The Essential Question (Part 3): The Church Is Persecuted预览

Good News for a Hostile World

Prepare: Take some time to reflect on your faith journey. What have been the high points in your

relationship with God?

Read: Acts 7:1-19

Reflect: A few years ago I gave a talk about why Jesus is the only way to God. That really bothered a man in the audience and he kept interrupting and disagreeing with me throughout the session. "The Bible says we should love God and neighbor," he asserted, "but it never said that." After the meeting he continued the argument, so I respectfully pointed out that the uniqueness of Christ wasn't my idea. It's what Jesus said (John 14:6).

In this passage, Stephen had it a lot worse than I did in that session; he was defending himself against an angry mob. How do you handle situations of confrontation or accusation? It helps to remember that sometimes the most heated arguments "over principle" are in fact disagreements about style or tradition, which seems to be the case here (Acts 6:11-14). But the problem was also more than that, as we've already seen. What really ticked off these religious leaders was that they were feeling threatened by and jealous of the apostles. That combination can make good people go ballistic.

So what was Stephen up to in this passage with his lesson about Abraham? In essence he was building a case for Christ by retracing the beginnings of Israel's history. What becomes clear is that God is the one who has been taking the initiative all along. It was God who chose Abraham and told him, "Go to the land I will show you" (Acts 7:3). It was God who promised to produce a great nation and a great blessing from Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). And now, Stephen implies, it is God who has delivered that blessing through the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Stephen doesn't explicitly make that point just yet, but clearly, that's where the puck is headed.

What can we learn from the first half of Stephen's speech? First, it's helpful to look back. The religious leaders were so angry that they had lost sight of God's big picture. When we experience disagreements with other believers today, it's a good idea to reflect together on the things we have in common, which are often far more significant than the cause of the conflict.

Second, it also helps to look back with others. The religious leaders knew the story of Abraham by heart, but they had missed the main point. Today, even committed followers of Christ can misinterpret what the Bible says, or misunderstand what God has been doing in their lives. That's why taking this journey through Acts with a group is so important. It gives us opportunities to receive loving and constructive input from other believers. Sadly, the religious leaders weren't willing to change their hearts or minds. Even so, Stephen's speech gives us a model for how to communicate the good news to a hostile world.

Apply: Who in your circle of influence would you say is hostile to the good news about Jesus? Pray for that person, and ask God to show you how you can be an effective witness.