The Faithful Witness of Stephen----- Saturday, April 24, 2010 by Dave Sonnenberg

THE FAITHFUL WITNESS OF STEPHEN



Saturday, April 24, 2010

By Dave Sonnenberg



Stephen Ministry. It is one of the great gifts of the church I serve. The program features matching a trained Christian caregiver (a lay member of our church) with a person who has some sort of need- whether that be a life transition, a difficulty, problems at work or home or any other need. The two meet regularly for support, prayer, and conversation. The Stephen Minister maintains confidentiality thus allowing the care receiver to be free to speak openly.

One of the things I have learned in my ministry is that “there is often healing in the sharing”. Often times, just having another to ask us a question or two gets us rolling and sharing and processing what is going on in our heads and hearts. Having a listener who can be a consistent witness is one of the worlds greatest gifts. That was what Stephen was for the early church.

As you read today’s text, note that Stephen was willing to give his life for the sake of the Gospel. Today, you read the story of his martyrdom. One of the things I want you to see is that the word martyr means “witness”. Getting beyond the vivid imagery of his death, what is painted is a person who was a faithful witness of Jesus for others in his day. As we learned, he was a person of deeds (note he was one of the 7 appointed to care for the neglected in tangible ways- Acts 6), yet he was also a person of words as well.

Stephen Ministry and any caring ministry is about giving it our all to be a faithful witness. We don’t pick and choose when we serve or when we want to be a good witness. We simply are called to be faithful witnesses wherever we go, all the time. As we do that, we can help, inspire, and lift up others.



Today’s Reading- Acts 6:8- end of chapter 7

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. 10But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. 11Then they secretly instigated some men to say, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.’ 12They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. 13They set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; 14for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.’ 15And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. 7Then the high priest asked him, ‘Are these things so?’ 2And Stephen replied:

‘Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3and said to him, “Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.” 4Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in which you are now living. 5He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his descendants after him, even though he had no child. 6And God spoke in these terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to others, who would enslave them and maltreat them for four hundred years. 7“But I will judge the nation that they serve,” said God, “and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.” 8Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

9 ‘The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, 10and rescued him from all his afflictions, and enabled him to win favour and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. 11Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food. 12But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. 13On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. 14Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy-five in all; 15so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, 16and their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

17 ‘But as the time drew near for the fulfilment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased and multiplied 18until another king who had not known Joseph ruled over Egypt. 19He dealt craftily with our race and forced our ancestors to abandon their infants so that they would die. 20At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful before God. For three months he was brought up in his father’s house; 21and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his words and deeds.

23 ‘When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his relatives, the Israelites. 24When he saw one of them being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged him by striking down the Egyptian. 25He supposed that his kinsfolk would understand that God through him was rescuing them, but they did not understand. 26The next day he came to some of them as they were quarrelling and tried to reconcile them, saying, “Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong each other?” 27But the man who was wronging his neighbour pushed Moses aside, saying, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? 28Do you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?” 29When he heard this, Moses fled and became a resident alien in the land of Midian. There he became the father of two sons.

30 ‘Now when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 31When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight; and as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: 32“I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look. 33Then the Lord said to him, “Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34I have surely seen the mistreatment of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their groaning, and I have come down to rescue them. Come now, I will send you to Egypt.”

35 ‘It was this Moses whom they rejected when they said, “Who made you a ruler and a judge?” and whom God now sent as both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36He led them out, having performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for forty years. 37This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, “God will raise up a prophet for you from your own people as he raised me up.” 38He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living oracles to give to us. 39Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him; instead, they pushed him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40saying to Aaron, “Make gods for us who will lead the way for us; as for this Moses who led us out from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.” 41At that time they made a calf, offered a sacrifice to the idol, and revelled in the works of their hands. 42But God turned away from them and handed them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:

“Did you offer to me slain victims and sacrifices

for forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?

43No; you took along the tent of Moloch,

and the star of your god Rephan,

the images that you made to worship;

so I will remove you beyond Babylon.”

44 ‘Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in the wilderness, as God directed when he spoke to Moses, ordering him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. 45Our ancestors in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors. And it was there until the time of David, 46who found favour with God and asked that he might find a dwelling-place for the house of Jacob. 47But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says,

49“Heaven is my throne,

and the earth is my footstool.

What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,

or what is the place of my rest?

50Did not my hand make all these things?”

51 ‘You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are for ever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. 52Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. 53You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it.’

The Stoning of Stephen

54 When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. 55But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ 57But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ 60Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died.

Nudged to be the Solution---Friday, April 23 by Dave Sonnenberg

NUDGED TO BE THE “SOLUTION”



Friday, April 23, 2010


By Dave Sonnenberg



Today is a very important text. The early church was called to extend the good news of Jesus from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. They were to be a “ripple effect”- going deeper and deeper into the world. The problem they faced today was important. Some in their midst were experiencing need. They weren’t getting enough attention or tangible care. The community turned to the apostles with a spirit of “you fix it”. “You take care of it” for us. Doesn’t that happen a lot in this world- --- people notice a need and then they delegate it away from themselves!



What is so cool is that the apostles listened and recognized that the widows needed to be cared for yet they chose to show the community that the “solution was in their midst”. Seven were selected to solve the problem and show “hands on care”. The apostles were free to keep reaching out and spreading the word further and further.



How many times in life do we notice a person in need, a person missing, a person who seems to be struggling and then say, “someone should do something about it!”---- It happens a lot. However, when we “notice” a need, I suggest to you that God is nudging us to be the solution or an assistant- much as the 7 were nudged to “be the solution” in today’s text.



One final thought today is that we must also recognize that in community, some have the gift of care, social justice, and compassion and others may have the gift of proclamation or evangelism. We need both gifts (and the multitude of gifts). We are wired differently. Which one are you more like—the apostles who actively proclaim the good news with words/writings or those who care for others behind the scenes and out of the spotlight? Perhaps a hybrid of the two?





Acts 6: 1-7

6Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. 2And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. 3Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, 4while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’ 5What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Unstoppable Force-----Thursday, April 22, 2010 by Dave Sonnenberg

UNSTOPPABLE FORCE



Thursday, April 22, 2010


By Dave Sonnenberg



“If this plan or this undertaking is of human origin; it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them- in that case you may even be found fighting against God.”--- Gamaliel, teacher of the Law in Acts chapter 5

Gamaliel is one of the wisest elders we encounter along the way on the Journey through Acts. He recognizes the ugliness that can come when religious people fight against each other. We shake our heads and need to be Gamaliel in our day. Rather than contribute to ugliness or being arrogant, Gamaliel humbly recognizes that the true movement of God (with God completely at the helm) is an unstoppable force!

We want to be on the side of God. We need to pray for God’s spirit to stir in our hearts- stir us to be more loving and more caring and more generous. Those on the side of God will not give up yet they will not tear down the world around them in the process. The early apostles just did not give up. They had doors shut on them, they were imprisoned, threatened, and frustrated along the way. . .but they kept at it. Faith is about pressing on in the face of obstacles and understanding that God is the one who leads the way. We are mere instruments. When we allow God to lead and not try to do it ourselves, then we may have a chance to see the unstoppable force of God’s goodness in our daily lives.

Never give up.

Acts 5:17-42

17 Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees), being filled with jealousy, 18arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out, and said, 20‘Go, stand in the temple and tell the people the whole message about this life.’ 21When they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching.

When the high priest and those with him arrived, they called together the council and the whole body of the elders of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22But when the temple police went there, they did not find them in the prison; so they returned and reported, 23‘We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.’ 24Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were perplexed about them, wondering what might be going on. 25Then someone arrived and announced, ‘Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!’ 26Then the captain went with the temple police and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

27 When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28saying, ‘We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.’ 29But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Saviour, so that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’

33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. 35Then he said to them, ‘Fellow-Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. 36For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. 37After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; 39but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!’

They were convinced by him, 40and when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonour for the sake of the name. 42And every day in the temple and at home they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.

Did You Know about This? ----Wed, April 21, 2010 by Dave Sonnenberg

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS?



Wednesday, April 21, 2010
by Pastor Dave Sonnenberg



I am going to take a one day break from the Acts series as I’d like to comment on an important event going on tonight. We’ve all heard of the Grammy’s- the annual ceremony to celebrate the best in the music industry. Well, there is a lesser known music ceremony going on tonight called, The GMA Dove Awards. It’s been going on for 40 years and is to honor the greatest achievements in the Christian Music field. The ceremony is tonight but will actually be shown on some TV stations this Sunday evening. See the site--http://www.doveawards.com/.



Although the awards are primarily in the contemporary Christian Genre, today I’d like to just pause and give thanks to God for the gift of music (in any genre). I know people who are deeply touched by the work of a Christian organist named Bach; people who are elevated by the hymns of Charles Wesley, and those who are moved by the everyday lyrics of groups like Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Laura Story, and many others. Whatever your taste in music (mine is eclectic)- we should give thanks to God for the musicians who help stir our spirits with their gifts. Without their sharing of gifts, the world lose out, our worship would lose out, and we’d not have their lyrics and melodies to use time and time again.



Music has a way of touching the human soul and feeding us in ways that words on a page may not be able to. Music can calm us, excite us, energize us, and provide us with tremendous encouragement. The best among these musicians, even if they become famous, realize that all they do is offered as a gift to the world- a gift that comes from God. The best musicians realize they are instruments of God and “to God they give the glory.”



Give thanks for the musicians and ponder some of the songs that stir you this day. If you have the chance, please just share with us a song or artist who inspires you!



Note- tomorrow I will resume the lessons from Acts, although one has to remember that as Jesus called us to reach to the “ends of the earth”—musicians are a powerful force in helping us tell the story of Jesus!

Shade from the Heat of Life------Tuesday, April 20 2010 by Dave Sonnenberg

SHADE FROM THE HEAT OF LIFE



Tuesday, April 20, 2010



Shade is a great gift from the “heat of life”. As we escape from the rays of summer by going under the protective branches of a tree—so the early church functioned as shade for others.



Life is full of many complexities. There is much that can derail people. There is much that can derail the church as well. Perhaps one of the simplest examples is worry about non-essentials. How often have we worried and spent time losing sleep over things that don’t matter. Churches do the same. But, worry does not help the church community minister to others very well. What I see is the need to “move beyond worry” – trusting that the Spririt is present and will accompany us whenever we reach out in faith.



Today, we see that the church has not allowed discouraging people to derail them (see the 4/19 devotion) but instead just continues to reach out and offer shade to others. They continue to reach out which is the greatest thing you can possibly do. Instead of dwelling on the negative realities, they simply said, “lets just keep reaching out!” .. . ..



. … the result, “people held them in high esteem!”



In our generation, if we reach out and show the world “who we are for (Jesus)”, seek to model our lives by his example, and let our actions be humble (not arrogant)---- the world will experience blessed shade from the heat of life and be drawn closer to the God who embraces us.

Who can you offer "shade" to this day as part of your Christian witness?


Today’s Text-Acts 5: 12-16

12 Now many signs and wonders were done among the people through the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, 15so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by. 16A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.

Overcoming Discouraging Forces-----Monday, April 19, 2010

OVERCOMING DISCOURAGING FORCES



Monday, April 19, 2010



Have you ever deprived yourself of something on purpose? Perhaps you’ve intentionally refrained from eating sweets, or watching TV, or indulging in a favorite activity. My guess is you have for some reason- either a personal benefit you were seeking or as an intentional witness.

Have ever been deprived of something because of the actions of another? On Saturday, my devotion was about the power of encouraging another person and the great gift that offers others. The early church typically was known to be a community that had many encouraging people- often demonstrating that via extreme generosity.

Have you ever noticed that “just around the corner” from experiences of encouragement are agents of discouragement? You know what I mean—you get pumped up and re-energized (for example at church in worship or in personal study or hanging out with one of God’s beloved encouragers) only to have a person or experience seek to bring you down. Some of you will head to work on Monday to face people that will challenge you and try to dishearten you. They may bring your spirit down but know that is not the way of Jesus. The way of Jesus is to bring courage, hope, and inspiration to others. The community of faith is called to be that encouraging force at all times, in all places, and in every generation. Turn to the community for that support and that positive alternative witness. As Jesus echoed often, do not fear.

Annanias and Saphira were a discouraging presence- plain and simple. Some may have seen them as the norm. the people of God need to say, “they need to be the exception”. Shower the world around you with the encouragement from God. Do not withhold it for those around you need it and so do you!

Acts 5: 1-12
But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; 2with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3‘Ananias,’ Peter asked, ‘why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? 4While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!’ 5Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it. 6The young men came and wrapped up his body, then carried him out and buried him.


7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8Peter said to her, ‘Tell me whether you and your husband sold the land for such and such a price.’ And she said, ‘Yes, that was the price.’ 9Then Peter said to her, ‘How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.’ 10Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young men came in they found her dead, so they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11And great fear seized the whole church and all who heard of these things.