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Radiance under fire, Acts 6:8-15:

8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 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. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. 11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, ‘We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.’ 12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 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.’ 15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

‘’All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel’’ (15). Stephen was one of the seven men chosen to help the church get back on an even keel (5).

 I can’t help but think about Moses who, when he came down from the mountain after meeting with God, had a shining face. But he himself was not aware of it. So it is that there can be a certain undefinable ‘something’ about a person who walks with Jesus; an aroma, a fragrance. They walk in the light of the Light of the world. They reflect His light and shine brightly and beautifully amid the darkness of this world, reflecting the rays of the Son.

I remember being in the country one night recently. There was minimal street lighting, but there was a full moon, and the night was brilliantly lit up. Stephen was like a full moon. There were no half measures with him. His commitment to Jesus was total and unquestionable and how he shone in his day!  But Stephen also reminds me of Jesus. He was falsely accused like His Master (11). At least one of the charges was similar (13, 14). He was tried, and as we will see, he was put to death.

Stephen, exemplifies the Spirit filled life (5, 8, 10).But if you want a powerful ministry, don’t expect an easy life. You will ruffle feathers.

Prayer: Lord, I want to be as filled with the Holy Spirit as any person can be. Please strengthen me to face all the consequences.

Moving towards the problem.Acts 6:1-7: 

‘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. 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. 3 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 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’ 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. 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.’NIV

As we saw yesterday, when the church is growing, and in particular when this growth is unusually prolific, you can EXPECT PROBLEMS. These difficulties will take different forms from church to church, context to context, and age to age. But they will arise. Good leadership moves towards problems and not away from them. Today, we will look at two essential moves made by the apostles in this time of tension, and we can learn from what they did:

ESTABLISH PRIORITIES (2, 4): The apostles had a clear sense of what they needed to be concentrating on and they would not be diverted. Neither, though, were they willing to bury their heads in the sand and just hope the problem would go away. You can only sweep things under the carpet for so long. There had to be a way to keep their own focus, and yet deal with this potentially harmful eruption at the same time, and they figured it out. I believe all pastors should be committed to the twin priorities of prayer and Bible study. Many other (necessary) administrative tasks will devour these precious and delightful duties if we allow them to. So we have to carefully guard our time against all the urgent demands that would steal away our best hours for prayerful study. Churches should also do their utmost to help their pastors remain true to their essential calling. The church loses  when its shepherds neglect the Word and prayer.

ENGAGE THE CONGREGATION (3- 6): The leaders did not abdicate their responsibilities. They thought through the parameters and presented them to the church, entrusting the congregation with the significant task of choosing the right men for the job. Thus leaders and led moved forward in a respectful, trust-filled atmosphere, and the result was even more growth. I was thinking about this as I lay back in the hygienist’s chair this afternoon. My only real fear when at the dentist’s (or hygienists) is of inhaling the water being sprayed into my mouth. The thought forcibly hit me this afternoon that I am afraid because I don’t sufficiently trust the suction instrument. I thought, ‘Yes, and how many leaders in the church don’t really trust the wisdom God has placed in the body of Christ?’ We will find many wonderful ideas and solutions within the local church. May God forgive us that we don’t always realise this and act on it.

 Problems of growth.Acts 6:1-7:

‘6 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. 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. 3 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 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’  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.  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.’ NIV

In the Book of Acts we find a church growing in numbers. It also grew spiritually:       ‘’…the word of God spread’’ (7a), but it certainly grew numerically. Today’s passage opens and closes between statements about growth and further growth. It was a time of rapid growth. Probably most of us have not lived through a period of such prolific church expansion, and known from the inside not only its exhilaration, but also its tensions. The growth was also, in some ways, surprising and strategic with ‘’a large number of priests’’ being enfolded into the bosom of the church. God’s Spirit was on the move, and who would not want that?

However, when huge growth takes place, and particularly when it happens quickly, you can:

Expect problems (1b): It may not be inevitable, but it is likely. The particulars of the contentious issues will differ from church to church, and context to context. But with growth, some people (and it is often those who have been around longer) can start to feel overlooked and left out. Such a situation calls for wise, strong and decisive leadership, and that’s what we see in our reading. (It also calls for a humble mind on the part of all, and a willingness to embrace the stranger; the kind of Christlike attitude which looks not only to its own interests but also to the interests of others; that considers others better than oneself: Philippians 2:1-5)

Somebody once asked, ‘Does good leadership move towards a problem or away from it?’ The answer of course is that it moves towards it; and tomorrow we will see what these leaders did.

Prayer: Lord, where the is even the tiniest dislocation or fracture in the life of the church, please pour in your healing balm.

There speaks wisdom Acts 5:33-42: 

’33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honoured by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: ‘Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 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. 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. 38 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.’ 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.  41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 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.’ NIV UK

I’ve heard it pointed out that Gamaliel was not totally correct in what he said (38), inasmuch as there are human enterprises which are highly successful. There can be flourishing churches where much of the ‘’activity is of human origin’’. Not everything originating in the mind of man is going to end up a flop. So there is a fallacy in Gamaliel’s opening gambit. (Although, it is also true to say that every merely human activity is going to ‘’fail’’ ultimately when weighed on the eternal scales of God’s judgment.)  However, Gamaliel was certainly right to say that what is from God is ultimately unstoppable (39). Jesus is building His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew). For centuries the hellish gates have repeatedly tried, yet to no avail. To be sure, they appear to win temporary, short term victories, but it remains the case that ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.’

We marvel at the attitude shown by the apostles (41), yet can you not identify with it in some way. Perhaps you have not been so severely abused as they were; but have you not been mocked and scorned and laughed at for being a Christian? Have you not found yourself the butt of cruel jokes and the target for snide remarks? And do you not know, at least to some extent, the ‘buzz’ of standing up for Jesus in the face of this frivolous and hostile world? You have known that deep contentment of doing the right thing, even though it was hard.  Again, the bravery of these early Christian preachers shines through (40, 42). Knowing full well the likely outcome, they ‘’never stopped’’ talking about Jesus.

PRAYER: This kind of courage only comes from above. So Lord, here I am, applying for my own supplies of much needed bravery.

The glorious gospel. Acts 5:29-32

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. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour 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.’ NIV UK

Some years ago a friend spoke to me about a time when the ‘shine’ had gone off his salvation. I felt I understood what he was saying. The initial glow can wane. The bubbles can go flat. We can become so familiar with the gospel that the ‘good news’ doesn’t feel quite as ‘good’ as it once did. May God forgive us if we ever get so over-familiar with His truth that it doesn’t excite us anymore.

Let me invite you today to pause; to stand back and meditate on the basic facts of the gospel message as presented here with such economy of words. Is it not glorious in its simplicity, and yet unfathomable in its depths? Look at them; listen to them, until your heart burns.

Do you feel the compulsion to spread the news in the way the apostles did? (29). Such a sense of necessity comes from a combination of God’s known commands on the outside, and the conviction imparted by the Holy Spirit on the inside (32; see 1 John 5:7/John 15:26, 27). We have no plausible rational explanation for the boldness of the first preachers apart from the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. These missionaries were ‘missiles’ launched into the world, with Holy Spirit thrust propelling them onwards and outwards. They had great power behind them.

As someone said, ‘The Holy Ghost gives you a Holy go.’

PRAYER: Lord, soften my hard heart; melt my cold heart. May I be set on fire by your truth.

 Bravery under fire. Acts 5:27-29:

27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 ‘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.’ 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings! NIV UK.

The boldness of the apostles is brought to light here. They were given clear and ‘’strict orders’’ not to teach about Jesus (28). But conscious of higher orders, they moved in the opposite direction – and how! They ‘’filled’’ Jerusalem with their teaching. Rather than capitulating and becoming like mice, they went for it big time. They even seem to have taken things up a gear or two. What choice did they have though,when the Holy Spirit was so obviously in control; when he was not just ‘resident’, but also ‘president’? Somebody observed that if the Holy Spirit had been removed from the first Christian church, 95% of what they were doing would have stopped, immediately. But if the Holy Spirit were to be removed from today’s church, 95% of what we are doing would continue.I’m not too sure about those percentage figures, but I get the point, and broadly agree with it.

Clearly, the leaders also realised that they were being held accountable for the crucifixion of Jesus. This is a point we have heard in earlier sermons, and it shows that the apostles were made brave by the Spirit, because it took great courage to say these things to men who would not hesitate to squash them like insects if they chose. The apostles give this unpopular message again in today’s passage (30) even as an ominous, threatening cloud hovers over their heads. What motivated them? It was their commitment to seek first God’s Kingdom (29). Their primary loyalty lay unquestionably with the Lord, and the Holy Spirit poured into their lives as much courage as they needed to live that out in a hostile world.

If you ever have to choose between God and men, remember that the same Holy Spirit who filled these early preachers, also resides in you, and he can change you ‘’into a different person’’ (1 Samuel 10:6).

 PRAYER: Lord God, I am not naturally brave, but I never want to be disloyal to you. I don’t want to let you down under pressure from this secular society. Please will you so fill me with your Holy Spirit that I am willing, where necessary, to stand in the firing line.

 Keeping up appearances. Acts 5:26:

‘ At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.’ NIV UK

‘’The chief and his police went and got them, but they handled them gently, fearful that the people would riot and turn on them’’ The Message.

 ‘’The police captain went with his officers and arrested them (without violence, for they were afraid the people would kill them if they roughed up the disciples)…’’ Living Bible.

The people who arrested the apostles were not true to themselves. They were in disguise. They did not dare display their true colours because they had an eye to the opinion polls. The text implies that they would have used force if necessary. They wouldn’t have minded bashing up the preachers. But they wore kid gloves for the sake of appearances.

Now this is an insight into the high degree of favour the church was enjoying among the general populace at the time. But it also makes me think about the temptation we all face to live hypocritically (and maybe we frequently do?) Because we are too concerned about what people think, we don’t live consistently out of our deepest convictions. For whatever the reason, we don’t want to be known for who we really are. We hide behind the bushes of appearance. Integrity is to be integrated – within and without. What’s on the inside is visible on the outside. The real heart overflows and is not held back.

PRAYER: Lord God, may I not live a lie, but always be full of integrity.

How did he do that? Acts 5:21b-25

21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin – the full assembly of the elders of Israel – and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 ‘We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.’ 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to. 25 Then someone came and said, ‘Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.’ NIV.UK.

I knew a man who was fascinated by magicians. When he saw a trick performed on television, he would often turn to others in the same room and ask, with a look of sheer baffled amazement, ‘How did he do that?’ There are times when things happen that shouldn’t happen, and if the cause were to be investigated, honesty would compel a person to say that God is the best explanation. This occurrence in our reading today was no magic trick or conjuring act. It was a miracle.

The apostles had been put in prison. The doors were securely locked. There were guards outside. They shouldn’t have been able to escape, but they did. In fact, it wasn’t a conventional escape. They didn’t dig a tunnel. They had no plans to go over the wall. An angel was sent to spring them out of jail and they were commanded to be elsewhere (19, 20). I’m not saying they didn’t want to be free, but it seems they had no choice. They were brought out and given orders.

God regularly shows the powerful that they are not so strong as they thought, and demonstrates to the weak that they are mighty in Him.

If you are facing locked doors, and soldiers standing guard; if you’re up against a situation which seems impregnable, remember that ‘God specialises in things thought impossible. He can do just what no other can do.’

PRAYER: Lord God, I feel trapped in this ‘cell’. I confess that I see no way out – not naturally speaking. But your Word encourages me to believe that you can make a way where there is no way. So I wait for you in faith and hope.

The last word, Acts 5:17-21: 

17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 ‘Go, stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people all about this new life.’ 21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin – the full assembly of the elders of Israel – and sent to the jail for the apostles.

They can lock up preachers; but they can’t lock up God’s Word and they can’t lock up God!  We need to remember who is in charge ultimately. There may be a growing anti-Christian sentiment in our country, and in the west generally, but however violent or aggressive people may become, God has the final say. There is no jail He can’t bust His people out of if He wants to. But whatever happens to the preachers, the Word will get out. It is unstoppable because God is.Essentially the apostles had been told (by man) not to enter the temple courts and teach; but they were following higher orders (21). The last word is always with Almighty God.

There is a lot of hysteria and fear in the air at the moment, but I think we need to remember that not everything we read about politicians in the media is the unvarnished truth. I don’t want to believe lies about people (most of whom I will never meet) just because I heard it on the news. We are very far from having totally accurate and unbiased reporting. That said, even if certain leaders are as bad as they are made out to be, our responsibility remains to pray for those in high office (1 Timothy 2). I believe Franklin Graham was quite right to read this passage at the inauguration of President Donald Trump. One of the most important things American Christians can do for him and his officials is to pray for them. Many years ago, the missionary Frank Laubach wrote that every day we can enter the White House (apply this to your equivalent building(s) and influence the President by our prayers. He was so right.

‘’These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open’’ (Revelation 3:7).

 PRAYER: Lord God, you are seated immovably on the throne of the universe. Therefore I will not panic, but trust in you, and prove that in quietness and confidence will be my strength.