You will never believe this, unless someone shows it to you.

Acts 13:14-41
I knew I could not do it. I jumped back into the book of Acts once again, determined to read through it briskly. What a joke that is for me. 

As I sat a dinner reading, and yes, marking up my bible, a couple walks in. He must have noticed the bible right off the bat, either that or he was just friendly, because he gave me a nod. 

About 15 minutes later he walked over to the table, and asked the usual question, “That is a bible, right? Are you a pastor?” Yes, this is a bible, and no, I am not a pastor. 

I know what is on my mind when I approach somebody reading what appears to be a bible. I really want to hear them tell me how great their God is. 

Perhaps it would be best if I did not put my ideals on others. What I mean is, this dear man may have just wanted to make an acknowledging contact; that seems benign enough. But here you are talking to me, and with no purpose?

Seriously, - I am reading the book of Acts now, and though I have read it many times, it has come alive like never before. I feel as though I have looked through God’s lens as Peter came off that rooftop in Joppa, and as I have read Paul I see that he let no opportunity slip by. If you walked up to his table, you were going to get Jesus Christ preached to you.

I will warn you now. If you open the door in front of me, I will walk through it, and I did with this man. 
There was an awkward moment of silence, as the mind, unprepared, decides what to say next. He said, “I am a Christian too.” I said, “then you should be aware that the King is coming quickly, and it is imperative that we put out the clarion call for people to get ready.” 

He just stood there looking at me. A couple of seconds passed when I said, “then let me point something out to you. Matthew 25 tells us of ten virgins with oil lamps, all intending to go to the wedding, but five run out of oil. The remaining five were called in and the door was closed behind them, leaving the other five effectively locked out. I do not know with certainty what that oil is, but I know I want it. I believe that it is vital, and necessary. What if that oil is nothing more than zeal, passion, desire, attentiveness, and drive to have all of Jesus Christ that a man can handle?”
(If you have an understanding of God’s word then your head should be screaming at you, at this point. We are told that our cup will overflow, and that out of our inner being will flow rivers of living water. So, I implore you to pursue all you can get.)

Again, he just looked at me. A couple of seconds passed and he said, “I go to the Baptist church over here in San Dimas.” Our conversation was over, and he went back to his table. Strangely, even though I invited back to sit with me anytime you see me, he never made eye contact again, but his wife did.

(As an addendum – I had my father read this just to see if I am making any sense. Trust me, he will tell me if I do not. The first thing he says is, “you were too harsh on that man.” Yes, Paul was way to harsh on the Jews as well, but then that is my opinion and not Gods. What did Jesus tell them? Look it up – Matthew 10:34-37.)

I made it to Acts chapter 13.

Something that is dominant in my thinking is that the Apostles, and the multitudes of disciples, did not have Bibles, they were the bible. The acts that they did, in faith, were becoming the bible. Really, they were our examples of what to do.

What advantage did they have?

For several years the Apostles had the idea that God only intended this message for the Jews; after all He was their messiah. The Jews understood the serious nature of their status, and mandated that Jewish children go to synagogue schooling, where they were required to memorize, and have a working knowledge of the law and prophets. 

Saul/Paul was an honor student, with high hopes. He may have had dreams of becoming the high priest someday, I do not know, but I know he was good.

You saw evidence of this education as Stephen gave the high council a precise history of Israel, and included some things that are not common knowledge to us, but caused these learned men no grief. 

Now we see Saul/Paul, entering into the synagogue in Antioch, on the Sabbath, along with Barnabas. Paul too is about to deliver a history lesson, but this time with a spin on it.

I have a moment's hesitation as Paul, who moved quickly into the realm of the Gentiles, is now doing what I perceive as something that would exclude the gentiles from receiving the message. Paul’s “habit” of entering the synagogue tells me that there something richly important that we are missing, by not understanding the Jewish traditions, and that preaching to the house of Israel is still vitally important to him.

As you read through the passage you will see Paul do something else that puzzles me, for he addresses the “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God,”. Gentiles were not allowed in the synagogue, but converted ones were. Who were these men? Our clue comes from the phrase “who worship God,”.

The gospel had been preached in Antioch by Paul and Barnabas for about a year,and I can assure you that they made a huge impact.

As I noted earlier, the early church was the bible that we now read, so they were preaching a good news of Jesus Christ, with signs and wonders following.

What is good news to a legalistic Jew? Freedom. They knew that sacrifices were only temporary relief from a bondage to sin. They understood this better than anyone. That is why they made more rules, bringing more bondage.

What is good news to a person who does not live under the laws? Health, love, freedom from mental anguish, knowledge that there is a hope, and the understanding that they can have a peace with God.

So what do we see happening in the early church? They followed Jesus example of going about and doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil.

What we see is action!

Open your bibles and let’s dive in.
(Bracketed and italicized wording is mine.)

Acts 13:14-41 NIV From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.

On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.

15. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak."
    [Perhaps they have a guest speaker policy in this synagogue. I noticed that Paul and Barnabas came in and quietly sat down to listen and I suppose, take part. When the leadership called upon Paul and company to speak they opened the door, and Paul walked through it.]
16. Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! (17) The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; (18) for about forty years he endured their conduct in the wilderness; (19) and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. (20) All this took about 450 years. "After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. (21) Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 
    
    (22) After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'
    [After, is from the Greek word – kata: meaning “according to”. Jesus was precisely this. God himself honored his Son in saying that he was well pleased. Jesus told them that he only did the Father’s will. Acts 13:22 KJV ….. a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.] 
    
    (23) "From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.  
    [Matthew 1:1-16 The lineage of Joseph. Luke 3:23-38 pulled from Mary’s family lineage.] 
    
     (24) Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. (25) As John was completing his work, he said: 'Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.' 
    
     [John the Baptist spoke of his coming.] 
    
    (26) "Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.  
    [The Jews were the ones chosen by God. As you read through the book of Acts you see some exclusivity on the part of the early church and it’s leadership. Peter’s vision of the unclean things, made it clear that all were included.] 
    
    (27) The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 
    [The blindness is suffocating. How is it that you can read it, and not see it. They carried out what God had planned like a skilled actor.] 
    
    (28) Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 
    [Matthew 27:16-23; Mark 15:7-14; John 18:40; Acts 3:14] 
    
    (29) When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 
    [God so prescribed their every action, even to laying him in a tomb.] 
    
    (30) But God raised him from the dead, 
    [Decisively] 
    
    (31) and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. 
    [This is one of the establishing aspects that anchors our hope and faith, that what He said is true. I will come back for you so that you may be with me.] 
    
    (32) "We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors (33) he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm: "'You are my son; today I have become your father.' 
    [What God promised, he has fulfilled. He has kept his word, and he proved it by raising Jesus from the dead.] 
    
    (34) God raised him from the dead so that he will never be subject to decay. As God has said, "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.'
    
    (35) So it is also stated elsewhere: "'You will not let your holy one see decay.' 
    [Having become one in Christ through faith in him, are we not now the holy ones? If so then we will not see decay either.] 
    
     (36) "Now when David had served God's purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. (37) But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. 
    
    (38) "Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
    
    (39) Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to get under the law of Moses.
    
    (40) Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
    
    (41) "'Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.'"

 We Christians should all understand that we have obtained forgiveness of sins through Jesus, but for some reason, we act like it is temporary. We worry about our state of readiness; we preach about sin in our churches, as though there are some that are not so proficient at it. LISTEN, we all know how to sin, we do it daily, our selfishness proves that out. We were born in sin, almost like that chicken you are making soup out of. BUT, the message of Jesus is good news.

Allow me to state it one more time, loudly. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin. If we are to believe his word then we have to believe it all. If we are to preach good news then lets preach it all.

I must tell you a story that I have told before; perhaps this is new to you. As a young man, growing up in church, we were “forced” to go out to neighborhood doors, and try to win the lost, and get them into church by preaching this “good news” that we were taught.

I do not remember any door but one. I was so shy back then, and desperately wanted to fit in. I considered many of these kids to be cool, even when they were necking under the blankets on the church bus.

We approached a door, and a hippie popped his head out. (This was the late 60’s the age of Aquarius, get it.) He listened politely to the spill and said no thank you.

 What were we offering him?

I do not even know, but the reaction of the others to his polite rejection was atrocious, as they now threw rants at him about his going to hell. They all left, and I just stood there. I think mostly from shock. I would not have appreciated any of that either. He turned to me and said, “what do you have to say?”, I said, “I am so sorry”, and I turned and walked away.

I will tell you this, that incident scarred me. I have never wanted to see that happen again, and I have never wanted to be a part of anything like that.

A little time has passed since I started this paper, and another incident occurs to me. I had gone to a Christian retreat in the mountains. I really love being there. I believe this might have been my second time, so it did not have that rookie feel to it. Chow line was always long, but there was always a mountain of food. You could get involved in some great conversations or listen in on others. 

This particular year there were some “bikerish” looking Christians there. This idea that we have to keep up our intimidation appearance puzzles me. These guys are preaching to the choir, in a sense, for they were pushing a technique for bringing people to the Lord, coercing them to admit their rotten sinful ways. 

I understand, more now than before, what they were doing. They were trying to light a fire, as I do, but after moving out in the Holy Spirit with an acquaintance of theirs, they pulled me into their circle under false pretense and started this garbage on me. Perhaps I was not as sanctified as I thought, but I told them that what they did in asking over to their table was deceptive and wrong. I rudely got up and walked away.

 Coming to realize that Jesus Christ paid a sufficient price for the worlds sins, makes me think that our approach to the world is completely backward. Paul told those self-righteous Jews, and devoutly religious Gentiles, that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ, the last sacrifice, is from that point forward completely freed from sin.

 How is that possible?

It is so because either Jesus was enough, and we know he was, or this whole thing is a farce and there is nothing but the hell that this earth has to offer.

 Do you not begin to see why God had the prophet make such a statement. ‘I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone told you.' Many of you reading this have said in your hearts, that this is not so, but it is. I know this because I listen to the radio pastors constantly preaching about sin. Why don’t they try preaching about life, and hope, those are the things people struggle with; sinning is easy, living victoriously is hard.

The people milling about around you, have been forgiven, they merely need to know it, and accept the one who paid for it. This should change and turn your world upside.

 Preach Jesus, the same Jesus who went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed of the devil. This last half of this sentence is whole other can of worms, but if you are paying attention, anyone who needs a healing has the devil tormenting them in some form.

Preach Jesus – He came as stated; he did what he said he would do; he followed the Father’s will explicitly; he was murdered according to scripture; he rose from the dead, just as he said he would; he came back and was witnessed by over 500+ people (Paul knew some of these guys.); he sent the Holy Spirit, as he said he would, and he is coming back for us, to rescue us from the wrath that is to come, so that we can be with him in heaven, as he said.

 He is coming back for those who wish to be his bride, and pursue him. Everyone else, though not judged for sins, will not have the opportunity to escape through the grace we now have, but will have to prove their allegiance, most likely, at the edge of a sword.

 Preach Jesus, for there is life and freedom in him alone.

Now is the time to step forward.

I chose to revisit a bible study where I was a regular attendee at for several years, but while I wanted depth I was not getting it and moved on. I also have an irregular work schedule that took me away for a time.

I happen to think that God has everything planned out, and even my random choice to go the bible study was destined to be.

I walked in, and found everyone intently writing something down on paper. A couple of the men acknowledged me and one jumps up to give me a hug.

I can be terrible at times, and so I started harassing them about taking a test and how the test is now over, because I thought it was funny. They told me to wait and all would be explained in a moment, and I would get to take part.

The exercise is one that missionaries have told us that the Christians in a particular communist country, with limited bibles do.

They all copy the passage(s) exact, then recopy in a way that they might use to share this truth with others on the street, and then make a point of putting it into practice throughout the week.

Here is the passage:

Ephesians 4:17-24 NIV So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. (18) They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (19) Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. (20) That, however, is not the way of life you learned (21) when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. (22) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; (23) to be made new in the attitude of your minds; (24) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Asked to rewrite this, like Eugene Peterson might. I wrote this.

Because God is that important to me, and I am deeply concerned about the condition of your soul, I implore you to not live as the world does. 

I understand your want to be accepted and blend in, but you are choosing to follow their useless thinking when you do this. Think about the things they say, it is proof that their way of thinking is clouded and their actions prove that God has no place in their lives. They will only bring you down to their level.

The pursuits of those that do not believe are evidence that they have given themselves over to selfish desires, and they do not care who they injure in the process.

Their greed consumes their every thought, as they go through life. It is only themselves that they think about.

But living a wretched life like this is not what I taught you. You have been taught to rise above.

Using Jesus as the example of a truthful, rich, full life I showed you that there is a hope and satisfaction in knowing Him.

Remember that I explained how you became remade at the moment you gave yourself to Christ; Christ, the one who loves you and gave himself for you, desiring only the best for you as you emulate his life.

Clinging to that old way can do nothing more than destroy any progress you have made in him.

Pursue him wholeheartedly, allowing Him to create a new image on the inside of you and watch the changes overwhelm you as he trains you to be the king you were meant to be.

We then had to read this back to the group.

I will tell you that I wrote as if God/Paul had talked to me, and I was in tears before I could finish writing.

When I read it back I was in tears, because it spoke to me as well.

God moves through me as I give out words of encouragement to people.

This gift, if you must call it something, is not that difficult, for Revelation 19:20 tells us that the testimony of Jesus Christ, is the spirit of prophecy. Therefore, if you give someone encouragement from scripture, are you not prophesying over them. Declaring those things that be not, as though they were.

I stepped forward and spoke specifically into the lives of two men. Upon direction from the Holy Spirit I asked the younger of them, what is your dream and hope for the future? He responded with, I want to be a drug and alcohol counselor. I immediately stood to my feet, commanded him to stand, and when he did not, walked over to him, held out my hand, and lifted him up. I spoke words of life and wisdom over him, and anointed him by the laying on of my hands, to walk in the ways and wisdom of the Lord.

What will become of him? That is God s business, for I did my job.

I am writing this down as a legacy and instructions.

God has called you forth, and you have struggled, not knowing what to do or who to ask. There may be no one human that will be able to give you the answers that you desire outside of the Holy Spirit, and there will be more than enough detractors, telling you that you cannot.

You are going to have to learn to trust the Holy Spirits ability to speak into your life. Ask him to speak to in simple matters, He will. You will then have act upon those things. Do not get stupid on me, be real and reasonable. You already know when to use the toilet, but there is no doubt that He can use that moment as well.

There is nothing that we do that does not have God's hand involved.

Peter stood before the crowds, many of them detractors, and said,

Acts 2:13-17 NIV Some, however, made fun of them and said, "They have had too much wine." (14) Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. (15) These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning! (16) No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: (17) "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

The last days are upon us, and that certainly includes you.

Now is the time for those who have the calling upon them, and those who want the best that God has to offer, to step forward. Be bold, and brave.

Will you suffer for it? No doubt. Killing off God s anointed has always been the response of the non-believing religious zealots.

Live for Him like there is no tomorrow. You will find it to be the most exhilarating thing you have ever done in your life.

If my God gets magnified then there is nothing minor.

A look into the book of Acts

Acts 7:42

Stephen, standing before the high council, is responding to their demand as to whose authority he is operating under. He presents them with the longest discourse in scripture, giving a fairly concise history of Israel.

Unlike the reaction that the Apostle got, where the council determined they were unlearned men, this is never said of Stephen. The things that Stephen said were not challenged until he pointed out that they were the murderers of Jesus Christ, the Just one.

Although I do not remember most of what he said, Dr. Chuck Misler, spoke about this discourse as one that carried the central themes, and some hidden treasures to be gleaned about Israel. An example: Stephen is the one that notes in Acts 7:18 that everything changed for Israel when “another king arose, which knew not Joseph.” Who was this guy? History has now shown us, but for centuries the answer to this question lay hidden in the earth.

Consider that gleaning comes after the normal harvest, and if you have witnessed a harvest then you know that something is always left, whether it falls to the ground, or is simply bypassed.

I got hooked into going to breakfast at the place where the “ex” goes. I used to go hang out there with the older men. Fortunately they are Christians, but we never talked about the goodness of God. Never! That did not stop me from trying, but I always got shot down. One of the brothers there had come out of a Christ based cult that operates in a militaristic fashion. In a sense he escaped. He now attends a church that is slightly more liberal, but still has a hard time with grace.

If I must be here then I will attempt to bring up my Lord, once again.

Don’t look at me like that!

I have come to realize that it is not just me, but anyone who is enthusiastic about something (motorcycles, cars, sports) will talk about it, constantly. I don’t do sports! So, I took my bible and note pad. Bert (I will call him that to protect his secret identity – evil grin.) glared at me.

We talked about a gun that blew up because of Chinese bullets. He showed us a picture of it on his new phone; others talked about life in general. In the last couple of minutes that I was there, the opportunity arose to say something about my Lord so I pointed to my pad, mentioning that I write constantly, and this is one of the latest things I have been looking at, Stephens discourse to the high council.

Quickly pointing out the amazing wealth of information that one can gain from the briefest of stops. (An example for me is, writing six pages on one verse. Not that I set out to do that, but I write what the spirit is showing me.) My old buddy Bert (as Ernie from Sesame Street used to say.) immediately goes into a quiet tirade about people that major on minor things that are not essential to our Christian walk.

1. That makes the huge assumption that you know what I am talking about. Seeing as I had not made any point at all before he jumped in, he was operating on pure assumption.
2. If what I was talking about was so minor, and no I did not even get that out of my mouth before he dove in. Why then was it important enough for Stephen, under the influence of the Holy Spirit to divulge this information to the High council? And why does the Holy Spirit seem to think that we needed to know this? You cannot deny that it is in here. There is information given in Stephens discourse that we do not readily see anywhere else in scripture.
3. I am standing right there in front of him, and yet he made his tirade generic, as though I did not exist, and therefore would not notice how extraordinarily hurtful his comment was, especially directed at another Christian.
   “Why do people focus on minor things that have little to no impact on our Christian walk?”
   I tapped on my pad, looked him in the eyes, and said, “are you talking about this scripture I am referring to?”If you have something to say, then say it to my face. I am not a good apologist and everyone around you will probably think that you won your battle by humiliating me, and really, isn’t that the point; you making every else think that your right and dominant. Perhaps then they will worship you too.

I just turned and walked out. Dad was the one that brought me, and he is now getting into his car. Catching up quickly, I reiterated to him why I will probably never go back there again.

A thought just popped into my head, so I am writing it. This example that I just gave is indicative of the Laodicean church. They are lukewarm, lazy, and do not care. I am not a pastor, for if I were then my heart would cry out daily in pleas for them to repent and return to the Living God. And yet, if you read my posts, I believe that this is exactly my heart.

I know this about me, I do not have the patience to beat my head against such walls of apathy.

If my God gets magnified then there is nothing minor!

Now to the passage.

Open your bibles to Acts 7:42. I always wanted to say that.

Acts 7:42 KJV Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

Before I carry on, I have something I need to say. I have been looking at this for several days, pondering its significance, and weighing the negative inputs. In other words I am taking an internal beating in which Satan, if I may say that, is trying to get me to back down.

I don’t know what to call it, depression, insecurity, or the possibility that my ex-girlfriend was right; I am just full of myself. If you knew me, then you would know how much of an internal struggle I go through, and what a lack of confidence I have.

It is the feedback that I get from others, across the globe, that tells me otherwise. I truly believe that I am doing what God has asked me to do. That being said, and gotten off my chest, I plow on.

Still considering Stephens recap of Israel’s history, he describes the scene when Moses comes off the mount to find most of Israel worshiping a golden calf that they created. (A sorry aspect of this scene includes Aaron’s lame excuse of throwing the gold into the fire, and this popped out. Who would have thought. - My judgmental side would have eliminated Aaron along with them.)

Stephen gets rather specific with the identities of these gods, Molech and Rephan.

Molech, though having several spellings is easy enough to find,

Molech - Fire-gods appear to have been common to all the Canaanite, Syrian and Arab tribes, who worshiped the destructive element under an outward symbol, with the most inhuman rites.

Image via Wikipedia

According to Jewish tradition, the image of Molech was of brass, hollow within, and was situated without Jerusalem. "His face was (that) of a calf, and his hands stretched forth like a man who opens his hands to receive (something) of his neighbor. And they kindled it with fire, and the priests took the babe and put it into the hands of Molech, and the babe gave up the ghost." (Smith’s bible dictionary)

Leviticus 20:2-3 KJV Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. (3) And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

Leviticus 20:5-6 KJV Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people. (6) And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

If this is what Moses saw, as he came down off the mountain, then it is surprising to me that Aaron was not consumed with most of Israel that day, or at the least, Moses did not throw the tablets directly at Aaron’s head.

Do you not begin to get a feel for God’s possible reasons for anger if he finds them;

1. Acting against explicit instructions,
2. Dancing around a cow headed idol called Moloch,
3. Roasting their children in this monstrous things arms. All of which is horror, whether God told them not to or not. When you factor in Jesus receiving little children you should get a better feel for the heart and character of God.

Matthew 19:13-14 GNB Some people brought children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and to pray for them, but the disciples scolded the people. (14) Jesus said, "Let the children come to me and do not stop them, because the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

The word Rephan, which is the other name that the NIV translators used, has caused me some grief.

Just try and find a direct reference to this spelling; you won’t. The KJV spells it Remphan, and that one will score a hit in the Strong’s concordance. This is also a reference to Amos 5:26, but here the god mentioned is Chiun, the star god, which they made.

Two things to note here:

“...God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven;..”

There is nothing polite about the word turned, as used here. The Greek word is strepho, meaning to literally turn around. That would imply a previous face to face relationship, at least on God’s part.

As I looked for a defining association to Rephan I kept noticing this aspect of giving them up to “worship the host of heaven”. That sounds benign enough, and after all, that is where God lives, right. But the inquiring mind should also be thinking about other aspects that have been included in the “host of heaven”.

1. We know that there are a host of angels in heaven. The shepherds got a dose of their singing when Jesus was born.
2. Originally Lucifer/Satan, along with another third of the “host of heaven” got tossed out.
3. And there are the physical objects of heaven, such as stars, planets, and an expanding universe.

As I looked at translations that could help define this host of heaven aspect, it seemed that no one really hit the nail on the head for me, therefore I give you a couple of them.

Acts 7:42 GW "So God turned away from them and let them worship the sun, moon, and stars. This is written in the book of the prophets: 'Did you bring me sacrifices and grain offerings in the desert for 40 years, nation of Israel?

This would certainly be in line with the meanings implied in both the word Remphan and Chiun.

As I continued pondering this passage, the other aspect that jumps at me almost looks like a question. But why would God ask them a question, unless it is one that does not require an answer. When I looked at other translations it appears as a statement, and suddenly it makes not only more sense, but at the same time rocks my assumptions of how Israel lived, during those 40 years of wandering. I give you the adjoining verse to help clarify this.

Acts 7:42-43 CJB So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the stars -- as has been written in the book of the prophets, 'People of Isra'el, it was not to me that you offered slaughtered animals and sacrifices for forty years in the wilderness! (43) No, you carried the tent of Molekh and the star of your god Reifan, the idols you made so that you could worship them. Therefore, I will send you into exile beyond Bavel.'

Forty years of acting out a part. This tells me that the majority still had their hearts and heads embedded in Egypt, and the pagan ways they lived there. God rescued them for something better. My Sunday school education did not convey this to any degree. The way Israel performed is beyond my imagination. They carried, and set up their own temple to Molekh, at the same time Aaron was setting up God’s temple. This is something that you do not see until you get to Stephens discourse.

I can hear many of you challenging this concept. Even stating that if it is not clearly stated in scripture then it did not happen, and should not be considered. Consider this. Stephen made these statements before men more skilled in the law and prophets than he, and NONE of them contradicted or disputed with him about these aspects. They did have Stephen murdered because he called them murderers, in reference to Jesus.

“So God turned away from them and gave them over ...” Verse 43 of chapter 7 says, “..Therefore, I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.”

If you have read the saga of Israel’s trek through the wilderness, did you ever see God leaving them, or abandoning them? No, and God does not lie, so you do eventually see them go into captivity.

This has to be another one of those situations where God makes a clear cut statement, but withholds his judgment, because of some act of repentance and contriteness of heart. Read the story, and you will find that the only heart that God gives consideration to is Moses, who pleads with God on behalf Israel.

If you are looking for an example to back this concept up then look no further than Jonah.

Jonah’s entire angst over delivering this prophetic word of destruction, which he most likely was all in favor of, had to do with his understanding that God would show these people mercy, which is exactly what he did, at that time. Don’t kid yourself, God did not let their bad behavior pass. Nineveh was consumed, and only recently have they uncovered traces of that place.

There has to be point or there is no purpose. In reading a book about better writing, they instruct you to know your audience. Do I know you? Only in the spirit. God has been very specific about telling me about you. There are those who have a strong understanding of scripture and gain much encouragement from these words, but there are those who live there whole lives in church, dependent upon someone telling them what they can and cannot do. Does that mean you are incapable of making decisions? No, for some of you run your own businesses, but you do not have a clue as to the heart and character of God.

Many of you are absolutely shaken by the events around you, and know this, they are only going to get worse. In opposition to the unfounded belief that there is no hope for you if should miss the “rapture”. (Trust me on this, you will know when it happens, whether you go or stay.) The Holy Spirit is not taken off this earth, for God is continuing to draw people unto himself, and that is a clear cut act of the Holy Spirit.

Joel chapter 2 tells us:

Joel 2:28-29 KJV And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: (29) And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

This entire chapter, which Peter quoted in the second chapter of Acts, saying, “this prophecy has been fulfilled in your ears”, is about the second coming of Jesus Christ, and is a time of judgment upon the earth, as well as a time of darkness and gloom. A time after the rapture of the church.

Those that come to him now, have the advantage of this age of grace that we are under. That all ends on that day. And anyone wishing to live a life with the Father, after the rapture, will have to pay full price for admission. Jesus paid with his life and blood so that we do not have too. I fully recommend that you take full advantage of that.

God turned his back on Israel, because they turned their backs on him. Will God turn his back on you? Never, for you see, Christ died for us while we were ungodly, and unlovable, paying that horrid price to give us life.

Religion will tell you that you are a sinner. Oh, you sin, of that there is no doubt, but God paid the price for that sin, regardless of when or where. Do your sins affect others? Certainly, are you stupid. You can see the look on their faces as they limp away, but for sin you will not be judged.

Religion will fight me on this. Why? Because religion does not believe that God is capable of doing what he said he would do, and that is not losing you to the world, and it’s ways. At some point you have to decide that God is big enough, and truthful enough to do what he said. He already proved himself when Jesus gave up his life on that cross.

Scripture does tell me that there is a judgment coming, but it is based upon people’s actions and heart. We are so ready to send people to hell. Yes, there is a hell, but it was not made for you, therefore you have the choice not to go there. Hell was made for Satan and the angels that rebelled against God. Those that follow him, are doing exactly what Satan had hoped for, and that was to make that loser their god. As a follower of Satan you are entitled to the same reward that he has coming.

The Great Tribulation time is not going to be anything less than horrific, but those that call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. There will be those that are not killed because of their (possibly new found) faith. And even then, I see a merciful God sorting out those that demonstrated a God like heart when they offered a drink of water, visited someone in prison, fed the poor, and generally acted in some manner other than pure selfishness.

Stephens discourse is meant to show us what not to do, plain and simple. Is it easy? Generally yes. Are there speed bumps along the way? Absolutely, but knowing that God will never leave you or forsake you should give you a little comfort, as you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and re-educate yourself.

I wrote a note to a friend recently and quoted from a powerful source. Allow me to give it to you now.

Ten Bears: These things you say we will have, we already have. Josey Wales: That's true. I ain't promising you nothing extra. I'm just giving you life and you're giving me life. And I'm saying that men can live together without butchering one another. Ten Bears: It's sad that governments are chiefed by the double tongues. There is iron in your words of death for all Comanche to see, and so there is iron in your words of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of Ten Bears carries the same iron of life and death. It is good that warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life... or death. It shall be life.
(Memorable quotes for The Outlaw Josey Wales)

Here is the truth in the above quote. No signed paper can hold the words of life, they only come from God. Fortunately he had those words put on paper so that we can quickly find them, and run back to the life in them. God words are words of iron. Do you realize what that means? Strength unimaginable. These are not mere words, but words paid for by the blood of His son. Paid for to guarantee a life for those who will run to the words of life.

Stephen told that council that God gave Israel lively words. When you pursue the depth of meaning in what Stephen said, you find that it means following those words, words of iron, bring life.

Run to life.

It is not right that we should leave the word of God.

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Looking at the book of Acts

Acts 6:2 KJV Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.

As most of you know, Judas is no longer, and so the guys thought it made sense to replace him. It sounds like they flipped coins until it got narrowed down to Matthias. (I am sure I am over simplifying this decision making process, but it says, after much prayer they drew lots, and Matthias was chosen.)

“Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples,...”

The twelve Apostles are now finding it necessary to delegate responsibility. It sounds as though they had been doing all the work, and it has begun to take them away from preaching (I will use the word here, but it is much to sterile. They were sharing the life they knew and understood. They shared what they learned at the feet of the Master.)

Whether they felt called to or not, the job of being a pastor, with all it’s demands was suddenly thrust upon them, and now it is taking a toll. Again, what would anyone of them have known of this? Nothing outside of watching Jesus communicate with people, both great and small. They watched how he cared for and loved the unlovely. They watched him respond to the request of the Roman centurion, and they saw what he did for the woman with the issue of blood. They saw the true pastor (a shepherd, in action.) Add to their education the fact that Jesus told them that the Holy Spirit (an unseen breath like entity, sent from God, in my name) would bring all the things that he had taught them back to their remembrance, and lead them and guide them into all truth. We also know that they watched him go up into the mount of Olives, his favorite place, to pray (communicate, speak with, listen to, and revitalize, because it had to have taken a toll on him too.)

I want to add something here. We hear the word prayer quite frequently, and if your like me, it means taking some huge space of time, secluded away from others, doing what?

Typically our prayers may be God help me, do you see what’s going on here, I am in so much pain. And while that is probably true, and not insignificant, it is only one aspect of prayer. I do not always seem to have the time to escape, and I find that after a while, even I get tired of hearing my own whining about the pains, most of which I have brought on myself. While we all have issues that we need to take before God, (and I would suggest you do that before the mole hills turn into mountains,) things like the relationship break-ups, job stresses, anger, and tribulations because of the word (I get mocked upon occasion because of my sharing, but really it is nothing compared to what our brothers and sisters in Christ suffer in the middle east and African nations.)

So while I am walking around moping about the loss of a ten year relationship with my girlfriend, (by the way, God is in control of that as well.) my Christian friend at work lost his best friend/wife to cancer. Suddenly my moping seems very insignificant. This event alone, more than any other caused me to refocus. I have now focused my prayers on things like: God use me, hopefully as some form of a good example; let my words bring life; give me a boldness like I have never known, and a backbone to stand in the face of tribulations.

Whether right or wrong, I find that when I pay attention, I have been praying all day long. I hear my spirit speaking about something, or talking to God about a customer that came through the store. I find myself with a compassion and love for the homosexual couples that I never had before. The world just wants to hate, not only them, but hate in general. Hate is so natural and easy. Now, how would I know this? I was taught by an expert, and I was good at it. To feel love and compassion, is to feel God’s heart. I know this because even in my worst moments I feel his arms being thrown around me.

We do know that over 3000 were added on the day of Pentecost. We also know that God was adding to the church daily. (Acts 2:47)

We do not know how many people are involved here, but where two or three people are gathered there can also be discord, and it did not take long.

Acts 6:2 NIV 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.

One of the things I wanted you to see, even though this verse seems simple enough, is the word arestos. The KJV used the word reason.

Webster’s dictionary defines reason as: That which is thought or which is alleged in words, as the ground or cause of opinion, conclusion or determination.

To some degree I could see how this works, but my mind needs to have something more concrete. Thayer’s Greek definitions defines the word as agreeable. Now that makes volumes of sense to me. Considering the numbers of people that the Apostles are now having to deal with. Keep in mind that it says the disciples were now in the multitudes, and that was just the men folk they were counting, the logistics of what they were doing is becoming a full time job in itself.

Did anybody else notice that service work is not necessarily what they were called to do.

Our focus now shifts.

“.. that we should leave the word of God, ...”

Now the questions come. One of the pastors that I am involved with uses the terminology “quiet time” to include his daily study time. During that time he is clearly looking at God’s word.

1. Quiet time; is that what the Apostles are talking about?
2. What is meant by “the word” here?
3. These guys were bringing life and freedom to the new believers, many of which were Jews. Where did they get this information from?
4. What kind of access did they have to the written word?
5. If their access to the written word is limited, not only to them, but to their audience as well, then what are they relying upon?

In the passage given the Greek for word is logomachia, meaning disputation or to strive about words. Using the word logomachia causes me a little grief, because I found it the Vine’s expository dictionary of New Testament words, and yet I could find no other reference stated in this exact way. What troubles me about this is not that Vine’s uses it, but that Pastors stand before us and say, “this is what the Greek word is, and what it means.” Even my Greek friend will give us the spectrum of meaning when defining a word for us. That does not cause confusion, but helps to clarify the definition.

An example of this spectrum came to me when I asked my Greek friend about the word “ministry” in Acts 6:2. The word in Greek is diakonia and means to be in attendance to as a servant.

But what is one of the typical things we picture when we hear someone say, “I am in the ministry.”?

Having been involved in a mega-church for a short period. I got the full dose of pastor talking about his Scottish golf vacation, his very expensive suits, and how disgusting it is to eat common food, from local restaurants. The implications of someone in that church, using the terminology ministry, has a huge price tag attached to it, and a snobbery that you could carry. This scenario is so far removed from what the word, in this verse means. 

My point here is, that even a minimal grasp of how to look up things like this can help you comprehend how basic the motivation was, as the Apostles ministered the word.

To dispute with the word, sounds like a fight to me. Considering where they were standing most of the time (Solomon’s Porch), I would not be surprised, but fighting does not tend to win anyone over.

Apologists defend of the gospel, through knowledge, facts, evidence, and real life application which occasionally takes on the argument status, but really, it is merely holding your ground against those who refuse to acknowledge truth. You are defending God’s word (Whether God needs it or not).

What we can ascertain is that the Apostles teaching was somewhat confrontational with Jewish leadership and apologetic at the same time.

They had no written word that they could carry around with them. The “word” was the scrolls in the synagogues. These were bulky, hand copied and rolled transcriptions of the Torah. Very few had a copy.

Considering that the scrolls only contained the law, that which brings about a sin consciencenous, these guys preached freedom from it.

How would one find freedom in the law? Only by knowing the character of the one who decreed it.

So what then did the Apostles mean when they said they should not leave the word of God.?

With only their memories, the Holy Spirit, and 3 years of walking with God himself, they taught the world. They had nothing else to lean on, but faith in the Holy Spirit, faith in their memories, the time they spent with Jesus, and the occasional access to the scrolls, if the priests allowed. They shared what they heard, and watched Jesus do.

The Apostles walked with Jesus, the Word, and they left that legacy for us.