When Fools Lead the Parade

 

Thursday, November 18, 2021

The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”  Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting.  They rushed at him and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.  His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul.  As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!”  And with that, he died.  Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen.  A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.    Acts 7:54 – 8:1

Stephen knew what he was doing, and what might be the outcome.  His one chargeable offense was simply telling the truth, when all the selfless fools in charge wanted was for him to shut his mouth.  He spoke truth anyway.

What was the truth Stephen spoke that eventually winded up with those five fatal words:  And with that, he died?  Backing up in the story we find Stephen telling everyone with ears that Jesus is the Messiah, Lord, Savior, and the only hope for sinful humans to be saved.  The commotion resulted in him having to tell the story to the fools leading the parade…religious zealots who demanded prestige over faith.

Some would criticize Stephen’s choice to speak-up, when keeping quiet may have saved his life, and given him a much longer time to spread the Gospel.  But what kind of Gospel would he have been offering if he’d failed to deliver truth to those who needed it most?  Had Stephen kept quiet, he might have avoided the death penalty, as well as sparing the rest of the believers the persecution that followed.  But staying an ”underground resistance movement” was never in God’s plan.  Persecution of the early church was like pouring water on a grease fire…it just caused the Gospel to spread-out from Jerusalem to the entire world.  Instead of a new Jewish sect among many divisions in the religious systems of men, God wanted a universal faith that made fellowship of humans with their Creator an open door to the joy of eternal life. 

For You Today

So…like Stephen, has God called you to speak truth…the truth of the Gospel…to the leaders of the band, or the lowest of the land?  You’ll find fools at both ends.  You’ll also find souls starving for the truth of Jesus Christ, Lord of Glory.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

For another post on this text see Discarded - May 17, 2017 or Shooting the Messenger Dec 26, 2016

 

 

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom:  Preach the word of God.  Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.  For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.  2 Timothy 4:1-3

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:  In sticking to its calling – that is, preaching the risen Jesus Christ – the church deals a deadly blow to the spirit of annihilatiion.[1] Bonhoeffer lived[2] through Germany’s disasterous days of World War 1, and was only 39 when executed by Adolph Hitler’s Nazi government shortly before the end of World War 2.  This serious thinking pastor understood the spirit of annihilation.  Hitler, an egotistical maniac, was Hell-bent on his final solution to create for Germany (and, in his mind, all humanity) a perfect Aryan people, both by engineered breeding of physical greatness, and particularly by exterminating those who did not fit his plan (Jews, the infirmed, and dark-skinned races).  Military leaders who both feared and followed Hitler firmly entrenched a pathway to Hell for Bonhoeffer’s generation.  Hitler’s master plan towards a perfect race in a perfect place was the perfect medium for the spirit of annihilation – bombs and gas chambers as the natural selection of man becoming God.

Bonhoeffer dared to speak-out against Hitler’s diabolical plan.  His protests were ignored, and the preacher turned to the underground resistance, even joining a plot to assassinate the dictator.  Shortly before the end of the war, and the end of Hitler, Dietrich Bonhoeffer suffered a short climb of the gallows steps.  Hanged by the spirit of annihilation, his words ring, truer for today, as they have for all the generations of persecuted peoples. 

The church’s job isn’t fighting the spirit of annihilation with intrigue, plots, and bombs; instead we are to hold-up for all to see this Lord Jesus Christ who is all in all.  That is always the next sermon.  And in a world such as ours, hedonistic, self-centered, strong-headed, and Hell-bent for self-annihilation, preaching the crucified, resurrected, and coming-again Christ cannot be anything less than first priority.

For You Today

Whether you are a preacher or not, if you are a believer in Christ, you are bidden to take up a cross – to come and die with the Lord. 

Is there anything else on your To-Do List that comes higher than that?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!   

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©    

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[1] Ethics, General Editor, Wayne Whitson Floyd Jr., Minneapolis, MN:  Fortress Press, 2001 (132)

[2] 1906-1945

 

Holding the Light Without Fear

 

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Acts 7:44-56

“Our ancestors carried the Tabernacle with them through the wilderness.  It was constructed according to the plan God had shown to Moses.  Years later, when Joshua led our ancestors in battle against the nations that God drove out of this land, the Tabernacle was taken with them into their new territory.  And it stayed there until the time of King David.  “David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.  But it was Solomon who actually built it.  However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands.  As the prophet says, ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.  Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord.  ‘Could you build me such a resting place?  Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’  “You stubborn people!  You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth.  Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit?  That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!  Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute!  They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.  You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”  The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.  But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”

One reality that has always gripped me about the way Stephen spoke is the complete lack of concern for what happens, as long as he’s faithful in delivering this testimony of Christ; he was speaking before, and to, a group that had the power to punish him, make his life miserable socially or economically; they had the power to pronounce him a spiritual leper to the rest of Israel, or even put him to death; Stephen cared nothing for any of that.  His purpose of speaking Christ’s message, bubbling forth like the prophets of old, was all that mattered.

A second, quite sobering reality, is the ending of the story; they dragged Stephen to the edge of town, picked up stones and bludgeoned him to death.  This was no “fluff” Hallmark movie with a fairy tale ending; this was life as a Christian, lived to the faithful max! 

Stephen’s final words echoed two of the seven words of Jesus from the cross, both prayers that God would receive his spirit when it left his body, and the other that his false accusers/executioners would be forgiven:

As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”  He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!”  And with that, he died.  Acts 7:59-60

It is one thing to speak out a truth to the powerful…because you know it’s the truth, and you can do no less.  It’s something entirely different to beg God for the forgiveness of the ones who won’t hear the truth and reject it so violently they put you to death for it. 

But that is what Jesus did; and that is what Jesus’ disciple Stephen did.  It is what those committed to truth do.

For You Today

The strangeness of the times in which we live should give us plenty of break from whatever “normal” used to be in our lives – enough time to reflect on what is required of a Christian to be counted faithful in God’s eyes when it comes to what we’ve done with the light we’ve been given.

If the light we’ve been giving is the message of Jesus Christ, and we are judged on the basis of what we’ve done with what we’ve been given…can our standard be any less than what compelled Stephen to hold up that light in the face of evil without fear?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today.  Have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

Title Image:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For other posts on Acts 7 see Shooting the Messenger and A Sermon to the Stubborn and Discarded and 

So...What WOULD Jesus Do?

Thursday, March 12, 2020

Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question:  “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?”  “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied.  “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’”  And he said, “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’  Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”  “Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked.  Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.  Matthew 19:3-8

The Pharisees were very interested in God; they were more interested in keeping what they’d inherited – power.  By keeping the status quo they could control any situation and maintain their position as keepers of Moses’ Law.  They were committed to keeping their place as revered teachers and leaders.  This was the good ol’ boy system, and they preferred it over anything Jesus was teaching. 

So, they played the trap in this chess game of who’s got the power; they asked Jesus one of those have you stopped beating your wife yet questions.  Whether Jesus answered “yes” or “no” he was in trouble with one of two groups.  There were those who liked having the power of divorce as a threat held over a woman’s future pitted against the less powerful.  The Pharisees were employing a divide and conquer strategy.  And Jesus’ answer didn’t side-step the question; rather it blew the question apart, exposing the selfish prejudice of the Pharisees, as well as their ignorance of the God they claimed to serve.

I see this kind of scenario emerging more clearly in the woes of the battle lines drawn in the United Methodist Church (and the larger Western culture) over the issues of control, with homosexuality as the pawn.  Depending on your point of view there are somewhere between 10 and forty-million plans before the General Conference of the UMC in May.  Depending on the outcome the church will or will not divide formally. 

In an email article[1] I read last weekend the battle lines drawn are gathering forces.  There’s a lot at stake (if you count prestige, status, bragging rights and money as anything of value).  I rather sense that God is not wringing His hands in Heaven, and there is no perspiration on God’s upper lip.  Whatever Methodists decide to divide, God’s kingdom is going to survive.  The ones I fear for are those power brokers who have decided to grab for the brass ring.  Such power moves are wholly related to (as Jesus described in his row with the Pharisees) hardness of heart.

One of the UMC bishops has submitted another plan[2] (The “2x4” plan…a rather unfortunate choice of name, evoking an image in my mind of a less-than-peaceful resolution process – more of a wooden bludgeon methodology).  Call it a new form of unity or whatever you will; you cannot force or demand unity.  Unity is a heart thing – never legislated, especially by heated debates.  The Pharisees were good at debating the law; that was their stock in trade, experts at manipulating a statement here and there, a Scripture slightly twisted to fit their agenda, or even a witness paid to turn a blind eye, or betray with a kiss.

In the end all history books will be edited (or burned) by He who planned and is executing His purposes for all persons.  So, it will not alter the line between sheep and goats on that final day, no matter what United Methodists do in the near future.  Except for those who lose their sense of humility and bent towards God’s Spirit in the religious grab all you can contest. 

For You Today

 As alluded to previously, there is no wringing of hands in Heaven, but if you listen below you can pick up the sounds of some serious laughter.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day! 

Go to VIDEO

Title Image:  James Tissot via Wikimedia  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©

For another post on this topic see The Strength of a Marriage

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[1] Lambrecht, Thomas, Perspective; A Message from Good News, Is Structural Unity Mandatory for the Church?

[2] The Need for Space and a New Form of Unity

A Sermon to the Stubborn

[i]

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

“David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.  But it was Solomon who actually built it.  However, the Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands.  As the prophet says, ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.  Could you build me a temple as good as that?’ asks the Lord.  ‘Could you build me such a resting place?  Didn’t my hands make both heaven and earth?’  “You stubborn people!  You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth.  Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit?  That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!  Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute!  They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.  You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”  The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage.  Acts 7:46-54^(NLT)

Stephen is generally considered the first one chosen to be a deacon to assist the apostles in spreading the Gospel, and also the first martyr for the cause of Christ.  I’m not surprised when I read the account.  He was falsely accused of blasphemy (talking against God), and distorting the truth about Moses, as well as how Jesus wanted to destroy the Temple and change everything ^{(Acts 6:11-14)}. 

The accusations were outlandish, so as Stephen stood before the ruling elders of the Sanhedrin council, he began his defense with an excellent lesson for the scholars, recounting Israel’s history, beginning at Abraham, and rolling all the way to the cross. 

Stephen’s sermon was going just fine with the historical background, fifty verses of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the Exodus under Moses.  He could have ended it there and gotten a seminary doctoral degree, not to mention staving off execution!  Whenever I read these chapters I want to stop at the end of the history lesson, close my Bible and pretend everything ended well.  I think of what’s coming next and get that, Oh, Stephen, you were sooooo….. close!

But Stephen was a true meddling preacher!  After the historical introduction to his sermon he delivered the punch line:  looking the ruling elders in the eye he declared in no unmistakable way, that THEY, not he, were the stubborn blasphemers who had put the Son of God on a cross, just as they had done with every prophet that God, in His kindness, had ever sent to open up their blinded eyes.  And with that, the elders lost it and had Stephen stoned to death.  (More about that tomorrow).

What is it that makes a person step over the line when standing before powerful people when those very people hold your future, even your life in their hands? 

·       It’s the same force that compels a mother to block out every fear of oncoming traffic and rescue her child who has wandered into the street… 

·       It is the same overwhelming compulsion that causes a man to choose fight or flight depending on which better protects his family… 

·       It was the same driving pressure that moved Jesus to become the sacrifice for our sins…

It was love.

Stephen could no sooner have closed his mouth at that point in his sermon, just to keep breathing, because he knew without telling the truth to deluded, stubborn people, he would only be breathing; his living would have ended with his words.

It’s not love to stay silent if you’ve been charged with the responsibility to tell the truth!

For You Today

If you’ve ever gotten mad at a preacher for saying something that really ticked you off, well, this might be a good time to check the Stephen meter.  Was it the truth?  Did it tick you off because it hit too close to budging you out of your comfort zone?  Were you about to shoot the messenger?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

Go to VIDEO

NOTES

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 ^I Title image:  Fra Angelico [Public domain], via Wjikimedia Commons

Cornerstone or Inconvenient Truth?

[1]

Friday, April 1, 2016

Go to VIDEO

The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.
This is the day the Lord has made.  We will rejoice and be glad in it.        

Psalm 118:22-24^(NLT)

For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else!  God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”   Acts 4:11-12^(NLT)

An Inconvenient Truth is the name of a documentary that chronicles former Vice President Al Gore’s attempts to awaken our culture about the crisis of global warming.[2]  Putting the subject matter aside, the phrase “inconvenient truth” is pungent; if you take the truth seriously there will be some inconvenient changes on your horizon.  With the global warming issue, reducing our carbon footprint means oil, which means revenue.  It means coal, which means revenue.  Get the picture?  Very inconvenient!

And so…to the truth issue which is most inconvenient…because it not only changes things connected with revenue…it affects everything in your life, past, present and future – throughout eternity.  You not only live differently, you must think differently and it is likely to tick some people off – it got Peter and most of the other disciples a violent death at the hands of the establishment. 

For someone like me, this is incredibly inconvenient.  I have spent the better part of my life helping to lead in the church, and I also hate conflict.

Peter had a history of speaking before his brain was in gear; but becoming a man of prayer he began to know the difference…and so should we if we are to be like the Good Shepherd we serve; we wait for the Spirit.  Everything Peter said had a clear focus on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  It was all centered in the Gospel.

What Peter said was God has Power to give life over death

Central to all apostolic preaching is the resurrection.  Without the resurrection there is no Christianity.  Paul said that if there is no resurrection we are still in our sins…we’re dead.

When you speak truth to power, speak in the clarity and certainty that even if the powers that be put you to death for daring to stand up for righteousness, God will raise you up and accomplish His will.

What Peter said was God’s Purpose is to save all who “will”

Peter referred to Jesus as the stone the builders rejected, a bold picture of Jesus as God-incarnate…worthy of worship.  He said this cornerstone of truth was sent to save us from sin and death. 

Peter spoke the truth that you can choose Jesus, or you can choose sin and death; but you can’t have both.

What Peter said was the ONLY Pathway to God is Jesus

In some circles[3] Jesus is not the only way to God.  If you claim that Jesus is the only way to God, you’re deemed an exclusivist and narrow-minded. 

But that was what Peter said – no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.

The choices are obvious when it comes to speaking Christian Truth to power – Christ, crucified, risen and coming again….OR…heresy and death. 

For You Today

You can be a Good Shepherd follower, or you can follow the crowd.  Doing both is not an option.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today…and have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image: By Ammodramus (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[2] Read about the documentary:  An Inconvenient Truth

[3] By this I mean progressive-thinking persons who hold that Jesus is not the only way to salvation.