full of the Spirit is prepared to respond to the calling of the Spirit then don’t be surprised if he displays the power of the Spirit.

Acts 6 begins with a bit of a disturbance within the newly founded, fast growing, church of Christ. A complaint arises that some of the widows in need are being neglected. The apostles recognize that addressing such logistical issues will be a distraction from doing what they should be doing . . . they needed to stay focused on devoting themselves “to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (6:4). And so they determined to pick seven men who would give attention to “the daily distribution” (6:1).

Ok . . . so the first thing that kind of grabs me are the “minimum qualifications” on the “job posting.” The apostles were going to pick out from among the church “seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (6:3). At first, it seems like a bit of overkill to me . . . Spirit-filled? . . . marked by great wisdom? . . . just to hand out daily rations to those in need. But thinking on it a bit more, it makes sense that when it comes to ministering in the body of Christ to the body of Christ that it should be directed by the mind of Christ. That those called to be in service to others in the family of God should first be in sync with the Spirit of God.

So Stephen, along with six others are chosen and commissioned. The “ACTS2:32 Food Bank” is open for business . . . disputes are settled . . . distribution is equitably conducted . . . the apostles are focused on what the apostles should be focused on . . . “and the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem . . . ” (6:7).

But Spirit-filled men who are “faithful with little” often find themselves directed to be “faithful with much.” And Stephen was one of those guys.

And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.    (Acts 6:8-10 ESV)

I don’t know that Stephen was looking for the limelight. If God’s purpose had been to use this man, “full the Spirit and of wisdom,” to minister to needy widows for the rest of his life . . . if that had been the only role in the Body God had determined He should fill . . . if the body part he was formed for was to be a hand . . . then I think he would have been content to serve in such a manner with all his might, as for the Lord (Col. 3:23). On the other hand, men and women “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” may find that God asks them to fill more than one place in the Body . . . or that, for different seasons, God raises them up to be used in different ways.

And so Stephen goes from handing out bread to doing great signs and wonders. He goes from mediating disputes between dear sisters-in-Christ to debating the things of eternity with learned men of the synagogue of the Freedmen. But what doesn’t change is the driving source of the power to serve . . . the Spirit of God.

And so Stephen, full of grace and power . . . this Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit . . . becomes an example for those who would serve in the Body of Christ.

Service in the Body of Christ, regardless of the task, needs to powered by the Spirit of Christ. And, the initial call might not be the final call . . . but ours is to respond as the Spirit leads and as the Spirit enables.

. . . by the grace of God . . . for the glory of God.

He was a man of reason among men beyond reason. His was the cooler head that prevailed. His was a voice of sound judgment above the voices of those who were filled with jealousy. And I wonder . . . just purely speculating . . . if his wasn’t the voice of someone who was being graced with eyes to see and hears to hear . . . if at some point he didn’t take his own advice . . . and perhaps believe, as well. I wonder if maybe he would become “brother Gamaliel.”

I’m reading another one of those “defies all logic” situations. The latter part of Acts 5 has the high priest and his cohort going nuts. Reports of Peter and the apostles doing “many signs and wonders” (5:12) are flowing into Sanhedrin headquarters. And, if seeing one guy “walking and leaping and praising God” (3:8) had them choked, then the repeated stories of people sick and afflicted with unclean spirits being brought to the apostles and being healed had them climbing the walls. The Spirit moves the author of Acts to record that they were “filled with jealousy” (5:17).

So what do you do with miracle workers to make them stop? Evidently you arrest them and throw them in prison. But what happens to miracle workers thrown into prison? . . . uh, miracles! An angel of the Lord opens the doors of the prison during the night and escorts these messengers of light out and tells them to go “stand in the temple and speak to the people all the word of this Life” (5:19-20). And that’s exactly where they are next morning . . . in the temple preaching. But the high priest sends for them in prison. Although every thing is still locked up and the guards are still in place, they are not there . . . and then they are told that they are in temple teaching and preaching. And so the high priest has them arrested again (5:21-26).

“Stop teaching in Jesus’ name,” they command the apostles. “We must obey God rather than men,” reply Peter and the apostles, “God has exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (5:27-32). And rather than believe the signs and wonders of the sick healed and the afflicted delivered . . . rather than entertain the implications of prisoners set free despite locked doors and on duty guards . . . rather than receive the good news of Jesus as Savior and sins forgiven . . . what do they do? . . . “they were enraged and wanted to kill them” (5:33).

Enter Gamaliel.

“So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” – Gamaliel (Acts 5:38-39 ESV)

Don’t know a lot about this guy . . . only mentioned twice in Scripture. Here we’re told that he was “a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people” (5:34). Later, in Acts 22, Paul identifies him as his teacher, the rabbi who instructed and mentored him, the influence in his formative years that shaped Paul into “a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless” (Php. 3:5-6). But also the guy, I’m guessing, that instilled in Paul a sincere zeal for God . . . even if that sincerity was wrong concerning Messiah’s coming.

And what makes me wonder about Gamaliel is his “observe and learn” counsel to the Sanhedrin. If this is of man, he says, it will fail . . . but, if it is of God, you won’t be able to overthrow it . . . in fact, you’ll be opposing God Himself. So, as Gamaliel continued to observe “the Way” . . . as reports of the churches growth continued . . . as his prize pupil, Saul of Tarsus, was himself converted . . . what did Gamaliel think? . . . what did he conclude? . . . could the hardened heart of one who sincerely sought God have been softened? . . . could the eyes blinded by self-righteousness have been given light? . . . could the one who gave some profound counsel, been enlightened by the Spirit to conclude, “This is of God . . . nothing will prevail against it . . . I will no longer stand in opposition, but believe?”

I don’t know. I suppose I could check out historical accounts of the day and see what clue they might provide.

What I do know is that, for those who ask, it will be given . . . for those who seek, they will find . . . for those who knock, the door will be open (Matt. 7:7) . . . that for those who sincerely want to know if “it is of God”, God will reveal truth to them.

By His grace . . . for His glory . . .

To quote Yogi Berra, it was “deja vu all over again.” It was another “Lazarus moment.” They could not deny then that a dead guy, buried for four days, was again made alive . . . and now there was no refuting that a man lame from birth . . . a man who had never been past the temple gates where he laid daily asking alms of those who entered . . . that this lame guy lame had, under his own power, entered the temple and was “walking and leaping and praising God” (Acts 3:1-10). The evidence could not be denied . . . there it stood before them . . . literally, stood. Oh, this was not turning out to be good day for them for there was more to this “deja vu all over again” that vexed them.

It wasn’t just that this undeniable “notable sign” had occurred, but it was who was at the center of it . . . Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

I’m guessing they at least vaguely recognized Peter and John when they were brought before them and identified as the ones who had created such a stir at the temple by raising the lame to his feet. And they shouldn’t have asked the question of Peter and John if they weren’t prepared to accept their answer. “By what power or by what name did you do this?” they asked. “By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead–by Him this man is standing well before you” (Acts 4:10).

It must have come flooding back like a nightmare to them. It wouldn’t have been a big deal if the tomb where Jesus was buried wasn’t empty . . . would have been a no brainer if there hadn’t been reports by hundreds of people that Jesus was seen alive. And now this . . . a lame man walking . . . and leaping . . . and praising God . . . and made possible, so claimed, by the authority of the Jesus they crucified. Oh, I can just see them rubbing their forwards . . . and reaching for the aspirin as a splitting headache comes on. Been here before . . . what to do now?

Though the thought might have crossed their minds, they knew they couldn’t go break the man’s legs . . . the word of the lame man walking had circulated throughout Jerusalem (4:16) . . . that cat was out of the bag. Though they wanted to lay a lickin’ on Peter and John, that was only going to stir up more trouble as the people were all praising God for what had happened (4:21) So they warned them “not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (4:18). Yeah, right!

And I guess what really gets to me about this passage is the hard-heartedness of these religious leaders. Again, a miracle performed, the evidence of which is undeniable . . . again, the miracle clearly attributed to the One identified as God’s anointed, “the stone that was rejected by the builders, the cornerstone” (4:11) . . . again, the claims of Jesus’ resurrection being the source of dead people living and lame people walking . . . again, the invitation to respond to the evidence — to believe and to receive the gift of God.

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. – Peter (Acts 4:12 ESV)

And their hardness bugs me not because they are so much different than I am, but because they are so similar . . . because they are a reflection of my old nature, the flesh which still wars against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17).

O’ for a heart which is alive to the things of God . . . a heart that is moved by dead people made alive . . . a heart which grows deep in faith . . . a heart which is moved to obedience . . . a heart which responds to the lame walking by leaping and praising God . . .

. . . all by the grace of God . . . all for the glory of God. Amen?

Peter gets a lot of guff. He’s often referred to as “impetuous Peter” . . . many are quick to point out that he was more of a “ready, fire, aim” guy than a “ready, aim, fire” guy. Quick to speak . . . slow to think . . . ready to talk the talk . . . sometimes coming up short on walking the walk. And it goes on. But, if you’re going to give credit where credit is due, you’ve got to admit he comes through, big time, in Acts 2.

The place is packed with “devout men from every nation under heaven” (2:5). They’ve come in response to the report of “tongues of fire” descending upon the place . . . they’ve come to check out the sound of heaven, “a mighty rushing wind,” and have found a multitude speaking “in other tongues” as the Spirit has given them utterance (2:1-3). There’s a general confusion among the crowd as some are in wonder that they can hear their native tongue being spoken . . . others, overwhelmed by the cacophony of sound, concluding that the crowd of speakers has been tipping back one too many and are drunk. Amidst what feels like a bit of a chaotic situation, Peter stands up on his feet . . . and lifts up his voice (2:14). Oh, oh . . . is there going to be another “open mouth, insert foot” moment for Peter? Not so much.

In his first public sermon, Peter, enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit of God, nails it!

Clearly . . . directly . . . confidently . . . scripturally . . . Peter declares that what is happening in their midst is the beginning of the fulfillment of that foretold by Joel the prophet . . . that these signs would appear before the “great and magnificent day” of the Lord . . . and that “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” . . . and that Jesus — the One they crucified . . . the One God raised up from the dead . . . the One David foresaw . . . the One now seated at the right hand of God . . . — this Jesus, God has made both Lord and Christ. Bam!

And many, when they hear “impetuous Peter” speak, are “cut to the heart” . . . “What shall we do?” (2:37)

“Repent,” declares Peter, “and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”

Peter the fickle fisherman, through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, is now Peter the powerful preacher. But preaching is only part of the deal . . . being cut to the heart by a powerful message is only the beginning of response. What grabbed me this morning was what I read next . . .

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41 ESV)

Three thousand mixed Peter’s message with a bit of faith and they received the word. The seed had faithfully and powerfully been sown by this “new and improved” Peter . . . but without soil to envelope the seed, it is trampled on or devoured by the birds of the air (Luke 2:5). But this seed found good soil . . . the fertile ground of believing hearts . . . the stuff that produces strong roots as it is ready to respond to the Spirit’s illumination of the Scripture. Peter could preach it . . . but unless they received it . . .

And it occurs to me that the same dynamic is available to me each morning . . . presented to me every Sunday . . . ready to engage me anytime the Word of God is opened before me. God breathed . . . Spirit conveyed . . . presented in order to be received. Mine is to accept it . . . believe it . . . and respond to it.

Oh, that I might not miss the opportunities to cry, “Preach it!”. And, more importantly, might I not miss the invitation to receive it.

By His grace . . . for His glory . . .