Acts 9:20-31 Long for His Return!

Acts 9:20-31  Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus.  At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.  All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name?  And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?”  Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.  After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, but Saul learned of their plan.  Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.  But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.  When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles.  He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.  So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.  He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.  When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.  Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened.  Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

We see in the above focus the worst of sinners, as Paul claimed himself to be, preaching the Good News.  Saul’s conversion had been traumatic and thorough, preparing him to battle the darkness in the minds of men and women.  Saul, once a man completely immersed in the Judaic religion of tradition, commandments and regulations, becomes a man set free by the grace of God.  In his time of blindness, God reveals the truth of Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  No longer will the works of men be paramount in Saul’s mind to serve God.  Faith in Jesus Christ and his works will be central in his life.  Saul now understood that to be right with God comes only through faith in Jesus Christ alone.  It is by grace you have been saved,through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  (Ephesians 2:8-9)  In Saul's three days of blindness, the revelation of Jesus being the Messiah sent from God became real in his life.  Saul, later Paul, was so convinced of this truth; he immediately began to proclaim the Good News that Jesus was and is the Messiah, the Promised One, sent by God to restore man’s  relationship to a holy God.   At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.  His  transformation from being an enemy of Jesus to advocating JESUS as the promised Messiah made him an enemy to the religious Jews.  Saul was also feared by Christians for they were suspicious of his quick transition from enemy to friend.  Consequently, Saul was an enemy of the Jews and feared by Christians.  Both groups had reasons to dislike Saul.  The Christians were leery of Saul's quick transformation, suspecting him to be a deceiver for the purpose of outing them to the religious authorities, exposing them to persecution.  For the religious Jews, he was a betrayer, a narcissistic man who wished for his own reasons to dismantle the basic tenants of Judaism: the law and its customs.  However, Saul’s focus was not on what men and women thought about him, but on following the will of God.  Therefore, he immediately began to preach the message that God put on his heart: salvation, being right with God, comes only through faith in Jesus Christ and his works, not through the works of men.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.  For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”  (Romans 1:16-17)  This message of salvation by faith alone in Christ’s work quickly brought him death threats from the Jewish community.  So persistent and hateful were these threats on Saul’s life that he fled Damascus.   Day and night they, the Jews, kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him.  But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.  Though fleeing Damascus, Saul’s mission of announcing the Good was primary in his life.  He went to Jerusalem to continue his ministry of proclaiming the Good News that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ and his works.  

However, Saul was not safe in Jerusalem.  The Jews considered him a traitor to Judaism.  His former acquaintances in Jerusalem and religious leaders despised him because they considered his identification as a Christian betrayed Judaism.  As a believer in Jesus as the Messiah, his very existence condemned the Jewish leaders and people of killing an innocent man.  He exposed the High Priest and Sanhedrin to be frauds, loving their position of power and deference in the Jewish society more than God.  Saul knew as Jesus knew, these religious leaders had murderous hearts.  Later on they would prove such evil existed in their hearts by rejoicing over James' death by the hands of Herod.  They also would be instrumental in the imprisonment of Peter by Herod.  The Sanhedrin's hatred of Christians was so intense that they wanted Christians to either recant their faith in Jesus or be put to death.   Knowing and experiencing the Sanhedrin’s animosity towards them, they were especially distrustful of Saul, one of their chief persecutors.  For the community of believers, the persistent question was, how could the chief of sinners, a foe to God’s redemption plan become a true believer so quickly?  Such a transition stretches credulity.   But Barnabas, not Saul, tells of Saul’s dramatic conversion of Jesus confronting Saul on the road to Damascus.  Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles.  He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.  For Saul to  preach the Good News even under the threat of death convinced the church’s leadership that his conversion was real.  Why should someone preach something that could possibly end his life?  Therefore, Saul was given free reign to minister in Jerusalem.   Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.  He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.   Because of his training as a Pharisee under the esteemed Gamaliel, Saul understood the ins’ and outs’ of this religious sect.  As a young man, he wore the garment of a respected Pharisee in Jerusalem’s religious community.  However, now as a Christian, he became a threat to the religious order in Jerusalem.  He could talk their language from a position of knowledge about the law and its regulations and the customs they followed. In debating the leadership of the Jews, he frustrated and confounded them, exposing their lack of belief in the true and only God.  He knew they wore a facade of knowing God, but their hearts were far from serving God in a righteous manner.  As Stephen said at his stoning, You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised.  You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!  Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?  They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One.  And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.  (Acts 7:51-53)  As with Stephen, Saul knew the Sanhedrin had uncircumcised hearts.  He understood well that these religious leaders presented themselves as being close to God so that they might maintain their position of privilege and deference in the Jewish society.

Saul, this former prominent member of the Pharisee’s community, was now a thorn in their flesh.  They had to get rid of him, they had to squash his ministry.  As with Stephen, they had to kill him, to but an end to this apostate belief centered on faith in Christ.    The Jerusalem church was aware of this hatred of Saul.  The believers in Jerusalem were also feeling additional pressure on them because Paul was in their midst, so they decided to send him away from Jerusalem.  When the believers learned of this (the threats on Paul’s life), they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.  We see at the beginning of Paul’s ministry of him being sent to Caesarea and at the end of his ministry in Israel, being escorted to Caesarea by Roman soldiers.  Then he, (the officer) called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight.  Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”  (Acts 23:23-24)  The Jews hatred of Paul never abated.  The Sanhedrin was focused on killing Saul (Paul) from the beginning of his ministry to the ending of his ministry.  For over 20 years, the Jewish elite carried this murderous intent in their hearts.  Paul never found release from this tension that the Jewish community wanted to kill him.  Yet, he ministered the Good News boldly everywhere he went, preaching the revelation that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God.  His ministry captivated many hearts in the Jewish community and in the Gentile world.  We respect his ministry even 2,000 years later because we know he faced head-on the threats of a dark and wicked world.  The devil was his enemy, a fallen world was his foe.  As God said at Noah’s time, people were wicked from their conception.  Paul knew this world; he felt their anger, their hatred of him, and of God, but he was faithful to the end.  For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.  I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  (2 Timothy 4:6-8)  Paul fought the good fight to the end of his life.  He labored diligently and faithfully in the harvest field.  He did not retreat to a safer role or place in the world.  He went from town to town, desiring to minister to people who had never heard about THE WAY to eternal life.  Paul poured out his life.  Sadly in our time, we have Christians who are fearful to mention the name of Christ to a secular world, even anxious about carrying their Bible in public.  Paul said there is a crown of righteousness that will be given to everyone who knows Jesus is real and who is looking for his quick return.  Are we those who are looking for a real Jesus to return or are we those who are ashamed of Jesus?  Let us not be the latter.  Instead, let us speak passionately and boldly about our love for Jesus and let us as millions before us, long for his return.  

Acts 9:1-9 Be Encouraged!

 Acts 9:1-9  Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.  He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.  So they led him by the hand into Damascus.  For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

P.       In today's focus, we see Saul, an important young rabbi, with murder in his heart.  The same murderous spirit that the teachers of the law and the elite Pharisees had in their hearts when they confronted Jesus with  questions and accusations, attempting to prove that He was not the Messiah.  Jesus castigated his accusers, labeling them as the devil’s sons and not Abraham’s sons as they claimed.  He knew their hearts contained thoughts of murdering him, a violation of the sixth commandment: You shall not murder.  (Matthew 19:18)  Their hearts were so defiled by wickedness that they would force the Roman government to put Jesus on the cross, killing an innocent man.  Jesus’ religious foes’ hearts were corrupt, envious of Jesus’ large following.   Jesus discerned the content of their hearts, designating them as the devil’s children.  He knew his enemies were in the household of the devil, not in the household of God.  If they were were true followers of God, they would have recognized Jesus’ divinity, knowing by the miracles Jesus performed that He came from their Father, from God’s household.  Now in the above verses, Saul, possessing this same murderous spirit that his leaders' possessed, chased down believers even in foreign countries to persecute or kill them.  He carried his father, Satan’s, hatred, breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.  He was willing to touch God’s anointed ones, who were now, because of God’s work inside of them, part of the body of Christ.  Saul was confronting the very heart of God, trying to destroy God’s salvation plan for all humans.  His frontal attack to the redeeming act of salvation was very bold and direct, with much violence.  He was shaking his fist in the face of God by attacking the body of Christ.  Saul, now Paul, later acknowledges this frontal attack on the plan of redemption by revealing the truth about believers.  Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.  Are all prophets?  Are all teachers?  Do all work miracles?  Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.  (1 Corinthians 12:27-31)  He persecuted and killed people who God had placed intricately into the body of Christ.  Saul's visceral hatred of Christians was damaging the effectiveness of Christ’s body on earth.  Therefore, we see Jesus interrupting this mission of his foe: Saul.  “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”  Saul as Daniel before him when confronted directly by the Lord fell to the ground, limp as a rag doll.  Only I, Daniel, saw this vision.  The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide.  So I was left there all alone to see this amazing vision.  My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak.  Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.  (Daniel 10:4-9)  Daniel was God’s servant, his instrument to elucidate God’s plan of future events.  In the above focus, we see the Lord drafting Saul into his army to carry out the plans of the Lord.  

          

th      Saul, the murderous foe of God becomes Paul, a messenger of God, carrying out the will of God to redeem man from his sinful state.  As he grows in the knowledge of the Lord, he starts to realize who the believer is in the kingdom of God.  He now knows they are a precious group of people who God has placed in his household.  Peter tells us they are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.  (1 Peter 2:9-10)  Paul calls himself chief of sinners for he had once tried to destroy God’s plan for all creation.  If God would save an arch enemy of his plan of redemption, then all men and women are called to the salvation message.  Paul was not only saved, but he became a leader in proclaiming the Good News to a dark, violent world, captivated by the devil’s wicked spirit.  His desire was to go to parts of the world where the name of Jesus was not known.  He would push Christianity out into areas that were completely dark, where demons ruled.  God gave Paul so much grace and goodness that he was able to persuade many to come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ as Lord in their lives.  He suffered in these lands where he was stoned, beaten with rods, stripped naked, abused physically and emotionally.  He was the point man in spreading the gospel.  As in the Vietnam War, a soldier was selected to be a point man, the first to step into enemy territory.  Paul was a point man for the army of Christ.  This truth of being God’s point man in the land of the Gentiles was told to him by Ananias in Damascus.  Ananias tells Paul, he will suffer much in fulfilling God’s mission for him.  Paul states this theme of suffering to the Colossians.  Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.  I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.  (Colossians 1:24-26)  That which he intended to destroy, the body of Christ, we now see Paul, no longer the murderous Saul, giving his life to spread the Good News.   

         

         Gabriel told Daniel that he was a cherished servant of God, greatly loved by God.  You are very precious to God.  Peace!  Be encouraged!  Be strong!” (Daniel 10:19)  After Daniel saw the Lord, he lay as a limp doll.  For God’s presence is so overwhelming, so full of light, that mankind cannot be in the presence of this holy God without being overcome by such a holy presence.  Saul also fell down and became immediately blinded, the presence of the mighty God was too much for his fleshly self to endure.   Saul, unlike Daniel, was functioning in his unholy intentions, trying to destroy the body of Christ.  Daniel did not go blind even though he was in a state of trembling and fear, but Saul did go sightless for three days.  God imprinted the seriousness of his dealing with Saul by blinding him, letting Saul consider the wickedness of his life, the futility of fighting God.  But the same message Gabriel gave to Daniel became Paul’s daily mantra: You are very precious to God.  Peace!  Be encouraged!  Be strong!  Paul had to believe that God was with him in power and authority or he could not put his life on the line in every Gentile community that he entered.  He had to know that God was with him and that his mission was commissioned by the Lord himself.  If not, he would wither under the attacks of the devil.  Paul understood God’s presence in him came through and in the Holy Spirit.  The origin of his words and actions were God’s work in him.  In Athens when speaking to the learned elite of that community, he tells how he and all believers live.  For in him we live and move and have our being.  (Acts 17: 28)  He was once lost in blindness of God’s purpose for the human race.  He lived by works, trying to prove that he was worthy of God’s blessings and maybe eternal life if he completely satisfied God’s law.  However, God destroyed Saul’s concept of life.  He gave him when converted a new understanding of how to be right with God and how to know that eternal life with God was his inheritance.  For God himself was his inheritance.  With the presence of God in his life and at his lips, he need not seek for God’s comfort and power, regardless of where he ministered.  God was always with him in strength and power.  "Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).  But what does it say?  “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  (Romans 10:6-9)  Dear friends around the breakfast table, do you understand that you no longer have to live in the blindness of your works?  Saul was a man who was trying to prove to God that he belonged in the household of God.  He was trying to get rid of apostasy in the Jewish religion for the sake of God.  Only when he came into true faith in Jesus Christ could he live and abide in that household.  Live by faith in God.  You are very precious to God.   Peace!  Be encouraged!  Be strong!  For you are greatly loved and cherished by the Everlasting God.   

B    

  

S

Acts 8:26:39 Go on Your Way Rejoicing

Acts 8:26:39 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.  So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”).  This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it. ”Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.  “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.  “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?”  So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.  This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading.  “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.  Who can speak of his descendants?  For his life was taken from the earth.”The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.  As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water.  What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”  And he gave orders to stop the chariot.  Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.  When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

In the above focus, we see Philip willing to spread the gospel to an Ethiopian, a stranger to him.  The Good News he revealed to the eunuch was wrapped in Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  Jesus came to redeem mankind from their sins.  This plan of redemption from sin was in the mind of God from the beginning of time.  Philip wanted everyone to hear this startling news that God came down in the flesh in the form of a man, known as Jesus.  He desired the eunuch to know that there is life after death through and in Jesus Christ.  All who put their faith in Jesus and IN HIS WORKS will be saved from eternal death and damnation.  He explained to the eunuch what is meant in the Isaiah passage.  This prophetic word is pointing to Jesus, He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  When Jesus went to the cross, He did not open his mouth to defend himself against the lies that the Jews put forth to justify their reason to have Jesus put to death.  Pilate, who wanted to free Jesus from the sentence of death, asked Jesus to defend himself.  However, Jesus kept silent, causing Pilate to be amazed at Jesus' unwillingness to defend himself.  When Jesus was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.  Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?”  But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.  (Matthew 27:12-14)  Pilate knew full-well Jesus was innocent of the charges put before him by the priests, but to tamper down the disruption this situation was causing the Jewish society, he submitted to the will of the people who were crying, CRUCIFY HIM.  In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.  Philip knew the fulfillment of this passage, so he sat with the eunuch, opening up the gospel to him: an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians).  He explains to him that Christ came to earth as a baby, announced by the angels of heaven.  Philip reveals to the Ethiopian that Jesus performed many miracles and wonders affirming He was sent by God to the world.  Through Jesus, God’s great love for all people is manifested by making Jesus the ultimate and final sacrifice for all the sins of every man or woman.  Jesus paid the full price for every person’s sins, giving each person right standing with a holy and righteous God.  God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8)  The eunuch was a man under the authority of the law; he worshipped God where God designated: the Temple in Jerusalem.  But now Philip was showing him that God had freed him from these rules and regulations.  He was free to worship God anywhere he pleased, for God would abide in him and not in earthy places or buildings.

Holiness is knowing Jesus Christ, not a lifestyle of following commandments and rules.  Salvation, or being right with God for eternity, is God’s work, not man’s work.  Jesus Christ is God’s gift to mankind.  He did not come to earth by the will of the people, but by the will of God.  Philip was a man of God, willingly sacrificing his life for the exposure of the Good News of Jesus Christ being the Messiah.  He was a mouthpiece for God to anyone who would listen to him.  For him and all Christians, salvation came through faith in Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection.  If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”  (Roman 10:9-11)  The story is, YOU WILL BE SAVED, NOT THAT YOU MIGHT BE SAVED.  For salvation is a finished work.  When Jesus gave his last breath on the cross He said, IT IS FINISHED.  (John 19:30)  The purpose of God to save mankind from their sins has been completed by his sacrifice.  The package of salvation has been wrapped, placed with a bow of eternal life on it, and handed willingly to whosoever will.  All that is needed in God’s redemption plan is for the package to be opened by faith that He is a good God.  Eternal life is within this gift.  The promise from God is written there, Never will I leave you nor forsake you.  (Joshua 1:5)  A special name is written there, a new name given by God.  This goodness of God was readily accepted by the eunuch.  He wanted his belief in Jesus Christ to be confirmed by his baptism in water, knowing after baptism, his driver and all people in Ethiopia would know his commitment to Jesus Christ was steadfast and real.  Baptism is a symbol before people that a death has occurred in your life by going under the water: the flesh and its sinful deeds are placed under the water for good.  Baptism in water is also a symbol of a new beginning of real life, eternal life, when raised out of the water to a new world.  The world will look different, the grass will be greener, the sky bluer, and the sun brighter.  A new existence occurs when Jesus makes you a new creature, made in his image, no longer in the image of Adam.  Adam because of his disobedience fell into death, finiteness, but IN JESUS, a life eternal is the inheritance of all people who embrace him by faith.  No longer will God be near them because of their works, but God will be near them because of the works of Christ within them.  The eunuch was so happy with this new understanding of life that he wanted to experience baptism in water as quickly as possible.  As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water.  What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”  And he gave orders to stop the chariot.  Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.  When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

The Ethiopian went away rejoicing, but we now see Philip led by the Spirit going to other people, other communities, to preach the gospel.  The Lord suddenly took Philip away.  Philip is known as a great missionary; his work extended over a period of twenty years.  His four daughters continued the work of the Lord in Caesarea, for they were prophetesses.  All the disciples, the deacons, and all the early Christians were in missionary work.  When they were scattered throughout the region because of persecution in Jerusalem, they went everywhere with the Good News on their lips.  The salvation message was so vibrant and real in their hearts that they could not contain it as a secret.  They understood explicitly that “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  (Romans 10:13)   They felt the great responsibility of spreading the salvation message to all people.  They were not going to sit on the message or hide it in a closet.  Instead, they were going to proclaim it readily to anyone who would listen.  How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?  As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  (Romans 10:13-15)  Persecution had sent them out into the world.  Even though under the threat of death, they were going to announce the Good News to the world.  We see Peter and John doing that as they returned from Samaria to Jerusalem.  They were not going to beeline their way home to Jerusalem after ministering to the Samaritans.  As they journeyed home, they preached the gospel in many Samaritan villages.  After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.  (Acts 8:25)  We find in Acts 8:40, Philip was led by the Spirit to preach in other communities, from Azotus to Caesarea, a 60 mile journey.  As with these soldiers of the cross, so should we be today.  We still have the commission by Christ to go into the world and preach the gospel.  Philip journeyed many miles to share the Good News.  And in his home town of Caesarea, his whole family became instruments of God.  As Christians with the Holy Spirit resident in our lives, we should be artesian wells with the Good News flowing out to the world.  Every Christian is a priest unto God and to the community where he or she lives.  We exist as part of the living body of Christ; therefore, we should resemble Christ in our actions and deeds.  Our integrity and goodness should shine wherever we go. The salvation message should be known by our words and actions.  But if we are not artesian wells, flowing faith in Jesus to our communities, we can become stagnant pools of floating debris, reflecting the world.  In the early church, disciples and elders were not only artesian wells of God’s salvation plan for all, they were volcanos of fire for God.  Healing and wonders were associated with their ministry, opening people’s ears to the gospel.  Let us not only be artesian wells of good words and works, but let us also be men and women filled with the power of God, painting the landscape with God’s presence and power.  Yes, there are different gifts within the church of the living God; there are different assignments within the body of Christ, but all of us are priests, dressed in robes of righteousness and power.  The Spirit told Philip “Go to that chariot and stay near it, see what is going on in his life.  God is telling each of us in our communities, within our circle of friends, within our families, at our workplaces, go and stay near to the distraught and the hurting.  Listen to them: what do they not understand about life?  Then as Philip did, get in their carriage, explore their lives, and deliver to them the Good News.  When you leave them, they will be rejoicing, knowing eternal life has come to them in the form of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Rejoice today, for Jesus lives in you!  

Acts 8:9-25 Embrace Kindness!

Acts 8:9-25 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria.When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them moneyand said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. ”Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me. ”After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages.

In Samaria, Philip, full of the Holy Spirit, proclaimed the gospel of Jesus with signs and wonders following him. The people listened to Philip carefully because of the miracles manifested in their midst. Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. (Acts 8:6) These miracles were important because they caused the Samaritans to stop and consider Philip’s words. Many of them were baptized (in the name of Jesus), both men and women. But Philip was not the only one in Samaria who could amaze the people with supernatural happenings. Simon was called by the Samaritans the Great Power of God. As a person dedicated to the devil, he could do many things that astounded the Samaritans. As with the magicians before Pharaoh during Moses’ time, they could imitate many of the miracles that Moses performed before Pharaoh. Sorcerers have power. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he tempted him with things he could really do for Jesus; otherwise, he would have been merely lying to Jesus. But Jesus knew God could quell any act the devil put before him. He dismisses Satan with these words:“Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ (Matthew 4:10) Simon, a Christian in name, desired to be considered someone great in the Samaritan society. He wanted them to continue to recognize him as a man of Great Power, performing the works of God. He wanted people to come to him when seeking answers from the supernatural. Philip’s ministry was validated by miraculous signs, and many were saved, but the Samaritans had no knowledge concerning the Holy Spirit. Philip had power from the Holy Spirit; Peter and John when investigating the events in Samaria realized the people needed this power. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Simon observed these two pillars of the church laying their hands on the believers to receive the gifting of the Holy Spirit. Simon was impressed by this act of receiving the Holy Spirit through prayer. To maintain a place of deference within the Samaritan community, Simon thought it would be great if he had this power of giving people the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them moneyand said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit. He knew if he had this power, he would still be considered a Great Powerof God. With this power, people would ask to receive the Holy Spirit from his hands. As with all sorcerers everywhere who dispense supernatural gifting to people for money, he could earn a good living by selling the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter’s anger raged against Simon's desire to buy the ability to give the Holy Spirit. May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.Simon still had the heart of a sorcerer; his very existence to this point came from his ability to perform supernatural acts, now he had to repent of that mindset. He beseeched Peter to pray for him: Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.

Sorcery is the work of the devil. Supernatural powers of the devil become evident in a society when people seek witchcraft and magic. The proponents of this alternate way of bringing God or supernatural events into their lives, see it as a positive, enlightening experience. However, the confusion of the demonic world brings mental anguish, fear, and suicidal thoughts as is evident in Jesus’ confrontation with Legion, a man possessed by many demons, who was violent and lived naked in a cave. Many societies in the world are saturated with demonic worship; many religions in the world combine demonic worship in their search after the living God. In these societies of darkness, the power of God has to be manifested in the ministry of Jesus Christ. We find this in the book of Acts. The church spreads into the world because of the persecution of the believers in Jerusalem. Believers fled Jerusalem, but actively preached the Good News, THE WAY, in their dispersion throughout the area. They entered a very dark world, one controlled by the devil. Paul describes this darkness as being consumed by sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery,idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions,envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. The battle between this darkness and the light of The Way in every community and nation was very intense. Believers experienced persecution and even death in this dark world. However as the truth of the light of God penetrated these lands, the power of God delivered people from their sicknesses, demon possession, and disabilities such as blindness and lameness. In direct confrontation with the devil, we see Paul on the island of Cyprus confronting a sorcerer, Elymas,who was trying to prevent the governor of Paphos from accepting the gospel message. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Paullooked straight at Elymas and said,“You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. (Acts 13: 9-11) Through God’s manifestation of power on the island of Cyprus, many people came to Christ, finding release from slavery to the devil. In Philippi we see Paul casting out a demon from a girl who was making money by fortune telling. This demon in the girl was interfering with Paul’s mission in Philippi by disruptively announcing that Paul and Silas were doing God’s work. She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. (Act 16:17-18) In these confrontations with the devil, the Holy Spirit succeeded in releasing people from the devil’s hold. In addition, in these victories whole communities found freedom from Satan.

Phillip was ministering in Samaria, a land of the apostates according to the Jews. But in this land a great revival broke out, so Peter and John had to see what was happening in Samaria. When they realized these people had not received the Holy Spirit, they prayed for them who once were considered apostates to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We seethe apostles fulfilling the mission of loving your enemies. Jesus illustrates that kind of love by telling the story of the Good Samaritan. A teacher of the law wanted to know who is his neighbor, for the law is fulfilled in loving your neighbor as yourself. Jesus points out to him that even his enemy should be his neighbor. Then He tells how a Samaritan takes care of his enemy, a Jew, who had been beaten and robbed, left for dead on the side of a road. The Jew’s religious leaders passed him by on the other side of the road, not willing to help this man who was lying half dead on the other side of the road. But an enemy came along and rescued this nearly dead man, bandaging his wounds, feeding and housing him. He was also willing to pay the money needed to restore this Jew to health. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ (Luke 10:35) Jesus asked this teacher of the law, who was this Jew’s neighbor. Of course the answer was the Samaritan. He fulfilled the purpose of the law, not the Jewish religious leaders. The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”Now, in today's focus, we see Phillip and the Jewish disciples going to their neighbor the Samaritans and rescuing them from their half-dead, desperate lives. The truth of God’s salvation plan to redeem all men and women through Jesus Christ’s work on the cross was revealed in the community of Samaria. They were hearing in plain words the truth of the gospel that Jesus came to die on the cross, to rescue mankind from the slavery of the devil. This message of truth was accompanied by the power of the Holy Spirit. As Paul said, My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5) These people in Samaria were seeing the power of God; their ears were now open to the truth of God’s mystery of salvation from the beginning of time. Often people, even believers, get confused by their fixation on this world and its events. Instead of fixing their eyes on the truth of eternal life in Christ Jesus, they place their interest on temporary events that will disappear into history. This kind of wisdom and knowledge about world events will garner no truth about eternal life, for it is based on the wisdom and knowledge of the flesh. In Samaria we see the Good News being spread throughout the land, freeing them from their way of worship, their ideas, their philosophies, all of which lead to eternal death. No longer will they rely on their own wisdom and knowledge, but on the truth of God and his light. For the Samaritans and for all believers, our focus on life should be in Christ. If not, we are like the sorcerer, trying to find another way to God other than the gate; Jesus Christ. We do not place our lives in the wisdom of this age or in the rulers of this age, that will profit us nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.  None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. (1 Corinthians 2:6-7) God’s redemption plan, the mystery of God from before time, is where our lives should be focused. The knowledge of the rulers and the power structure of our day will never satisfy our spiritual needs, will never comfort our hearts, and will never lead us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Only the truth of the gospel has power to do that as we see in today’s focus. Who is your Samaritan today that you cannot love or accept? If you have someone in your life that you need to love, turn away from your unbelief and turn to God. No longer say to Jesus, Lord, Lord and then fail to do his will. This is unacceptable to the God of the grace and mercy that you have received without limit. Embrace this God of kindness and generosity and present him to all people for the sake of the Good News of Jesus Christ and him crucified.  

 

Acts 8:1-8 Great Joy!

Acts 8:1-8   On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.  Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.  But Saul began to destroy the church.  Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.  Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.  Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there.  When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.  For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.  So there was great joy in that city.

The above focus reveals the beginning of the fulfillment of Jesus' prescience, knowing his disciples would go throughout the world preaching the Good News.  He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  (Mark 15:15-16)  What Jesus knew beforehand was then becoming a reality because of persecution.  Jesus knew his disciples would be mistreated and all of his followers would experience great trouble at the hands of the Gentiles and Jews.  They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.  And so you will bear testimony to me.  (Luke 21:12-13)  Chief in this attempt to put away apostasy from Judaism was Saul.  Saul was a young rabbi, who had watched the unjustifiable stoning of Stephen, for Stephen had been accused by liars of speaking against God and Moses.  Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”  (Acts 6:11)  Saul probably thought the stoning of this supposed blasphemer was justified.  Believing Stephen’s ministry a real danger to Judaism, he felt justified to hunt down the apostates, the blasphemers, and either force them to recant their belief in Jesus being the Messiah or kill them.  Saul began to destroy the church.  Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.  Jesus in confronting the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, told the religious leaders that their father was the devil.  He assessed that they were the devil’s children because they had murder in their hearts.  Jesus knew they had murderous thoughts, breaking the commandment: thou shall not murder.  They wanted to murder an innocent man: Jesus.  Now we see Saul with the same spirit, a follower of evil, desiring to kill innocent men and women, believing he was doing God’s work by killing followers of Jesus.  Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.  He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  (Acts 9:1-2)  The results of Stephen’s stoning by the religious elite helped spread the message of the Good News throughout the land.  It was like a rock thrown into a pond, waves of fleeing believers broke into other communities quickly with the words of the NEW WAY on their lips.  Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.  The pond in Jerusalem was no longer safe for the believers; they fled for their lives into other communities, preaching The Way everywhere they went.  We see Philip, a deacon in the church as was Stephen, going to a city in Samaria.  Samaria, a place of apostasy for generations, would hear the Good News about Jesus being the Messiah from Philip's lips.  Jesus previously had made inroads in this land of apostasy through his interaction with a woman at a well who had had many husbands and now was living with a man who was not her husband.  She lived in the town of Sychar.  Jesus impressed this woman so much with his words about her life, knowing she had five husbands and was now living with a man who was not her husband, that she went back to the city and convinced the people to invite Jesus to stay in their town for a few days.  Jesus stayed with them for two days, persuading many of them that He was the Messiah promised by God.  Now we see Philip in Samaria reaping what Jesus sowed.  During Jesus’ time in Samaria, Jesus told his disciples:  “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.  Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’?  I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!  They are ripe for harvest.  Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.  Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.  I sent you to reap what you have not worked for.  Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”  (John 4:34-38)  Philip is now reaping what Jesus sowed in Samaria.  Jesus had stayed two days in Sychar sowing seed.

Persecution is the driving force that scattered the church in every direction.  Before this time, the church was rather secure in Jerusalem.  Jesus had told the believers to stay in Jerusalem until the gift of the Holy Spirit was given.  “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  (Acts 1:4-5)  Being near the Temple, a place where God dwells, and in the holy city of Jerusalem was probably a very comfortable place to know God’s will.  The disciples went to the Temple every day to teach The Way.  The disciples were hassled and mistreated by the Sanhedrin, but they were fixed on staying in Jerusalem.  Even after the stoning of Stephen, all except the apostles were scattered.  But God had other plans now for the church.  He had infilled the church with his Spirit, and now the church was to go out into every land and share the Good News that salvation has come to the world in the form of Jesus Christ the man from Galilee.  As evident in Samaria, the power of God was in Philip’s ministry.  When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.  For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.  Without the power of God, the church was to stay in Jerusalem.  They were sent to the world not just to proclaim another idea about a god or another way to live.  They were to proclaim the God who exists forever, who created all things and who is intimately involved with people, so much so that He would deliver them from demons, heal their bodies and give them abundant eternal life because of his love for them.  Therefore they needed the dynamo of God: the Holy Spirit in their lives.  Without the Spirit in their lives, the words they spoke would be considered to be just another philosophy or idea of how to live.  As with the philosophers of Athens, people have many thoughts about God, but without the reality of God in their lives.  What they really needed was empirical evidence of God in the affairs of men and women.  Philip’s ministry was backed up by miracles and wonders.  He was not just preaching some other wisdom or knowledge of man.  Man's wisdom and knowledge, his answers to life, are but foolishness to the eternal God.  He alone can change the lives of a finite person to an eternal one in his household.  He alone makes new creatures.  He can change lives permanently if they put their trust by faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah, for He alone is the Word of God.  Philip and the believers in Jerusalem had to be filled with the Holy Spirit before they ventured out into the world to testify of Jesus being the Messiah sent from God.  Their message had to go beyond mere teaching of another idea about God or life.  As Peter proclaimed to the crowd on Pentecost, these are the last days.  And in the LAST DAYS it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.  (Acts 2:17-18)   God through his church was coming to the world in power, manifested in the works of the Holy Spirit.  Philip, full of the Holy Spirit, was proclaiming the Good News of Jesus the Messiah to the people in Samaria.  He was cloaked in the words of God through the gifting of the Holy Spirit.  

When the Good News arrives in men and women’s hearts, there is joy.  We see where Philip is teaching about THE WAY, there is great joy in that city.  They are seeing and experiencing the power of God manifested in their lives.  When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid CLOSE ATTENTION to what he said.  For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.  Something new was happening in their lives and in their community.  The mundaneness of life was changed; the routines of life were being affected by the Good News.  Philip was ministering about a God who has come down to change their lives permanently.  He was talking about a born again experience that leads to eternal life.  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  (John 3:16-18)  Philip focuses on the work of God who is full of grace and mercy towards all people.  No longer will people have to depend on their works to know God, to please a holy God, but they will place their trust in God’s work that comes in the form of Jesus Christ.  Philip is announcing this truth of eternal life through Christ Jesus with supernatural signs and wonders. The Holy Spirit through his mighty works is imprinting on the people the reality of the salvation message.   God is coming to them in a mighty way to change their lives from a hopeless existence to an intimate relationship with him.  Everything they are hearing is based on faith in the words of the God of Israel.  Long ago a man called Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, was considered right with God because of his faith in God’s words, and not in his own reality.  He placed his faith in God’s words and not what he saw or previously experienced.  His wife Sarah was old and beyond child bearing age, but God told him he would have a son out of Sarah’s womb; he believed God’s words and not his understanding of life.  Because of his faith in God’s words and not his own understanding of life, God called him righteous, placing him in right standing with him.  Now Philip is expounding to the Samaritans that God’s grace and mercy have come to the world in the form of Jesus Christ.  Anyone who believes in Jesus, the exact replica of God’s mercy and grace, he or she will be considered right with God and will receive eternal life with God as a child in his household.  This understanding of God’s plan of redemption, reveals that his grace and mercy bring joy to ALL people.  At Jesus’ birth, the angels told the shepherds in the field,  “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause GREAT JOY for all the people.  (Luke 2:10)  God’s work in the form of Jesus Christ has come down to earth.  Faith in Jesus’ work is the same as Abraham’s faith in God’s word.  Jesus is the Word of God.  Therefore, faith in God’s word brings eternal life to all men and women who put their trust IN GOD'S WORK: JESUS.  People are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.  David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.  Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”  (Romans 4:5-8)  Yes the Samaritans were happy; they were experiencing great joy for God had come to them in grace and mercy THROUGH Jesus Christ THE MESSIAH FOR ALL MEN AND WOMEN.  Because of their faith in Jesus, their lives had been changed permanently, forever and ever.  Amen.  May we rejoice with great joy for the gift of God’s mercy and grace today.  

  

Acts 7:54-59 Live a Peaceful Life!

Acts 7:54-59  When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."  At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.  Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.  While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”   When he had said this, he fell asleep.

In Judaism, blaspheming the name of God is speaking irreverently about God, the Temple or even Moses and the law.  Such an act is punishable by stoning.   Then the Lord said to Moses: Take the blasphemer outside the camp.  All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him.  Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord is to be put to death.  The entire assembly must stone them.  Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death.  (Leviticus 24:13-16)  Because the Sanhedrin had murder in their hearts, they brought forth liars who would claim that Stephen said blasphemous words about God and Moses.  Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”  (Acts 6:11)  The Lord Jesus was lied about too, but the liars' accounts were not convincing, for they did not hold together as being truthful.  People also lied about Paul desecrating the Temple and blaspheming God and Moses by teaching that the law and circumcision were not necessary to be right with God.  Even though lying is a detestable sin in both the New Covenant and Old Covenant, worthy of hell fire, lying is prevalent in human affairs.  Jeremiah equates lying with adultery, of being unfaithful in words, deceiving people for personal reasons.  "For they are all adulterers— a pack of treacherous liars.  My people bend their tongues like bows to shoot out lies.  They refuse to stand up for the truth.  They only go from bad to worse.  They do not know me,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:2-3)  As Jeremiah says, liars do not know the God of integrity, his holiness and perfection.  In the above focus, we see Stephen’s accusers looking for reasons to kill this apostate believer in Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  As with Stephen's accusers, the elite of the Jewish community sought reasons to kill Jesus.  Also Paul was lied about by people who wanted to kill him.  In these situations, lying is pivotal in the accusations against Stephen, Jesus, and Paul.  Lying displays the devil's, nature; he is the father of all lies.  When he (the devil) lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  (John 8:44)  Demons use lying to deceive people; Eve fell for the serpent's deceptive words.  In Stephen’s case, the Sanhedrin is justifying their actions of stoning Stephen based on lies.  For them, judgment must be meted out on Stephen because he is a blasphemer.  They justify their actions of stoning Stephen by knowing they are following the commandment of God.  Saul, as he observed this scene, must have thought the stoning was justified for the killers put their outer garments at this feet.  He probably went away from that scene believing what he saw was a justifiable execution according to the law of Moses.  Later we see Saul going from city to city, dragging men and women back to Jerusalem either to be killed or to be forced to recant their belief in Jesus as the Messiah.  For him, Stephen’s stoning was a necessary act to squash this apostasy of Jesus being the Messiah.  Probably, the Sanhedrin also believed this stoning was legitimate and necessary to quell apostasy.  Earlier many of them had heard Jesus  affirm the question, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”  Jesus’ answer made it necessary to kill him.  ”The high priest tore his clothes.  “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked.  “You have heard the blasphemy.   What do you think?  ”They all condemned him as worthy of death.  (Mark 14:61-64)

As with the case of executing Jesus, the Sanhedrin was killing an innocent man; their indictment against Stephen was based on lies.  They were violating the cardinal commandment: You shall not murder.  Jesus addresses the commandment of not killing by examining the content of a man’s heart before that dastardly act.  Murder as with adultery foments in an evil heart.  God always judges the heart, its intentions, its darkness.  Men judge from the outside, but God judges the heart.  Jesus knows that this murderous darkness in men and women's souls begins with unjustifiable anger.  “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’   But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.  Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court.   And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.  (Matthew 5:21-22). During Jesus’ three years of ministry, Jesus knew the leading priests and teachers of the law were against him and his teaching.  He knew they were angry about him winning over the allegiance of the people to him; they were jealous of his large following.  Jesus was teaching about God’s grace and mercy.  To find favor with God, the priests were advocating following rigidly the law, along with their own man-made regulations.  Their position of honor and prestige in the Jewish community was being threatened by Jesus’ teachings.  Their anger against Jesus eventually turned to thoughts of murdering him.  Before restoring a man’s shriveled hand before their eyes, Jesus addresses their negative attitude about doing good on the Sabbath:  Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath.  ”Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.  But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.  (Matthew  12:12-14)  We see their anger toward Jesus transformed into murdering him.  Jesus is now consider a blasphemer because He is violating a regulation given by God to Moses.  Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy  (Exodus 20:8), a day that should be absent of any activity, a day of complete rest.  Stephen, who is carrying on the message of Jesus Christ in the Jewish community, is seen as a cohort of this blasphemer: Jesus Christ.  Therefore, Stephen also deserves the sentence of death.  People lie about him to allow the Sanhedrin to justify him being stoned.  But in carrying out their sentence of death, a more intense, wicked emotion comes to the surface. They were furious and gnashed their teeth at him.  They covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.  The devil's hatred of God manifested in them.  They did not want to hear the words of righteousness, so they covered their ears and yelled at the top of their voices.  The devil and his cohorts do not want to hear about God’s plan of redemption.  As with Jesus, they were thinking that stopping Stephen’s voice would give them victory over the mysterious plan of God to save all people from destruction.  The pit of hell was planned for them, not for people.  

         In Stephen’s face and words, we see the love of God for all people, even those who hated him and let the devil use them as his agents.  The devil is a liar, a fountain of lies; he will never quit lying to people about God and his righteousness.  Stephen is before the Sanhedrin because of lies told about him.  Jesus knew where these lies originated and that his followers would carry out the purposes of the devil.  You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires.  He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  (John 8:44)   Stephen has been indicted by lies.  Now as a result of those lies, Stephen will be stoned.  As his face and words reveal, he is an adopted son in the household of God; he will portray his Father even in death.  The Father is perfect, righteous, never ending.  Stephen will die with the Father’s will on his life.  As Jesus commanded, Love your neighbor as yourself.  But He tells us that the Father goes well beyond just loving the neighbor; He loves those who hate him.  Stephen epitomizes this love at the very end of his life: Lord, do not hold this sin against them.  God does not want anyone to perish.  Stephen does not want these people full of hatred to face the final punishment of God.  He wants their lives to be spared.  Jesus talks about this love.   “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.  He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?  Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?  Do not even pagans do that?   Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  (Matthew 5:44-48)  Perfection is emulating the Father’s love.  Normally people write this verse out of their lives, having no intention to loving their enemies.  But God has come to us in the form of Jesus Christ to restore all people to their Creator.  As Christians we are to reconcile people to God, not push them away or condemn them for not being faithful and obedient to the Creator.  We are to express God’s love for all people.  We see this in Stephen’s last words on earth just as we see this in Jesus’ last words: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”  (Luke 23:34)  We are to carry the message of God’s love to the whole world, first starting in our own families, then to our neighbors, to our communities, to our nation, and to the world.  If we do not, we are aberrant Christians, doing our own thing and not God’s will.  Paul gives Timothy, his young minister, the purpose and focus for living for Christ.  I urge, then, first of all, that PETITIONS, PRAYERS, INTERCESSION AND THANKSGIVING BE MADE FOR ALL PEOPLE--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  (1 Timothy 2:1-4)  We see Stephen petitioning God not to hold this sin of murder against them.  We see Jesus telling his Father to forgive his killers.  We know Moses and Paul told God they would sacrifice their place with him for eternity for the salvation of those who wanted to kill them.  Are we better than these people when we are openly willing not to forgive our enemies?  Let us keep in touch with the Spirit of God, keep in step with him, loving all humans God created the best we can with the enduring love of God, our Father.  May this love rise up in each of us today to dispel Satan’s lies and advance the Good News.