Beauty in A Hostile World
Beauty in A Hostile World
- Greg Waybright
- Acts 6:8 & Acts 7:53
- The Breakthrough
- 36 mins 12 secs
- Views: 1540
Pastor's Letter
Beauty in a Hostile World - Week 12
As we come to the tragic story of Stephen's martyrdom recorded in Acts 6:8–7:60, we dare not ignore a challenging issue Christians have wrestled with since the earliest days of the church, i.e., what do we do when a law in the nation is in direct conflict with a command from God?
As we come to the tragic story of Stephen's martyrdom recorded in Acts 6:8–7:60, we dare not ignore a challenging issue Christians have wrestled with since the earliest days of the church, i.e., what do we do when a law in the nation is in direct conflict with a command from God?
This issue takes center stage in the Book of Acts as we read about how our brothers and sisters in Christ conducted themselves in a culture that became increasingly opposed to them. Let me summarize what happened:
• The great commission Jesus gave was a command to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing people in his name and teaching people to obey everything he had commanded (Mt. 28:18–20). In Acts 1:8, the Holy Spirit came specifically to empower people to be witnesses to Jesus.
• The governmental authorities specifically ordered the Christians in Jerusalem "not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus" in Acts 4:18. To this, Peter blatantly asked the question in 4:19, "Which is right in God's eyes: to obey you or him?"
• In this matter of being a witness, the early Christians consistently disobeyed the edict given them and obeyed God instead—and were imprisoned and flogged for doing so (5:17–21, 40).
• The clash of competing authorities took on crystal clarity in Acts 5:28–29. The authorities told the apostles, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name..." And the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men!"
This conflict moved to its logical culmination when the young Christian leader Stephen was seized because of his witness to Jesus. Instead of holding his tongue, Stephen took the opportunity provided to him when he was arrested to preach the longest sermon recorded in Acts. The result is that in Acts 7:54–60, Stephen became the first of many, many martyrs in the history of the church.
This weekend, we will think about living for Jesus in the midst of a world that opposes him. As we do so, we will seek wisdom about how to hold together several biblical principles: 1) Jesus-followers have always been committed to being good and responsible citizens even under anti-Christian regimes (Mt. 22:15–22; Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Peter 2:13–17). 2) When authorities are in conflict, God's authority trumps all others (Acts 5:29). 3) We must always be witnesses to the name of Jesus no matter what opposition we face.
May God give us wisdom as he sends each of us as his ambassadors into a variety of places in our world with the mandate to be his witnesses in word and deed.
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Study Notes
Beauty in a Hostile World - Week 12 - Study Notes
English
Beauty in a Hostile World
ACTS 6:8-7:60
How could something as tragic be the stoning of Stephen seem also to be beautiful? Did you see anything of beauty in the tragic Scripture reading from Acts 6-7 today? The story is of a young man – one viewed as a present and future leader of the church – being martyred because of his faith in Jesus. In the midst of it, look at the language used to describe Stephen -- like "grace and power", "wisdom the Spirit gave", "a face like the face of an angel", "full of the Holy Spirit", and "Lord, do not hold this sin against them". Stephen was bold and spoke his convictions but he did not take up the bitterness and anger of his opponents. He refused to adopt their embittered and destructive ways. I read this and think, "Lord, this is the way I want to be when things in my world are going wrong." Where do we find this kind of strength with grace?
I believe the answer to this is found in what we experience this weekend among some of our younger people being baptized, i.e., Stephen had been baptized in the name of Jesus. Stephen no longer lived for himself but the one who had given his life to save Stephen and had defeated sin and death by his resurrection. Stephen had discovered the key to living a life of beauty in the midst of a hostile world in the same way the Apostle Paul – a man who stood by and approved of Stephen's martyrdom (7:1) – had found it. Paul would later write this in Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. What does Stephen teach us about living a life wholly given to Jesus Christ?
#1: We find true life though obeying God – even if no one else does.
The joy, wisdom and graciousness we see in Stephen comes not from him getting what he wants or from him winning a verbal debate but simply from him obeying the Lord. Acts is the story of people obeying Jesus: from Jesus' command to be witnesses about him in Acts 1, to the world's edict not to speak Jesus' name in Acts 4-5, to the insistence by the early Christians that they had to obey God rather than man in 5:29, and now in Acts 7 to the hostility and martyrdom this obedience to God inevitably led to.
Are you surprised about how quickly this opposition to Christians happened in Jerusalem? Theirs was a culture that had been rooted in a commitment to the God of the Bible. When we read about the authorities producing false witnesses in 6:13, their enraged gnashing of the teeth in 7:54, and their covering the ears and screaming so they would not hear another viewpoint, we immediately recognize that this is not how God had taught his people to react in the Old Testament. The church people might have thought, "This sort of anti-church activity might happen in Rome or Athens or even among the Samaritans but never among us!" But it did happen there – and the disciples did not seem to be surprised about it.
What Stephen did in the midst of hostility was to obey Jesus. Objectively and courageously, he obeyed Jesus. In the midst of a hostile world that was seeking to keep him from obeying God, Stephen found his life through obedience to God. He obeyed God rather than his own natural desires – which surely would have been desires to be just as irrational and furious as the authorities were. Or, he might have waved a fist and asked God, "Why are you letting this happen to your people? You must not really be God!"
He obeyed God above obeying the edicts of those in authority – even though, in general, Christians always were the best of citizens. When there was a direct contradiction in God commanding one thing and the authorities commanding another, he obeyed God.
So, this week in our nation, your senior pastor believes the Supreme Court made some decisions that are not consistent with biblical teaching. I know some are here who disagree with me about that – so I ask you not to put your fingers in your ears and scream loudly like the authorities did in Acts 7:57 when Stephen expressed his convictions. We will need to study Scripture and learn with one another when something as big happens in our world as happened this past week in the Supreme Court decision about marriage.
If we will learn from people like Stephen then we must always begin where he began. We must ask what God's Word teaches. If what God calls for differs from what the world calls for, then we have a big decision to make: whom will we obey? What does God teach about moral sexual conduct and about marriage? If you disagree with me about my conviction that sexual conduct is supposed to be between a man and a woman in the context of a marriage, then I say, "Let's open the Bible and look objectively at what it teaches. You have heard me say it often, i.e., in church we have to be able to engage in intellectual hospitality. We must start with Scripture and be good listeners. Let's listen to the varying viewpoints God has given us. We cannot honor God by sticking our fingers in our ears and shouting "lalala." like the authorities did in Acts 7.
But, if we find that we are asked to do things God commands us not to do as was the case for the believers in Acts, then what how do we conduct ourselves? Let me seek to provide some basic guidelines:
· Remember that all authorities that exist have been created by God – and created for a reason according to Rom 13. Under one of the most anti-Christian governments in the world (that of Nero which killed Paul), Paul said that God has appointed the one in authority for your good (Rom 13:4). Bottom line: No governmental system is worse than anarchy and no government exists outside God's sovereignty. Even bad governments restrain some of the evil that unbridled individualism and self-determination would result in.
· The "fall to" position of all Christians is and always has been that we will be good citizens in our nation – praying for our leaders, working and serving for the good, and -- when it's possible as it is here in the USA -- even participating in government. Here at LAC, when we dedicate children, we pledge this: We promise to work to make society a better place for the children to live in. I believe that means in part that we in our nation should work to install the best possible government leaders within the laws that have been established.
· In our fallen world, sometimes a government established for our good by God misuses or abuses its authority to the extent that it issues edicts directly contradicting God's commands. In those situations, we will have to make a decision, i.e., will we obey God rather than man? It will be kingdoms in conflict.
· God's authority trumps all other authorities – including our own desire to rule our own lives. We must obey God rather than people. We must resist mandates that command or compel evil, and I believe we should work nonviolently within the laws of the land to change a government that permits evil.
· When we do obey God instead of what the authorities demand, we must be clear that there is a direct and undeniable contradiction between God's commands and the world's.
· Before acting in opposition to the world's laws, we must utilize every resource, every rational argument, and every appeal about why we must obey God and not obey the world's mandate. What the apostles did in Acts 5-7 was a last resort.
· We must be willing to accept the consequences of our choice to obey God – while remaining a witness to Jesus and remaining true to our convictions. Stephen's choice: Disobey God and go free or obey God and be stoned. He chose to obey God. If Christians disobey the authorities, unless we can flee from the government, we should accept that government's punishment for our actions. If we must face martyrdom, then we must reflect God's ways in the midst of the martyrdom.
When we do, we will see the glory of God – the reality of God as Stephen did in 7:55-56: Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."
So, simply stated, in the context of decisions made about marriage in our nation, I will keep teaching what I find Bible teaching about what it means to live in obedience to God's morality. I'll call us to practice marriage as I think the Bible teaches us. And, while I do, I'll keep praying for our nation's leaders. I'll keep paying taxes as both Jesus and Paul taught me to. I will not be surprised when things don't go the way I think they should. And, I won't cut you off if you say, "Pastor, I think you have read those texts wrong." I'll seek to learn together with you about how to live for God in this world. Let's keep seeking to learn together about what God expects of us. That means we must live in Christ-centered community together and seek truth together. Maybe the world will see how we go about this and say, "That's good. We'd better re-think what we're requiring." Or, maybe, what happened with Stephen will eventually happen to us. Whatever we do, let us find our lives through obedience to God.
#2. We find guidance for how to live with courage and grace when our single desire is to obey God – especially in difficult times.
Sometimes people tell me their faith sometimes seems irrelevant and theoretical – especially in good times. The decisions we have to make in good times often are about two good options, like, "Would God have me invest in stocks or in bonds today?" I'm not saying we shouldn't seek God's wisdom in those kinds of times. I'm just saying that when we are faced with potential hostility, we seek more fully and intensely both what God would have us to do and how he would have us to do it. We study the Bible more carefully. We might even go to church more often and pray the pastor will talk about the things that we're facing. My point is this: Difficulty can make us more attentive to God.
If the early church had continued to grow as it had been doing and to always find favor with everyone, we would never have the evidence we need about how to live in the kinds of times Christians have faced under communism or under some Middle Eastern governments. I believe that we will probably have increasingly challenging decisions to make about how we will live in our own country too in the future. When we seek God's Word and when we learn to pray together as a church family, we will find that God will guide us. When our ultimate desire is to do whatever God asks of us, then we will not have to live in uncertainty.
In Acts 6-7 what guided Stephen? Stephen knew that he had to give witness to Jesus in spite of the opposition. He knew that to honor God he should trust God without anxiety when others were getting out of control. He knew even that he had to forgive those who intentionally wronged him. That's what Jesus had done on the cross. Stephen's prayer while he was being stoned is recorded in v. 60: Stephen fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them."
As Christian brothers and sisters have affirmed to me again and again over the years: We discover the guidance and wisdom of God's Word most clearly when we obey him in the face of hostility.
#3: We experience God's presence and peace when we obey him in the midst of opposition.
Sociologists tell us that one of the things every culture has to do is to explain suffering and death to its people. Buddhism has taught its adherents to ignore pain and suffering in order to come to a
"post-gained no knowledge" (as they call it), i.e., a resignation that comes from realizing that none of it really matters. Hinduism has taught a world of life, death and rebirth in an unending cycle governed by Karma. But, most are agreed that the dominant values of our Western culture -- materialism and individualism -- offer virtually nothing to help people come to grips with suffering and death. If I live for myself, then if a decision isn't to my liking, I can only be anxious, frustrated or in despair. If I live for material gain, then when that material is eroding or lost, I am lost.
Brothers and sisters, Stephen shows us what we possess in Christ even when everything in our own culture seems to be against us. We have the eternal God who knows us, loves us, and promises to work all things together for good. We simply must learn to obey him – and to trust him.
Notice that when Stephen had a vision of God in v. 56, he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Usually, Jesus is pictured as seated before God with his work completed. But, in the midst of Stephen's struggle, Jesus is active and at work. Stephen knew that even his impending physical death is a part of what Jesus is doing. The result? He is able to speak wisdom when others are engaged in foolishness. Stephen is able to be gracious when others are irrationally furious. He is able to be at pray when others are closing their ears and yelling at the top of their voices. Stephen is able to forgive when others are seeking to destroy.
What we see in Stephen is that he is reflecting the ways of Jesus to his world. Jesus, the only one without sin, was accused unjustly and yet "he opened not his mouth." When he was condemned without evidence, he prayed, "Father, forgive them." When he was asked to bear the punishment for your sins and mine, he absorbed our sin and offered us back a new life.
The Apostle Peter learned from both Jesus and from young Stephen. I end with his words to them and to us: If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps... When the authorities hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to his Father who judges justly (from 1 Peter 2:20-24).
I submit this to you: Stephen's life was so beautiful because he looked so much like Jesus – standing for what is right, offering wisdom when people only wanted emotion and compliance, offering not condemnation but forgiveness, and insisting on talking about Jesus when the world wanted nothing about Jesus to be said.
Lord, teach us how to live even in the face of opposition that we too may reflect Jesus to our world.
To His glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Chinese
在充滿敵意世界中的美
6/30/2013
《使徒行傳》6:8-7:60
司提反被石頭打死是個悲劇,有何美可言?你從今天《使徒行傳》6-7章的悲劇經文中,能看到美好的東西嗎?故事講述的是一個年輕人——這個人被視為是當下和未來的教會領袖——因為對基督的信心而殉道。故事是這樣描述司提反的——他“充滿恩典和能力”、“有屬靈的智慧”、“像天使一樣的面容”、“被聖靈充滿”,他還說:“主啊,不要將這罪歸給他們”。司提反很勇敢,對信仰很堅定,但他對敵手不存苦毒和憤怒。敵手所採用的激怒和破壞性的手法對他沒有作用。我讀到這裡就在想:“主啊,當我遇到這個世界中不好的事情時,我也要和司提反一樣。”我們從哪裡可以找到這種充滿恩典的力量? 我相信,通過這週末幾個受洗的年輕人,我們可以找到答案。也就是說,司提反已經奉基督的名受洗。司提反不再為自己活,而是為了那替他捨命、以復活勝過罪和死的基督而活。司提反找到了在這個充滿敵意的世界中如何活出美好的鑰匙,這種方式與使徒保羅所找到的一樣——保羅支持並贊成司提反的殉道(7:1)。保羅後來在《加拉太書》2:20中寫道:我已經與基督同釘十字架,如今活著的不再是我,乃是基督在我裡面活。我現在肉身活著,是靠對神兒子的信心,祂是愛我,為我舍己。在把全人獻給耶穌基督這件事上,我們從司提反可以學到什麼?
#1: 通過順服神,我們找到真正的生命 ——即使沒有別人這樣做。 我們從司提反身上所看到的喜樂、智慧和恩慈,不是因為他自己想要得到什麼,或者為了在辯論中獲勝,而僅僅因為他順服主。《使徒行傳》講的是順服耶穌的人的故事:從第1章耶穌要求為祂作見證的命令,到4-5章不許奉耶穌的名演講的命令,到5:29早期基督徒堅持順服神而不順服人,再到今天的第7章,因為順服神而不可避免地招致敵視並殉道。 對基督徒的敵對如此迅速地在耶路撒冷發生,你對此是否感到驚奇?這是因為有一種文化,而它源於聖經裡對神的承諾的有關內容。當我讀到6:13中當權者使用假證人,7:54他們憤怒得咬牙切齒,掩耳尖叫,就聽不進其它的觀點。我們從這些很快意識到,這不是舊約中神教導祂百姓應有的反應。來教會的人們可能會想:“這種反教會的行為可能在羅馬、雅典或者撒瑪利亞中存在,不會發生在我們當中!”但它的確存在——門徒似乎對此並不感到奇怪。 司提反在敵對環境下所做的就是順服耶穌。他冷靜地、勇敢地順服耶穌。在一個充滿敵意、想要阻止他順服神的世界中,司提反通過順服神找到了他的生命。他順服神,而不順服自己的天然欲望——他本來也可以像當政者一樣失去理性而怒氣衝天。或者,他可能揮舞拳頭質問神:“為什麼你會讓這種事發生在你的百姓身上?你不是神!”他順服神而不順服那些當政者的命令——雖然在通常情況下基督徒總是做最好的公民。當神命令做一件事,而當政者命令做另外一件事,司提反順服神。 你們的主任牧師相信,這星期在我們的國家裡,最高法庭做出了一些不合聖經教導的決定。我知道有些人不同意我的觀點——但我請你不要像7:57中的當政者一樣,聽到司提反表述信仰時,就捂上耳朵、大聲尖叫。當在我們的世界中發生一些重大事件時——就像上星期最高法院作出有關婚姻的決定——我們需要學習聖經,彼此瞭解。 如果我們想瞭解像司提反這樣的人,我們必須從他開始的地方開始。我們必須求問神的教導。如果神的教導與這個世界的教導不同,我們就要做一個重大決定:我們順服誰?神在有道德的性行為和婚姻方面是如何教導的?我認為性行為應該存在於婚姻裡的一男一女之間。如果你不認同我的觀點,我要說:“讓我們打開聖經,冷靜地看看聖經的教導。”你經常聽我說,在教會裡我們應該能夠有開明的思想。我們必須從聖經開始,做一個好的傾聽者。讓我們聽一聽神給我們的各樣觀點。如果我們像《使徒行傳》7章中的當政者一樣捂上耳朵,喊著“啦啦啦”,這樣不能榮耀神。 但是,如果我們像《使徒行傳》中的信徒一樣,被要求去做神不允許做的事情,我們該如何做?讓我試著提供一些基本準則: •請記住,所有的當政者也是由神所造——根據羅馬書13章,他們的被造也是有原因的。在一個極為反基督教的政權下(就是殺害保羅的尼祿的政權之下),保羅說神指派一個當政者是為了你們的好處(羅馬書13:4)。要點:有政府系統存在總比混亂好,任何一個政府的存在都在神的主權之下。即使是一個敗壞的政府,也會約束一些由放縱的個人主義和自我決定所導致的惡事。 •所有的基督徒,至少首先要在我們的國家裡做一個好公民——為我們的領袖禱告,努力工作和服務良善,並且,在美國,如果可能的話——可以參與政府工作。在我們教會,當我們把孩子獻給神,我們有這樣的誓言:我承諾努力工作,為孩子們的生活創造一個更好的環境。我相信那意味著在某種程度上,我們在自己的國家裡,在現有的法律框架下,應該擁有最合適的政府領袖。 •在我們這個墮落的世界,本來神出於美意而建立的政府卻誤用或濫用它的權力,導致它產生的政令直接與神的命令相悖。在那些情況下,我們將不得不做一個決定,也就是說,我們會順服神而不順服人嗎?兩者必須擇一而行。 •神的主權超越其他一切權力——包括我們自己想要控制自己生活的的欲望。我們必須順服神而不順服人。我們必須抵制那些命令或強制我們做惡事的政令,我相信我們應該在當地的法律範圍內、非暴力地去改變一個允許做惡事的政府。 •當我們順服神而不順服當政者的命令時,我們必須明白,在神的命令與世界的命令之間,有一個直接的、不能否認的衝突。 •在與世界的法律對立行動之前,我們必須利用每一種資源,每一個理性的辯論和每一次呼籲,來表明我們為什麼要順服神而不順服世界的命令。使徒們在《使徒行傳》5-7章中的做法是最後訴諸的辦法。 •我們必須願意接受因我們順服神而帶來的結果——做耶穌的見證人,真正活出我們的信仰。司提反面臨的選擇是:要麼悖逆神得釋放,要麼順服神被石頭打死。他選擇順服神。如果基督徒悖逆當政者,除非我們能逃離政府,我們就要因自己的行為接受政府的懲罰。如果我們不得不面對殉道,我們必須在殉道中反映神的樣式。 當我們這樣做,我們會看到神的榮耀——就是7:55-56中司提反這樣做時所看到的神的真實:司提反,被聖靈充滿,仰望天空,看到神的榮耀,耶穌站在神的右邊。“看哪,”司提反說,“我看見天開了,人子站在神的右邊。” 簡單講,在我們這個國家對婚姻所做的決定的背景下,我要繼續教導我所發現的聖經裡關於順服神的道德的教導。我將號召大家實踐我所認為的聖經裡有關婚姻的教導。當我這樣做的時候,我會繼續為我們國家的領袖禱告。我會繼續納稅,就像耶穌和保羅教導我們的。當事情沒有按著我所希望的那樣進行時,我並不感到吃驚。如果你說:“牧師,我認為你讀這些經文是錯的。”我不會離你而去。我將努力和你一起學習如何在這個世界為神而活。讓我們繼續一起學習神希望我們做什麼。那意味著我們必須一起活在以基督為中心的社區,一起尋求真理。可能這個世界將看到我們怎樣做,然後他們會說:“那是好的。我們最好重新思考一下我們的命令。”或者,也可能,發生在司提反身上的事情最終也發生在我們身上。無論我們做什麼,讓我們通過順服神來找到我們的生活。
#2. 我們一心渴望就是順服神的時候,就會發現神引導我們怎樣帶著勇氣和恩典來生活-尤其是在困難的時候。 有時候人告訴我,特別是在好日子的當中,他們的信心和理论看起來都不靠譜。在好日子中所做的决定常如:"神要不要我今天买这个股票和债卷?"我不是说我们在这种時候不需要寻求神的智慧。我只是说当我们面对潜在的敵對勢力时,会更加全心全力以赴寻求神要我们做的事,以及祂如何使我们可以去行。在敌意中人看聖經更仔細。甚至更常去教會,禱告求神叫牧師教導他們有關面對的問題。我的要點是:困難會是我們對神更專注。 如果初代教會如此持續增長,永遠蒙人的喜愛,那麼當基督徒活在面對共產黨或是中東政權之下要怎樣生活的時候,也就不存在這些需要的證據了。我相信不遠的將來在我們自己的國家可能面對日漸升級挑戰性的決定,那時人要怎樣生活?當我們尋求神的話語,學習在神的家中一起的禱告,就能持定地生活。 使徒行傳6-7章, 是什麼引導司提反?司提反知道不論面對何樣敵對勢力,他必須為耶穌做見證。他知道要榮耀神,在人人都處在失控的焦慮中,他要信靠神。他知道甚至要饒恕那些有意要陷害他的人。這就是耶穌在十字架上所做的。司提反在被打死前的禱告記載在60節:司提反跪下大聲喊著說:主呀,不要將這罪歸於他們。" 主內的弟兄姊妹在過往年間不斷地向我肯定這點:當我們在逆境中順服神的時候,神話語的引導和智慧顯得格外的清晰。
#3: 當我們在敌对势力中順服神的時候,就會經歷神的同在及平安 社會學家告訴我們,任何文化都必須面對一個共同的問題:如何向民眾詮釋苦難與死亡。佛家這樣教導其信徒: 不要理睬痛苦和苦難,就能到達 "萬物皆空" 的境界。例如,當我們看得失無關緊要時就能夠放得下了。印度教則教導人們生命的世界輪迴,死亡與再生,循環往復,無休無止,都由因果報應所決定。但是,大多數人都認為:我們西方文化中的主流價值-物質主義和個人主義,在把握苦難和死亡這事上,能夠給予的幫助微乎其微。如果我們只為自己而活,那麼當我們的決定不如人意,我們就會焦慮,挫敗,甚至絕望。如果我們只為物質而活,那麼當物質腐朽或消失,我們就迷失了。 弟兄姐妹們,司提反給我們看見當周遭的文化看來都與我們格格不入甚至相左時,我們到底在基督裡擁有什麼。我們有永生的神認識我們,愛我們,並應許萬物互相效力叫我們得益處。我們只需要學習如何順服祂,信靠祂。 注意56節司提反看見的異象,他看見耶穌站在神的右邊。通常的畫面是,耶穌成就了工,坐在父神面前。但是在司提反受難的過程中,耶穌卻是在動態中,與他同工。司提反知道,即使將臨的身體的死亡也是耶穌工作的一部分。結果呢?在一片愚蠢的嘈雜聲中,他得以發出智慧的言語。在眾人的無知狂怒中,司提反卻能有恩典。在眾人捂著耳朵、大聲喊叫時,他能鎮定禱告。在眾人要毀滅他時, 他卻能赦免他們。 我們在司提反身上看到的,反映了耶穌對這個世界的樣式。耶穌,世上唯一無罪的人,遭受不公正的控告,卻保持沉默;他受到無根據的審判,卻禱告"父阿,赦免他們吧。"他為你我的罪受刑罰,他擔當了我們的罪,卻給予我們新生命。 使徒彼得也效仿耶穌和年輕的司提反。我用他對他們,也是對我們說的話來結束:如果你們因行善受苦,能忍耐,這在神看是可喜愛的。你們蒙召原是為此。因基督也為你們受過苦,給你們留下榜樣,叫你們跟隨他的腳踪行。他被罵不還口。受害不說威嚇的話。只將自己交託那按公義審判人的主。 (彼得前書 2:20-24) 我如此交給你們:司提反的生命如此榮美,因為他與主耶穌如此相像—為了真理挺身而立。當人們只求感覺和盲從時,他能夠給人智慧的話語。給予寬恕而不是譴責;當世界不想與耶穌的話沾邊的時候,他還是堅持述說耶穌的名。 主阿,教導我們如何在敵對環境中生活,好教我們也能在世上反映耶穌的樣式。
榮耀歸給神,
格雷格博士
主任牧師
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2013, Lake Avenue Church
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2013, Lake Avenue Church
Study Guide
Beauty in a Hostile World - Week 12 - Study Guide
BEAUTY IN A HOSTILE WORLD
ACTS 6:8-7:60
BEAUTY IN A HOSTILE WORLD
ACTS 6:8-7:60
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The eventual martyrdom of Stephen is the inevitable consequence of a conflict that arose because Jesus commanded that Christians be his witnesses (Mt. 28:18–20; Lk. 24:46–49; Acts 1:8) and the government authorities commanded them not to be his witnesses (Acts 4:18–20). Read the exchange in Acts 5:27–29. What would you have done? How does that apply to us today?
- Read the descriptions of Stephen in Acts 6:5, 8, 15; 7:54–56. In your own words, what was he like? What would you like to emulate that you see in him?
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The first charge the authorities brought against Stephen was that he said the temple was unnecessary (6:12–14). Stephen's answer was that God was present and at work before there ever was a temple. (See highlights of this in 7:2–3, 30–34, 48). Does this point have any relevance to us and to our worship today?
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The second charge was that Stephen said that the law (centered in the 10 Commandments) was unnecessary (6:12a, 13b). To this charge, Stephen answered that the law is necessary but that no one can keep it in his own power (see 7:39–42a, 51–53). How would you have responded to this had you been there listening to Stephen?
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Read about the martyrdom in 7:54–60. What are the first thoughts you have when you read this account? How does it affect your own desire to be a witness to Jesus in this world?
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What do you think is the most important lesson you hope to apply to your life from this passage?
2013 Study Series • Copyright © 2013, Lake Avenue Church