Experience: S2 - Day 2

The risk of standing up for what you believe in

Acts 7:1 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”
2 This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me. Our glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. 3 God told him, ‘Leave your native land and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 4 So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran until his father died. Then God brought him here to the land where you now live.

5 “But God gave him no inheritance here, not even one square foot of land. God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants—even though he had no children yet. 6 God also told him that his descendants would live in a foreign land, where they would be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. 7 ‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and in the end they will come out and worship me here in this place.’

8 “God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.

Remember back to yesterday when the Jewish men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves persuaded men to lie about Stephen?  As part of those lies, they said, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God” (Acts 6: 11), and they said that Stephen was attaching the law and even the Tabernacle, the dwelling place of God. In other words, they were accusing Stephen of attacking their story.

So, how does Stephen respond?  By talking about their story. He is going to remind them of their past in hopes of connecting their past to the present, to Jesus.

As we read through Stephen’s sermon, I think it’s important to remember how Stephen was described as a man full of the Holy Spirit, of faith, gracious, and powerful.  In fact, Stephen is the first person outside of the twelve apostles to perform “amazing miracles and signs among the people.” (Acts 6:8). So, while he may be passionate, he doesn’t seem to be angry here.  I don’t think he’s trying to condemn the Jews but rather save them, just like Jesus would have.

It’s also important to remember that by starting with Abraham, Stephen isn’t just connecting the dots of their story; he’s hoping to remind them of the call God gave to the Israelites first through Abraham - “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.” Genesis 12:2 NLT

The gospel was beginning to spread beyond the Hebrew-speaking Jews to the Greek-speaking Jews, and it was about to go international into the land of the Gentiles.  Taking time to remember their original call from God was important because, over time, they had a tendency to forget.  In fact, they started to think that they were better than everyone else and therefore should only associate with those like them.

But God’s call for the children of Israel was to be a blessing to others, not just Jews, but all people from all nations, tribes, languages, and tongues.

So, as we go out to stand up for what we believe in, let us check to make sure our motivation is not to separate ourselves from others or live as elitists but rather to be a blessing to others.  Jesus lived his life this way, and what was His reward?  The people killed him for it, God raised Him from the dead and changed the world.

Questions:

1. Think about your faith story.  What are some of your most meaningful experiences, and what is it about those experiences that have stayed with you? 
2. Have you felt God’s call in your life at any point?  If so, what did you feel that He wanted you to do?
3. As you go about your day today, what are three ways you can live today as a blessing to others?