This is kind of a free-flowing devotional thought from Acts 7-8. To get this, you need to read these chapters about the young man named Stephen.
Okay, are you done with that? Go ahead and continue here...
I love that Stephen was a Spirit filled food distribution guy.
But his message to the Jews was to show that throughout the history of God's people, they rejected God's ways in favor of their own. They killed the prophets, rejected Moses, sold Joseph, and crucified Christ. And now, they are about to murder Stephen for doing miracles.
The funny thing is that Stephen's message to them is about rejecting the leaders that God has sent them, and that ultimately they reject the Holy Spirit. He says we have Heathen-Hearts, which to me is heart bent on doing my own thing, pleasing myself. The irony of Stephen's sermon, his last Opus, is addressed to a group of religious, powerless leaders who are from a group called the Synagogue of Freed Slaves.
We all want our freedom, but our Heathen Hearts tend to want freedom from leadership, God-sent leadership, and from leaders who call us to the reality of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. We will kill those voices, in the name of "freedom", in order to maintain our maintainable sense of religious duty, our own controllable religion.
Jesus reveals himself to Stephen from the place of honor in Heaven, and Stephen get's the honor of seeing Jesus standing, Himself in a place of submitted authority to the Father (at His right Hand).
Stephen's life speaks of being Spirit empowered in any position or title life gives us. God can use the common person to do extraordinary things.
Stephen's life message also speaks to the power of being submitted to the authority in his own life, from the church. Why do we buck at this so much? It's what gave him his power to do miracles.
And Stephen's life is truly speaking to us about the nature of what freedom really is--the ability to obey God, and the leadership he sends us.
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Okay, are you done with that? Go ahead and continue here...
I love that Stephen was a Spirit filled food distribution guy.
But his message to the Jews was to show that throughout the history of God's people, they rejected God's ways in favor of their own. They killed the prophets, rejected Moses, sold Joseph, and crucified Christ. And now, they are about to murder Stephen for doing miracles.
The funny thing is that Stephen's message to them is about rejecting the leaders that God has sent them, and that ultimately they reject the Holy Spirit. He says we have Heathen-Hearts, which to me is heart bent on doing my own thing, pleasing myself. The irony of Stephen's sermon, his last Opus, is addressed to a group of religious, powerless leaders who are from a group called the Synagogue of Freed Slaves.
We all want our freedom, but our Heathen Hearts tend to want freedom from leadership, God-sent leadership, and from leaders who call us to the reality of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. We will kill those voices, in the name of "freedom", in order to maintain our maintainable sense of religious duty, our own controllable religion.
Jesus reveals himself to Stephen from the place of honor in Heaven, and Stephen get's the honor of seeing Jesus standing, Himself in a place of submitted authority to the Father (at His right Hand).
Stephen's life speaks of being Spirit empowered in any position or title life gives us. God can use the common person to do extraordinary things.
Stephen's life message also speaks to the power of being submitted to the authority in his own life, from the church. Why do we buck at this so much? It's what gave him his power to do miracles.
And Stephen's life is truly speaking to us about the nature of what freedom really is--the ability to obey God, and the leadership he sends us.
