Faith Continues

Acts 7:9-17

New International Version (NIV)

9 “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He gave Joseph wisdom and enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt and all his palace.

11 “Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan, bringing great suffering, and our ancestors could not find food. 12 When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our forefathers on their first visit. 13 On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 14 After this, Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, seventy-five in all. 15 Then Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. 16 Their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a certain sum of money.

17 “As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt had greatly increased.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+7%3A9-17&version=NIV)

I have struggled a lot lately with the question, “Why?”  Many people struggle with this question and I am pretty confident that Abraham must have struggled with it too.  Maybe I should say that I would have struggled with it if I would have been in Abraham’s shoes.  First he is told that his descendants will outnumber the stars in the sky, yet his wife cannot seem to bare a child.  Then he has a child but is told this is not the one that will fulfill the promise.  Then, he has a son and God ask that he sacrifice him.  Abraham’s faith was so strong that he knew that God would provide a sacrifice and that it would not be his son.  To top all of that off, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be given the land that Abraham was only allowed to occupy but not own.  What’s up with all of that?  Faith in God is what that is called.

Abraham’s own grandson is not allowed to see this promise fulfilled yet he is a part of God’s plan in the fulfilling of it.  His grandson, Jacob is now a father of 12 boys.  Jacob’s favorite son, Joseph, is betrayed by his own brothers as they also betrayed their father.  I am pretty confident that Jacob, questioned, why.

Yet, Joseph, the great grandson of Abraham has the faith of his grandfather and endures much tribulation both from his people and the foreign land in which is has been taken.  He had his good times, only to be beaten down and put in prison for a crime he did not commit.  He was then forgotten about for many years before he was once again restored into power.  Yet, like all rulers, they came and went and Joseph was forgotten about.  His father was returned to his homeland only after his death but the rest remained for many years to come.  Again, I wonder how many times God was asked the question, “why?”   Because of jealousy Joseph was taken from the Promised Land into a land where he and his people had to endure much pain and suffering.

The last verse today, “as the promise drew near”.  What?  How long ago had this promise been given?  What all had they endured during that time?  What took God so long?  These are all questions that I am sure they may have asked; I even ask them today.  What did God want His people to learn before He granted them His promise.  Why did Abraham, a man of faith, not get to see the promise fulfilled in his day?  The only answer that I can come up with is that God wanted us to see that He is faithful even when we do not think that He is being faithful.  It all works out in the end, if we put our trust in Him.

Yes, I have struggled, I have wondered if I have missed the mark on what God has planned for me.  Did Abraham think maybe he had missed the mark too?  Yes, indeed, he even tried to force the promise to come into being.  I can check that one off my list too.  I have tried to force other things into paly in order to fulfill my purpose for being here.  They didn’t work out so well and here I am, still wondering, “why”.   Yet, God remained faithful to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph and He remains faithful to us.  We may not understand what is going on but we can be assured that God is in control of it.  We can know that He has our backs and we can trust in Him.  When we doubt, we need to go back into our Bibles and see the mighty ways in which He works.  No, it is not man’s way but it is even better, it is God’s way.  Stephen, the one telling this story, has found himself in a predicament.  God could reach down and stricken them all down like he did Ananias and Sapphira.  He could have freed Stephen like He freed Peter and John.  Yet, God was at work and Stephen placed his faith and trust in Him in the midst of the chaos around him.

Seek Him and know that He has all things in control even when it seems to us as chaotic.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila  

Faith

Acts 7:1-9

New International Version (NIV)

7 Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

² To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. ³ ‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’^[a]

⁴ “So he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. After the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. ⁵ He gave him no inheritance here, not even enough ground to set his foot on. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at that time Abraham had no child. ⁶ God spoke to him in this way: ‘For four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated. ⁷ But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’^{[b] 8} Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹ “Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+7%3A+1+-9&version=NIV)

I have been in a bit of a writing slump because I have not known how to break this passage up.  Stephen gave an impelling speech to the Jewish people, quite a history lesson but none of them wanted to listen to him.

As I looked over this passage there was something that stood out to me and that was in verse 9, a verse that I thought I would save until another day, until I saw the words, “But God was with him.” 

Do you ever wonder how God is involved in your life?  Do troubles become so overwhelming that you wonder if God really cares or not?  I have had those feelings and I have to wonder if Abraham felt that way.  I wonder if Abraham thought that he could have misunderstood God.  We know that He tried to take matters into his own hands (with the help of his wife and her maidservant).  Or Isaac may have wondered what he had done wrong as a father to lose his favorite child.  He may have thought that God was punishing him.

Then I wonder how Joseph felt when his own brothers sold him into slavery and how he still tried to do what was right and ended up in jail.  I know my faith is not even close to these men’s faith.  Especially the faith of Joseph who the Bible does not record any of his doubting or complaining.   I know I would have doubted over and over again. 

These men were not just Bible characters in a book for our reading pleasure.  These were real men who loved the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and mind.  How do I measure up to the faith measuring tape?  Not nearly as tall as all of them, they were giants in their time, I am a mouse.

We need to stand tall and know that God is with us, even if we don’t always feel that way.  We need to continue to seek Him, His will, and His way because it is by far the best.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Jealousy At Work

Acts 6:8-15

New International Version (NIV)

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+6%3A8-15&version=NIV)

Remember, Stephen was one of the men chosen to take care of the widows, one of the first deacons of the church.  He was chosen so the apostles could continue their work of preaching the Word.  Yet, here we read that Stephen did not limit his duties solely to taking care of the widows.  He too was given signs and wonders among the people.  He also taught and was full of wisdom.  Then, jealousy poked its awful head out again and people began to plot against Stephen.  They did not like it that he was full of wisdom and they could not get him to slip up, so they made up a slip up, and caused him to be brought to the authorities.

Yet, look at the description of Stephen, he had a face of an angel.  I envision it being a face of contentment with a glow about it.  Even in his distress, he found contentment in the Father.  I generally have a much different appearance when I am under distress.  My entire body feels beaten, I feel sick at my stomach and there appears to be a frown on my face.  I try to smile but it hurts too bad and is so fake that I can’t stand it. I have been told to, “fake it until I make it,”  but I believe that faking is a lie.  I think our motto should be “Put your trust in Him so you can take it!”  It doesn’t rhyme but is more true to Him.

Stephen wasn’t faking it, he put his whole entire trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and he was content to rest in Him.  I am sure Stephen did not want to be in the predicament that he was in but he used it to once again witness to those who did not believe.  The end result, we will see later but for now, seek Him and rest in the assurance that He has you in His care.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Are We Just Occupying a Space in the Pew?

Acts 6:1-7

New International Version (NIV)

6 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+6%3A+1-7&version=NIV)

This is a passage that makes it very clear that we need workers amongst us who have different callings.  Not everyone has been gifted to preach the gospel to crowds of people.  In the same light,  others are not as gifted at taking care of the physical needs of the people.  The Apostles were trying to do it all and just could not cover everyone and grumbling began to occur.  Seems to me that this sounds much like the modern church, especially in smaller communities.  All be it, there were a lot more people in this new church than there is in a church of 200 or less people but there were also more apostles. 

It seems at times we try to put so much of the burden on our pastors and forget that we have a job to do in the church too.  We might not stand up and preach on a Sunday morning, we may not even teach a Sunday school class but we are all called to be workers for Him.  My challenge to all of us today is that we all take into consideration what we are doing in our churches before we grumble or complain about what others are doing or not doing.  What is our part in growing the kingdom of God?  Are we doing what we have been called to do?  EVERYONE should have a part in doing something, other than just occupying a space in the pew, if we want our churches to grow.  The challenge of the day is to seek Him and seek His calling for you, so that you may go and bring forth fruit.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila

Keep On Keeping On

Acts 5:17-42

New International Version (NIV)

17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”

21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.

25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

(https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+5%3A17-42&version=NIV)

These are the things that struck me in this passage:

·      Jealousy is a horrible thing.  People act foolishly when jealousy is part of the picture.  Have you ever been treated poorly because of jealousy?  Have you ever treated someone else poorly because of jealousy?

·      We need to obey God over man.  Often times God wants us to follow the laws of the land but if they are in direct conflict with God’s law then we need to follow God over man.  If someone tells us not to speak about God, we know this is not from Him. 

·      We need to obey God, even when it doesn’t make sense.  These men had been told not to speak of Jesus.  They were thrown in jail, again, because of their bold witness.  They are now freed from jail by an angel who tells them to go speak in the temple courts.  The common sense thing to do would be to go hide away.  Maybe even have someone bring a few people to them in secret, not show up in the most public place ever!  They could have been easily killed for this action.

·      We need to rejoice, even when things seem like they cannot get any worse.  We need to rejoice when we face trials and tribulations for the name of Christ because we have been found faithful in serving Him.

·      We need to keep on keeping on.

When we seek Him we will find that He is faithful to us even in those times that are full of turmoil and strife.  Are we faithful to Him?

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila