Before You Begin: Read Acts 7:54 – 8:1
The Stoning of Stephen
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.
Acts 8
And Saul approved of their killing him.
The Church Persecuted and Scattered
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.
Stop and Consider: “….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.”
Questions Asked of Me: Are there some issues in our families, our churches, and our culture at large that we as Christians often approve of by our silence?
At the risk of sounding too dramatic or political I find my answer being simply: Aren’t any issues we don’t agree with but go along with anyway, approved by our silence? If we don’t stand up for Jesus when someone is saying His name in vane or actively talking in a negative way about Him…aren’t we agreeing, or giving the impression of agreeing with those speaking it?
In the beginning, as a new Christian, I know that was me without question. My mom gave me a cross necklace after I accepted Jesus as my personal savior; accepting him at her church…her there beside me. When I returned home to Michigan I wondered: “Will anyone know? Will they see a difference in me? Will I wear this cross necklace everywhere at the risk of others knowing I have accepted Him and my life has changed forever?”
It didn’t take a cross necklace for people to see the changes; my actions doing the job to make it obvious. I guess it was a while in coming and this was just the final step in finally admitting that I needed His forgiveness and wanted the salvation promised me by doing so. Before too long, I wanted everyone to know and that is where Jesus showed me the cheerleader I was created to be.
Not that Saul was uncomfortable being counted as one of this mob, but in what ways do you find yourself influenced by group dynamics and peer pressure, even as a grown-up?
I was influenced in a negative way for a long time; a need to belong and be one of the “in” people. It wasn’t long, leading the life I was living, before I was the one doing the influencing and NOT in a good way. If someone said they weren’t drinking for the night, I would deliver two shots of anything…. getting them to do what I wanted them to. I judged others by the way they dressed, making them feel like they had to spend money they didn’t have on clothing or shoes or handbags, just to be a part of what I THOUGHT was the way we all should live.
Now I think my influencing is from Jesus directly and I don’t try to persuade others to my way of thinking, I just let Jesus do the talking through me; by actions, my blog, my questions asked in a bible study, or my participation in small group. No one….especially me, saw that coming. I wonder if Paul felt the same way.
I just wanted to belong and was willing to follow anyone’s lead to be a part of something greater than myself. Little did I know it wasn’t greater than myself in most cases, but just another turn spiraling downward, pulling me further in the wrong direction.
I can’t say enough how grateful I am for Jesus making me feel like I can’t be too bad, too late, or too old to be forgiven for my past. My God is a God of second (and third, and fourth, and fifth…..) chances.
Detour: In answering the second question today I feel I am making a new connection with Paul. I developed my crush on him because of all that he went through before Jesus and how Jesus used him for His glory despite that past.
I know how most perceived me after accepting Jesus. They thought it was a phase or something I was doing to get out of something else; just another ploy in my long list of them to make myself look better, even for just the time being.
But this was different. This was genuine. This was life changing. I had to change my playground after making this realization because those I was associating with did not approve of the life changes I was making and did what they could to bring me down. I did not trust myself to be strong enough to combat those people then but have since realized that some have slowly come to my way of thinking because of the Jesus they see in me; not anything I have said to them directly but by the continued actions and the length of time (nearly two years). They think if it was something to “stick” this long, there must be something to it.
But the connection I now wonder about Paul is: “What was it like for him after returning to Tarsus after the Road to Damascus?” (I’m aware that this will probably come up later in the bible study but needed to ask this of myself now). He left Tarsus to kill Christians and came home one of them. Did he have the strength straight away to combat their words instead of leaving? Did he stick it out and prove his convictions real and MAKE them see his way of thinking instead of running as I did?
I know that he had to have had the same feelings that I did, wondering how anyone was going to think I had really changed and that Jesus could really forgive me….in spite of my past actions. Little did I realize then that he didn’t forgive me in spite of my past but because of it. He knew that everything he allowed me to go through would be used for His glory one day but there was no way I saw that coming so it was impossible to justify that to others I hoped would one day find what I had just found.
I still pray for the ones that “didn’t get it” but wait for me to fail again and prove them right; that THIS wouldn’t last forever and was still merely a phase I was going through.
Praying God’s Word Today: Father, may we not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may discern Your good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2). As You have said in Your Word, “Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.” (Romans 14:22). May my action and attitudes bear witness to the indwelling character of Christ within me.
Dear Jesus:
Please remind me every day how I am deserving of all that you have given me. Remind me to be grateful for all that I have gone through; the good, the bad, and the ugly. You don’t judge me of my past but instead use it to glorify what You are capable of in ANYONE.
Give me the strength to stand up for what I believe in no matter how hard it may be. Give me the courage to defend your name and to not be silenced by the words or actions of others against you. I want my actions to show Your character and not my own. I want to be more like you and let others see not what you have done for me but what you continue to do in me and through me.
Love,
Me
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