Who Understands Faith?
Stephen's Martyrdom
Acts 7:35-39
The Message
35-39 “This
is the same Moses whom they earlier rejected, saying, ‘Who put you in
charge of us?’ This is the Moses that God, using the angel flaming in
the burning bush, sent back as ruler and redeemer. He led them out of
their slavery. He did wonderful things, setting up God-signs all through
Egypt, down at the Red Sea, and out in the wilderness for forty years.
This is the Moses who said to his congregation, ‘God will raise up a
prophet just like me from your descendants.’ This is the Moses who stood
between the angel speaking at Sinai and your fathers assembled in the
wilderness and took the life-giving words given to him and handed them
over to us, words our fathers would have nothing to do with.
39-41 “They craved the old Egyptian ways, whining to Aaron, ‘Make us gods we can see and follow. This Moses who got us out here miles from nowhere—who knows what’s happened to him!’ That was the time when they made a calf-idol, brought sacrifices to it, and congratulated each other on the wonderful religious program they had put together.
39-41 “They craved the old Egyptian ways, whining to Aaron, ‘Make us gods we can see and follow. This Moses who got us out here miles from nowhere—who knows what’s happened to him!’ That was the time when they made a calf-idol, brought sacrifices to it, and congratulated each other on the wonderful religious program they had put together.
For Reflection
It
comes down to this. Who is to be most revered? Who is the true
christ? Moses or Jesus? To us it seems an odd question. But, in the
early church when Jews were fighting reform, it was a huge issue. It is
obvious that Moses could be viewed as a deliverer, a christ figure. By
deifying Moses, the accusers of Stephen could label his talk of Jesus
as blasphemy against Moses and the Jewish faith.
Some times people hear what they want to hear. Some times people are mislead because they are fearful and more comfortable with quick and easy answers. If they can just find someone other than themselves to blame and eliminate them, the threat would disappear.
Why is it that confidence, conviction and trust in God is so hard to gain and so easy to loose?
Some times people hear what they want to hear. Some times people are mislead because they are fearful and more comfortable with quick and easy answers. If they can just find someone other than themselves to blame and eliminate them, the threat would disappear.
Why is it that confidence, conviction and trust in God is so hard to gain and so easy to loose?
Pray
that
you will invite the Holy Spirit into your heart. Pray that you will
have the courage of your conviction in God to trust in His promise.
Pray that you will have the patience that confidence in God brings, even
when the outcome seems bleak.
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