The Rise of Stephen

In 2018 I was sitting in an apartment in central Chicago, at Seminary, with a room full of people I respected deeply, a professor and a series of seminary students. And we were exploring a simple but profound question: Can a Christian really live holy?

This question would consume this era of my life. I was wrestling with it. But my answer was no. It’s just not possible! But, as we were talking about it over and over again, something in me clicked, and it was like I took my first step out onto a shining barely visible pathway… and I said to myself fearfully: What if it’s really true?

As much as it scared me, it also gave me this jolt of excitement. Like I’d begun… to believe.

Today we’re going to be looking at the scriptures which depict a young man that seemed to begin to believe, that with Jesus, anything is possible, and the convergence that occurred around him as a result.

If you remember last week we studied how the apostles were arrested, and tried before the Sanhedrin, but we saw how God used a pharisee named Gamaliel to help set them free. And the church continued to grow.

We will be in Acts 6:1-15 today.

Starting in verse 1: "In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food."

During this glorious time, the number of disciples was growing. However, a dispute occurred in the early church. It was a dispute between the Hellenistic Jews and the Hebraic Jews. Hellenistic Jews were Jews who had adopted Greek culture. Greek culture had spread throughout the middle east after the conquests of Alexander the Great. These were Jews who maintained their spiritual connection to God but spoke Greek, wore Greek clothing and had their own Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, called the Septuagint.

The Hellenistic Jews spoke Greek and the Hebraic Jews spoke Aramaic. No doubt this was one of the main causes that the Hellenistic widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

I’m sure this started as a minor dispute. Minor disputes happen in the church all the time. And it’s all about how you handle those disputes. If you handle the disputes carefully, you can preserve unity and bring things around to a better outcome. But if disputes are handled poorly, they can lead to division in the church.

Pray, and use caution before you speak. God is always there to help us use tender words. If your one of those people where stuff just flies out of your mouth, you can learn to speak gently. So that’s the first thing to note, when disputes happen, act fairly.

Second thing to notice, is the early church is already engaged in what we today call mercy ministry. They are daily providing meals for the widows in the church. This just underlines how important it is that we as the church help takes care of the practical needs of those around us, food, drink, clothing, housing, everything we can.

Verse 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.”

The twelve apostles rightly realize, they can’t do everything themselves. They need to delegate. There were times in my ministry when I tried to do everything, and you can’t, you’ll burn out. We need to delegate to other leaders who can take up positions of service.

Verse 3 continues: “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”

Seven men are to be selected. And they are given two key qualifiers for this leadership role: full of the Spirit and full of wisdom.

Whenever someone is in a leadership role in the church, there are certain qualifications that are necessary. For this role of serving food, they felt it was important that they be Spirit filled and wise.

Verse 4 continues: “...and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

This allowed the apostles to focus their attention on prayer and the word. They turned a responsibility over so that they would not be stretched in too many directions, and end up neglecting the key focus of their ministry.

Are you doing too much? Do you need to ruthlessly eliminate something from your plate? Are you stretched to the max? That isn’t God’s will for your life. He isn’t a God of busy. He is a God of faithful service.

Let’s see how the church responded: (v5-6) "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."

What’s interesting is that each of these names is a Greek name, they most likely put Hellenistic Christians in charge of the distribution, which meant the Hellenistic widows would no longer be neglected. That is wisdom. So they gathered the seven men up front, laid hands on them, and prayed for them, dedicating them to their new positions.

But here we get our first mention of Stephen. Historically we tend to view Stephen as a young man, though we don’t actually know his age. I think it’s fairly logical to think he was a young man, put in charge of providing food for widows. Though it is possible he was older.

But we’re going to see our scripture for today begins to focus in on Stephen. Something special was happening in Stephen’s heart and life.

Next, verse 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."

It’s interesting, numerous times in the book of Acts we see the early church confronted with some problem, internal or external, but each time they respond with wisdom and tact, and the result is clear: The word of God continues to spread.

It says the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly. And we get this beautiful statement, that a large number of the priests became obedient to the faith. The priests weren’t like priests we have today. Instead priests were Levites of the tribe of Aaron, who worked in the temple. So this was a beautiful and important shift, where religious leaders were turning toward Jesus in droves.

And we also in our city are beginning to see the word of God spread. As we faithfully pray and speak, and live holy, and reject sin, we see the power and presence of God growing in our lives and in our services. It’s amazing to observe.

Next, we see Stephen begin his rise:

Verse 8: "Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people."

We see this fascinating meteoric rise of Stephen, who goes from leading the distribution of food to the widows, a pretty simple but important role, to moving into the fullness of God.

Stephen wasn’t an apostle. He didn’t spend time with Jesus, as far as we know. He wasn’t an evangelist or shepherd, necessarily, he was an ordinary person. But as he took on this role of helping widows with food, it’s like something caught fire in Him.

He was already Spirit filled and had wisdom, but somehow it went further. He began to be full of God’s grace and power. God was looking with particular delight on this young man’s heart, and blessing Him with grace and power.

This is a beautiful thing. I love to see a believer in the church who catches fire with excitement and begins to pursue God with their whole heart.

It is a sort of “rising up” that occurs in our lives. Think back to the opening illustration. That pathway that began to appear, as I started to believe…

I had been caught in unbelief. I didn’t want it to be true. I didn’t believe Christians could live free from sin. But, one day, in Captain Matt’s class we were all attacking Wesley's position. And he finally said, "Someone defend Wesley..." and at that moment I thought to myself, what if it’s really true? I can’t sense it. I can’t see it. It would take an act of faith because it’s not my experience so far. But what if it really is true, that a Christian can live holy?

Diane Ury visited campus soon after. And she said to us, she pleaded with Jesus for holiness, but Jesus replied to her, I can’t give you that, but I can give you myself. She said we must learn to turn out face toward God's face, and seek His face. At that moment, I saw a shining face appear over hers for a moment, and I knew I had seen the face of Jesus.

Rising as a Christian, happens in those moments where we take a step a faith toward something we previously felt was impossible. Stephen saw the apostles performing signs and wonders, and Stephen dared to believe, by faith in Jesus, I can walk in that power too.

He was full of the Spirit, full of wisdom, and God was showering grace on Him. Spiritual power was the result.

Is God calling you to go higher with Him? As you walk closer and closer with God, building those times of prayer and fellowship, sharing the gospel, helping meet needs, you begin to build momentum, growth, faith, and you begin rising in the Lord. 

And perhaps like me back in 2018, you start to think to yourself: Maybe it is possible.

Next, verse 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.”

The spiritual battle heats up. Opposition comes. The Synagogue mentioned here, the Synagogue of the freedmen, was made up of Hellenistic Jews. They must’ve noticed one of their own, a Hellenistic jew preaching the gospel in Greek, and decided they needed to stop him. It’s also possible that Stephen used to be part of the freedmen and left to follow Jesus. Hard to say for certain. But apparently Stephen was engaging in consistently sharing the gospel, and they began to debate him.

Next, verse 10: “But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.”

They could not stand up. They tried their very best to out debate him, but they couldn’t. The Holy Spirit spoke freely through Stephen, and wisdom came out of his mouth from the Spirit. And I had to ask myself, as I was reading verse 10, how can that happen?

Does the Holy Spirit just by default speak through Christians all the time? Not in my experience. It takes a particular attitude of the heart and mind to have this occur.

But how? First, wisdom. We have three main books of the Bible that are considered wisdom literature: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. They deal with where the rubber meets the road: practical application of God's truth in the world. 

The collision of a sinful world with the purity of God creates many complex, paradoxical, and difficult situations that we’re called to navigate as Christians. How can we navigate them successfully?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. As we fear God, we are drawn toward His way of doing things. Then we study and learn the word of God, and this gives us a framework for how to live our lives. We gain wisdom from the word of God, and apply it to our lives.

But, this equation is completed by adding the factor of being filled with the Holy Spirit. And being filled with the Holy Spirit is following the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The more we are filled with the wisdom of God from scripture, the more the Holy Spirit has to work with as far as leading us and guiding us. If we know numerous scriptures, the Spirit can bring them to mind in certain situations. We learn to follow the Spirit’s leading, and when this is matched with wisdom from the scriptures, it makes an unstoppable combination.

The heart of a Christian who has trained their mind on the scriptures has wisdom, and this wisdom is a beautiful place in our heart for the Holy Spirit to be seated in glory, because our body/soul/spirit is the temple of God. Then the Holy Spirit guides us to apply situationally the wisdom of scripture.

Wisdom is like having the guidebook with us, and the Holy Spirit is like having the Guide with us. The guidebook is helpful for the Guide to point to and say yes, in this situation, this is the best way to respond. Stephen walked in this powerful Spirit-wisdom mentality.

The wisdom of the word matched with the leading of the Spirit within Stephen meant he could hear the word he had stored in his mind, and how to apply it situationally by the Holy Spirit.

So they couldn’t say a thing against Stephen, he’s proving to them that Jesus is the messiah, and they can’t refute it. So what do they do? Admit Jesus is real and become Christians? Not quite. 

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

They hatch a plot against Stephen, to have a basis to accuse him. These men begin spreading the word that Stephen is teaching blasphemy.

Have you ever had someone stir up gossip about you? Or speak evil things against you? It’s not fun. But it’s something we can expect will happen to us as Christians. Pray for the people who do this against you. God may move in their hearts to change them. And better yet, you may learn to forgive them, and even love them. 

Next, verse 12: “So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law.”

These men begin spreading their evil agenda everywhere. The amazing rise of Stephen, the signs and wonders, are countered by a rise of persecution. Lies spread, outrage grows, and soon the leaders find out.

I’ve seen this happen before. Lies and controversy spread quickly, and soon the person being slandered is brought before the authorities. So it was with Stephen.

Verse 12b: “They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.”

An outright controversy is taking place, demonic in origin. We have a spiritual conflict taking place. So Stephen, this young man stands in the chamber of hewn stone that we talked about last week, before the 71 leaders of the nation.

It says next, verses 13-14: "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.”

This is somewhat similar to the trial that Jesus endured, many false witnesses were brought forward there as well. I can’t imagine how difficult this must’ve been for Stephen; lies so blatant.

They make two claims, first that Stephen was speaking against the temple and the law. And second, that Stephen was saying Jesus would destroy the temple and change the customs of the oral tradition. These were all lies. 

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

They are all staring at Stephen, and they notice Stephen’s face begins to appear like the face of an angel. An angel is often described in scripture as being like lightning, very bright.

Stephen’s face shines before the Sanhedrin. This is clear evidence to them, that Stephen is bringing the words of God to them.

Only three times in scripture do we see someone’s face shine. First, Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai after meeting with God. Second, Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. And third, Stephen.

For a moment, I want to bring us back to the mount of transfiguration, because I believe it points us to what was happening with Stephen in this moment.

From Matthew 17:1-5, “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

Like we talked about at the beginning, our walk with God can be like stepping out onto a henceforth unknown path. But if we dare to believe, we can reach to new heights with the Lord. As we grow in maturity in him, we find higher and higher levels of spiritual growth. On the mount, Jesus’ shines and God tells them to listen to Jesus.

Similarly with Stephen, God makes his face shine, to say, this is my servant, listen to him. Imagine being so close with God that your face begins to shine as you speak about him, wouldn’t that be amazing?

So as we conclude today, I want to challenge you, how can you begin to rise in your relationship with God the way Stephen did? He was full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. Which do you need today? Ask the Lord to help you dare to believe something you used to think was impossible. He will meet you there and guide you up the heights, just as he did for Stephen, an average human, touched by God. 

Fill the City with the truth about Jesus

Recently, we had a visit to our local church from two missionaries. They'd been on the field for over 11 years in Thailand, a country that is 98% Buddhist. As they shared their stories and the events of their ministry, I couldn't help but feel awe-struck at the overwhelming challenge of ministering to a country where only 2% of the population is Christian. 

They shared how for years they'd had a successful ministry in a particular city in Thailand. But God had called them to a city in the north, where it felt spiritually dark. They could sense the spiritual warfare taking place in the city, as they first arrived. 

We had the honor of hosting them, and I remember talking to them about the darkness in the city. And one of the missionaries shared how they felt called to gather the few pastors in the city to fellowship together.

I shared with them, how the first city I had gone to as a minister had also felt spiritually oppressive and dark. The Lord had prompted us to much prayer, and annual Daniel fasts at our church each year, and prayer meetings, and then, the Lord had us gather about 15 pastors from around the city, to gather at a central point in the city, to dedicate the city to God in prayer. A prayer of dedication can be very powerful. And we began to sense a spiritual shift in the city, like the presence of God was breaking through the layers of the enemy kingdom. 

It can feel like a dome of darkness over a city or region, but, through prayer and dedication, the power of God pierces the darkness, and the dome collapses. Prayer, dedication, faithfulness, devotion, all these things are more than simple faith practices, they are spiritual weaponry. 

I think today we’ll see how the disciples, when faced with persecution, chose to be faithful as well, as they saw the power of God shifting the city of Jerusalem. All this, despite growing persecution against the early church. 

We left off last week with the disciples being arrested in the temple courts and put in jail. But God broke them out of jail, and had them stand in the temple courts at dawn to continue teaching about the way of Jesus.

News reached the leaders that the disciples were in the temple courts teaching, so the guards went and requested they come to appear before the Sanhedrin.

This is the second time the disciples have been brought before the ruling counsel of Israel.

If you can imagine this moment, they are in a very ornate room called the chamber of hewn stone. It was setup like a semi circle, with the 71 members of the Sanhedrin seated, with the high priest seated at the center of the semi-circle.

These were the most powerful men in Israel. These were the religious leaders of the nation, delegated with political powers as well. Their power went so far as they could even arrest and try people.

So the disciples are standing before this highly honored gathering, no doubt many of whom had begun to believe in Jesus, though I think we can assume most still did not.

This would’ve been intimidating. Like standing before a court room, or like standing before the house of representatives.

Yet God’s work was incredibly evident in the early church. So I’m sure they felt bold and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to speak the truth.

Beginning in Acts 5:28, the leaders speak: “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.”

You can almost hear the anger and fear of the leaders. They’ve seen the Christians gathering at Solomon’s Colonnade at the temple. The believers have filled the city with the teaching about Jesus. It’s like pollen in the air in spring, it’s everywhere.

The disciples disobeyed the instruction from the authorities to not talk about Jesus. They’ve made it clear that the Sanhedrin conspired to have Jesus killed. And if our authorities ever told us the same, we’d have to disobey that instruction as well.

It is quite possible to “fill a city” with the teaching about Jesus. This should be our goal in our city... That we are so active in our faith, taking such rigorous activity, in the streets, events, phone calls, prayer, fasting, outreach, homeless ministry, nursing homes, jail, hospital, door to door, social media, evangelism that eventually, one could say, the entire city is filled with the teaching about Jesus.

What does this do? Does it mean everyone is going to become a Christian? No. But it brings people into the valley of decision.

It’s easy to ignore the message of Christ, pretend it’s not real, just do life, make money, buy stuff, enjoy family events. But when the message goes out, people are confronted with the gospel.

And at first it’s rather painful, like the Sanhedrin said to the disciples: You are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood. The first thing the gospel does when it goes out is, it tells us that we’re sinners who have strayed from God and are headed in the wrong direction. It says to us: “You’ve sinned.” It tells us we need something beyond ourselves to make ourselves whole again.

The message is: I have a problem. And then, having discovered the problem, which is painful and even humiliating, the answer is provided, that Jesus Christ is the way to know God and be restored to Him. That our sins can be forgiven. That we can be changed within, to become who we were always meant to be, the holy and beloved of God.

Fill your city with the teaching about Jesus! That's our mission. The disciples succeeded in spreading the word in Jerusalem. And they got in trouble for it.

Let’s see how they respond to the Sanhedrin.

Verses 29-30: 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.”

We must obey what God told us. This is God’s agenda at work. It isn’t the apostles. It’s God’s plan. They are just walking in it. They are obeying. And as a result, the city is filled with the word about Jesus.

Peter explains to the Sanhedrin, the God of our ancestors is doing all this; the God that the whole Sanhedrin is trying to follow and obey. God did this. God raised Jesus from the dead.

And Peter says, yes, you are guilty of his blood. You hanged him on a cross, or in the Greek, a tree, a piece of wood.

Peter continues, (31-32) “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.”

Peter’s choice of words is perfect, absolutely perfect. He gives the gospel beautifully.

He says “we are witnesses of this.” And in the depiction, he includes all three persons of the Trinity, God exalted, that’s the Father, the Prince and Savior is Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is mentioned as witness, and he who is given to those who obey.

The Spirit and the apostles are witnesses. The apostles are eye-witnesses of Jesus, that he died and appeared again after his death, alive and in the flesh. Peter spoke just the right words, to witness to the Sanhedrin.

It was just as Jesus had taught them, during his Earthly ministry as they learned under their beloved master. Jesus had explained to his disciples in Matthew 10:16-20: “16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

Sheep among wolves, what a dangerous situation. Yet Jesus seems to indicate that by the sovereign guidance of God, we can maneuver safely (for a time) among the wolves, if we will obey his instruction, to be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves. If we are wise, bold, cunning, cautious, everything that it means to be shrewd, and innocent in our actions, holy, pure, blameless, that is the only way to maneuver in controversies that develop with any level of success.

Be on your guard. Be watchful, because you will be taken and arrested, he warns them. But it will be an opportunity to minister, to share the gospel. And God will speak through you, he will give you the words to speak.

Now they’ve done nothing wrong, they’ve obeyed God, they’ve been shrewd and innocent, they’ve spoken from the Spirit. Let’s see the response from the Sanhedrin.

Verse 33: “When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.”

Sheep among wolves, flashes of light among darkness, hope among danger.

They were so angry at the truth they were moved to murder. Sometimes when we hear something about ourselves that we don’t like, or God convicts us about something in our lives that shouldn’t be there, our response can be anger, even rage. I think our pride can get in the way. The Sanhedrin were the religious leaders. But they were wrong. They missed Jesus. And many of them I’m sure felt they couldn’t be wrong. But they were. Can we be humble enough to admit when we’re wrong? And make a change?

So this was a dark moment, but there was a voice of reason. There was an affirming flame among the Sanhedrin that day, his name was Gamaliel. But recognize that what we’re going to see next, was I believe, a work of the hand of God.

Verse 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."

Gamaliel was the leader of the party of the pharisees at this time in history. He was the grandson of the great teacher Hallel. So Gamaliel was co-chairing this meeting, in effect. He gives orders to have the disciples removed, and then he begins to speak.

Verse 35: Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.”

Consider carefully. Such an important phrase in decision making. Think twice. Think it through. As the word of God says, “Give careful thought to your ways.” -Haggai 1:5

I’ve often reflected on that. There was a time in my life where I was way off from biblical Christianity. I was living in sins. And I felt it didn’t really matter too much. God wouldn’t mind. And I had this reality check, that I was way off from what God desired, and I was in danger. It scared me honestly. And I realized I need to carefully consider how I lived my life. Am I really deeply in love with Jesus? Does he have my whole heart? Does my daily life match what I say I believe? It’s a good reminder.

So Gamaliel continues to speak, and he’s going to give us two examples of movements that didn’t work out.

In verse 36 he describes the first: "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.”

He knows the Sanhedrin thinks of the Christians as a rebellion, a danger to the nation. So he gives an example of a movement that fell apart, it was few hundred men, and then it came to nothing.

That’s one way to know if something is of God, does it have the anointing and does it’s positive effect last? If it fades into nothing, it wasn’t anything. Though I think there’s more nuance to it than that.

Second example, verse 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.”

Not the same Judas, just FYI, that betrayed Jesus. But this is I think what the leaders expected would happen after they had Jesus crucified: His followers would scatter, it would all fall apart, and they could get back to the business of leading the nation. But just the opposite happened.

Why? One reason: It was of God. Now not every good thing from God takes off, unless he wants it to. Just because it doesn’t become some massive thing doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. When I pastored my first church, we started with 10 and ended with 35. That’s not a huge movement, but it’s God’s blessing.

Conversely, something bad can take off and become huge. Islam is not from God, but it’s taken off and become the 2nd largest religion in the world. Mormonism is not from God, yet there are 17 million Mormons in the world. Numbers and exponential growth don’t always mean God is behind it. Then again, a lack of growth doesn’t mean God is against it.

But I think Gamaliel is seeing the supernatural events surrounding this ministry of the apostles, and he’s trying to help the Sanhedrin see the bigger picture.

He continues, verses 38-39: "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.”

When you do things the right way, humbly, in His service, God provides for your protection. And he makes a way of escape. Now, we all know that a time would come when Peter and the other apostles would give their lives for Christ. But it was not this day. It was not until God’s purposes had been fulfilled.

God is using Gamaliel as his mouth-piece to the leaders. Leave these men alone, release them, and then watch. If their activity is of human origin, it’ll fail, but, if it’s from God, you won’t be able to stop them. You’ll only find yourself fighting against God.

“Find yourself fighting against God.” How many I wonder, even in the church, have found themselves, due to their own anger, or emotions, or demonic influence over them, fighting against God, when they thought they are actually serving God?

Jesus said, those that persecute you, will think they are doing a service for God (John 16:2). Jesus made it clear, this isn’t going to be something that becomes the norm in every synagogue in Israel, you’re going to be thrown out of the synagogues. This is going to a movement in the wilderness during it’s time, much like John the Baptist lived in the wilderness.

Have you ever found yourself fighting against God? I know at times I’ve done that. And I look back and think to myself, my goodness I was deceived. I was prideful. And it led to guilt. And repentance. Thankfully we serve a forgiving God. Because frankly, before we knew Christ, we were all rebels against God. But Jesus died for us while we were still rebels. Not that we would stay rebels, but that we would repent of our sins, and follow Him daily.

Hopefully we can say, each day I’m becoming a little bit less of a rebel, and little bit more of a disciple.

Next, verse 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."

They had the apostles flogged. It’s such a short phrase in the scriptures, but it’s meaning is clear: Each of the apostles would’ve been taken and stripped of their shirt, they would be bent or tied over a table, with their back and chest exposed. The standard punishment was 39 lashes. Or what they called the 40 minus 1. The Old Testament allowed for civil discipline for up to 40 lashes. They would do 39 to avoid going over the 40 number, just in case.

13 lashed would be delivered on the chest, and 26 lashes on the back. This would’ve been an extended and humiliating situation, as each apostle was stripped and lashed in front of the 71 member body of the Sanhedrin. They would’ve left with severe lacerations, most definitely bleeding, and in pain.

But they were released. God made sure they were set free. And so they left the gathering, after being told again to stop teaching about Jesus.

Verse 41 is astonishing. It says, “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”

They left the court room in physical pain, wounded, but rejoicing, celebrating, joyous, because my dear friends, they understood something vital: To suffer for the cause of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest gifts we could ever imagine.

They had been counted, weighed by God as worthy to suffer disgrace, to be hated, to be viewed negatively, to be mocked, to be targeted, even to be physically assaulted, for the name of Jesus. And the Bible tells us over and over to rejoice when that takes place, because great is our reward in heaven.

Suffering for making bad decisions is one thing. We all do that. Suffering because life is hard is real too. But, suffering for Jesus, there is great reward in that. It is a great honor to suffer for the glory of the Name.

I love how it phrases it: The Name. There is only one name that matters, the Lord God Almighty. Glory to God! So if you’ve ever been mocked, or ignored, or not included, or hated, or targeted for being a Christian, rejoice, your reward is great in heaven. And heaven is real.

Last, verse 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.”

They didn’t stop, they kept going, day after day. They persevered. They didn’t grow weary. They didn’t get lazy. They didn’t sit back and call it good. They pushed forward.

They did two things, they taught, which is inward, inside the body of Christ, they taught one another and reminded each other of the truths about Christ.

Second, they proclaimed, this is outward, they took the message to the streets, nursing homes, temple courts, jails, hospitals, and shared with people about Jesus. They continued to share that Jesus really is the one and only messiah.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Let us do the same thing here in our city! In Jesus name, amen.