ripple effect: vacaville

Read Acts 7:30-60.

1. Stephen’s history lesson continues (we pick up in the story of Moses, right before he encounters God in a burning bush)…
2. Notice Stephen takes a little time to editorialize and explain that Moses, too, had been rejected…”Who made [Moses] ruler and judge?” How would that be similar to Jesus?
3. He reminds them that Moses promised a prophet from amongst the people. But the people (maybe like the people of Stephen’s time) couldn’t handle this. They would rather go back to Egypt. They would rather dance before a golden calf. Uh oh…I can see where this is going…
4. God let them do what they wanted. Then he quotes the prophet Amos, concerning the fact that they just wouldn’t be faithful to the true God. Their punishment is well known. They were exiled to Babylon.
5. Then we get into the whole idea of the “tabernacle” (their place of worship). Moses built it. Joshua transported it into the promised land. It was taken away, but David brought it back. And Solomon finally built the temple. Maybe this is all to answer the accusations that Stephen talked about destroying the “temple.” Either way, Stephen makes it clear that God does not live in “houses made by men.” He quotes Isaiah, talking about how God definitely does not live in a box.
6. Then Stephen rips into them. He calls them “stiff-necked” with “uncircumcised hearts and ears.” In other words, they won’t bow down; and nothing about the feelings in their hearts or the way that they received Jesus’ teachings reveals that they are in fact in a covenant with God. Uh oh…
7. Uh oh…he tells them that they “resist the Holy Spirit.” God is speaking to their hearts, but they are not listening. That is clear. Then he attacks the track record of their ancestors who killed every prophet that God ever sent (some of whom predicted that Jesus was coming). Talk about missing the point!
8. This all culminated in their killing of Jesus. It wasn’t enough that they ignored the prophets– they killed the One who gave them words.

9. This is when the religious leaders lost it. In the midst of all this chaos, Stephen sees the glory of God in heaven (and Jesus is right there!). He tells them all what he sees, but they all cover their ears and scream to not hear the very truth coming out of Stephen’s mouth. Like a kid who says, “Blah, blah, blah, I’m not listening…”
10. They took him out of the city and began to stone Stephen. Oh, and by the way, a young man named Saul was there for the whole thing…
11. Stephen prayed while the rocks were flying. He gave his life to Jesus. And, to baffle my mind, he actually asks God to forgive them for stoning him. Then he died. Wow. What do you think about Stephen after all of this?